SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Actress Alyssa Milano posted this explanation of the "Me too" campaign to her Twitter profile on Sunday, Oct. 15. (Photo: @Alyssa_Milano/Twitter)
Sexual Assault Survivors Break Collective Silence With Viral #MeToo Hashtag
In the wake of reports about Harvey Weinstein's alleged misconduct, victims of sexual harassment and assault are posting the two-word message
Oct 16, 2017
In the wake of bombshell reports revealing rampant allegations of sexual misconduct by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, survivors of sexual harassment and assault have taken to social media with the #MeToo hashtag as a way to raise awareness about "the magnitude of the problem."
The campaign was popularized by actress Alyssa Milano, whose Charmed co-star Rose McGowan is one of Weinstein's accusers. McGowan's suspension from Twitter last week provoked #WomenBoycottTwitter, and subsequent promises from Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey that company leaders are focused "on making some critical decisions" and have "decided to take a more aggressive stance in our rules and how we enforce them."
Many #MeToo posts included an explanation of the campaign that Milano tweeted on Sunday: "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."
Posters included public figures such as other actresses and politicians.
Me too https://t.co/ScX67Kmmiy
-- Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) October 15, 2017
Some were quick to point out that those sharing their stories--or simply the "me too" message--on social media did not account for every survivor of sexual misconduct.
The campaign triggered expressions of solidarity, including from the Women's March account, which thanked survivors for their "bravery to speak up."
Multiple advocacy groups posted messages of support, and shared relevant statistics and links to resources.
It even spurred a response hashtag: #IWill, a public declaration that the user will participate in actions to eradicate sexual harassment and assault.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
In the wake of bombshell reports revealing rampant allegations of sexual misconduct by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, survivors of sexual harassment and assault have taken to social media with the #MeToo hashtag as a way to raise awareness about "the magnitude of the problem."
The campaign was popularized by actress Alyssa Milano, whose Charmed co-star Rose McGowan is one of Weinstein's accusers. McGowan's suspension from Twitter last week provoked #WomenBoycottTwitter, and subsequent promises from Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey that company leaders are focused "on making some critical decisions" and have "decided to take a more aggressive stance in our rules and how we enforce them."
Many #MeToo posts included an explanation of the campaign that Milano tweeted on Sunday: "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."
Posters included public figures such as other actresses and politicians.
Me too https://t.co/ScX67Kmmiy
-- Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) October 15, 2017
Some were quick to point out that those sharing their stories--or simply the "me too" message--on social media did not account for every survivor of sexual misconduct.
The campaign triggered expressions of solidarity, including from the Women's March account, which thanked survivors for their "bravery to speak up."
Multiple advocacy groups posted messages of support, and shared relevant statistics and links to resources.
It even spurred a response hashtag: #IWill, a public declaration that the user will participate in actions to eradicate sexual harassment and assault.
In the wake of bombshell reports revealing rampant allegations of sexual misconduct by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, survivors of sexual harassment and assault have taken to social media with the #MeToo hashtag as a way to raise awareness about "the magnitude of the problem."
The campaign was popularized by actress Alyssa Milano, whose Charmed co-star Rose McGowan is one of Weinstein's accusers. McGowan's suspension from Twitter last week provoked #WomenBoycottTwitter, and subsequent promises from Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey that company leaders are focused "on making some critical decisions" and have "decided to take a more aggressive stance in our rules and how we enforce them."
Many #MeToo posts included an explanation of the campaign that Milano tweeted on Sunday: "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."
Posters included public figures such as other actresses and politicians.
Me too https://t.co/ScX67Kmmiy
-- Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) October 15, 2017
Some were quick to point out that those sharing their stories--or simply the "me too" message--on social media did not account for every survivor of sexual misconduct.
The campaign triggered expressions of solidarity, including from the Women's March account, which thanked survivors for their "bravery to speak up."
Multiple advocacy groups posted messages of support, and shared relevant statistics and links to resources.
It even spurred a response hashtag: #IWill, a public declaration that the user will participate in actions to eradicate sexual harassment and assault.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.