Women Are Using #MeToo To Highlight The Extent Of The Sexual Harassment Problem
It's the latest show of solidarity towards sexual harassment and assault victims.
Emily HooleyThe hashtag #metoo has been trending on Twitter this week. Why? In a show of solidarity, tens of thousands of women (and men) have been tweeting to reveal that they, too, have been victims of sexual harassment or assault.
Since many celebs, including Cara Delevingne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Rose McGowan, have been coming forward with allegations of sexual harassment and assault by big-time Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, the topic has been a big one on Twitter.
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This week, #MeToo proved that sexual assault and harassment is not unique to Hollywood - it's actually an epidemic. The trend kicked off when American actress Alyssa Milano tweeted this:
When Rose McGowan (Alyssa’s fellow cast member in the series Charmed) was recently banned from Twitter for abusing its code of conduct allegedly in the way she accused Ben Affleck of knowing about the Weinstein scandal, people were calling all women to boycott Twitter for failing to support victims of sexual assault. But there were mixed reactions, as some people thought women boycotting Twitter would just silence female voices even more on the subject.
This new hashtag seems to make a lot of sense though, and with more than 30,000 women (and some men) using the hashtag to add their voice to the masses, it really does show that sexual assault and harassment is still a widespread problem.
Some celebs have been using the hashtag too, with Skins actress Kaya Scodelario coming forward after years of silence to reveal that she's experienced the same thing:
It’s great that so many women are finally speaking up in relation to the sexual harassment and assault by Harvey Weinstein that went on for decades but, as this Twitter trend shows, Weinstein really does seem to be just the tip of the iceberg.
We love that this hashtag means sticking up for every woman who's been sexually harassed or assaulted, and that Twitter is being used as a platform to place the blame on the perpetrators, NOT the victims.
21 Empowering Quotes From Strong AF Women
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“Girl power is almost more powerful and more special than anything we are competing for”- Selena Gomez[Getty] -
“I am tired of living in a world where women are mostly referred to as a man’s past, present or future property/ possession. I… do not. Belong. To anyone. But myself. And neither do you.” - Ariana Grande[Getty] -
“At the end of the day, I’m never going to conform to what anybody wants. This is my body; I’m happy in it.” - Ashley GrahamGetty -
“Bitches get stuff done” - Tina Fey -
“I am too intelligent, too demanding, and too resourceful for anyone to be able to take charge of me entirely. No one knows me or loves me completely. I have only myself” - BeyoncéGetty -
“I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself” - Emma StoneCopyright [Getty] -
"I actually love the dynamic of us [her and Sia] both being in [the studio] and just f**king being bossy... And it's all these male producers, and they're all f**king sh*tting themselves 'cause we're in there." - Adele[Getty] -
"I saw that there was no difference between my mum and my dad in terms of what they were capable of because of their genders.” - Emilia ClarkeGetty -
"I'm not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I'm the first Simone Biles." — Simone Biles -
“Some women choose to follow men, and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you’re wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn’t love you any more” - Lady Gaga -
“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish” - Michelle Obama -
“As a girl, you’re supposed to love Sleeping Beauty. I mean, who wants to love Sleeping Beauty when you can be Aladdin?”- Ellen Page -
"It's so funny how there are no designers wanting to help me with a premiere dress [for Ghostbusters]. That will change, and I remember everything." - Leslie JonesGetty -
"I love bossy women. Some people hate the word, and I understand how 'bossy' can seem like a s—tty way to describe a woman with a determined point of view, but for me, a bossy woman is someone to search out and to celebrate." Amy PoehlerNBC -
"I think about young girls today — I don't want my future daughter, or your daughter, or any person to be afraid that they will be punished if they speak out about being abused. Especially if their abuser is in a position of power." - KeshaGetty -
“I feel like I’m one of the biggest feminists in the world because I tell women not to be scared of anything” - Miley CyrusGetty -
"We should stop calling feminists 'feminists' and just start calling people who aren’t feminist 'sexist'... You are either a normal person or a sexist. People get a label when they’re bad." — Maisie WilliamsGetty Images -
“When you empower women, when you help women, you empower the whole society. There are economic benefits, there are social benefits…the benefits you see are countless" - MalalaGetty -
“Don’t be afraid of the answers, be afraid of not asking the questions” - Jennifer Hudson -
"I don't want to cover up anymore. Not my face, not my mind, not my soul, not my thoughts, not my dreams, not my struggles, not my emotional growth. Nothing." — Alicia KeysApple Music Festival 10, London 2016 -
“Why do they say we’re over the hill? I don’t even know what that means and why it’s a bad thing. When I go hiking and I get over the hill that means I’m past the hard part and there’s a snack in my future” - Ellen DeGeneres
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