Me Too movement

From Bharatpedia, an open encyclopedia

The Me Too (or #MeToo) movement, with variations of related local or international names, is a social movement against sexual abuse and sexual harassment towards women, where people publicize allegations of sex crimes.[1] The phrase "Me Too" was initially used in this context on social media in 2006, on Myspace, by sexual harassment survivor and activist Tarana Burke.

Similar to other social justice and empowerment movements based upon breaking silence, the purpose of "Me Too", as initially voiced by Burke as well as those who later adopted the tactic, is to empower women through empathy and solidarity through strength in numbers, especially young and vulnerable women, by visibly demonstrating how many women have survived sexual assault and harassment, especially in the workplace.[2]

Following the exposure of the widespread sexual-abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein in early October 2017,[3][4] the movement began to spread virally as a hashtag on social media.[2][5][6] On October 15, 2017, American actress Alyssa Milano posted on Twitter, "If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote 'Me too' as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem," saying that she got the idea from a friend.[7][8][9][10] A number of high-profile posts and responses from American celebrities Gwyneth Paltrow,[11] Ashley Judd,[12] Jennifer Lawrence,[13] and Uma Thurman, among others, soon followed.[14]

Widespread media coverage and discussion of sexual harassment, particularly in Hollywood, led to high-profile firings, as well as criticism and backlash.

After millions of people started using the phrase and hashtag in this manner in English, the expression began to spread to dozens of other languages. The scope has become somewhat broader with this expansion, however, and Burke has more recently referred to it as an international movement for justice for marginalized people in marginalized communities.

References[edit]

  1. Edwards, Stephanie Zacharek, Eliana Dockterman, Haley Sweetland. "TIME Person of the Year 2018: The Silence Breakers". Time. Retrieved April 14, 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. 2.0 2.1 Smartt, Nicole. "Sexual Harassment in the Workplace in A #MeToo World". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 16, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  3. Chuck, Elizabeth (October 16, 2017). "#MeToo: Alyssa Milano promotes hashtag that becomes anti-harassment rallying cry". NBC News. Archived from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  4. "Weinstein". FRONTLINE. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  5. Felsenthal, Edward. "Why the Silence Breakers Are TIME's Person of the Year 2017". Time.
  6. Carlsen, Audrey. "#MeToo Brought Down 201 Powerful Men. Nearly Half of Their Replacements are Women". Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  7. Milano, Alyssa (October 15, 2017). "If you've been sexually harassed or assaulted write 'me too' as a reply to this tweet.pic.twitter.com/k2oeCiUf9n".
  8. "Alyssa Milano's #MeToo hashtag proves shocking number of women have been sexually harassed and assaulted". yahoo.com.
  9. Khomami, Nadia (October 20, 2017). "#MeToo: how a hashtag became a rallying cry against sexual harassment". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 21, 2017.
  10. Guerra, Cristela (October 17, 2017). "Where'd the "Me Too" initiative really come from? Activist Tarana Burke, long before hashtags – The Boston Globe". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  11. "Celebrities Share Stories of Sexual Assault for #MeToo Campaign". Vogue. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  12. Bonos, Lisa (October 19, 2017). "Analysis | Not everyone with a #MeToo is posting their story. Here's why some are refraining". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on December 20, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  13. Fernandez, Matt (October 17, 2017). "Jennifer Lawrence Says Producer Put Her in 'Naked Lineup,' Told Her to Lose Weight". Variety. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  14. "Uma Thurman channels 'Kill Bill' character, says Harvey Weinstein doesn't even "deserve a bullet"". Newsweek. November 24, 2017. Archived from the original on December 13, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
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