#Metoo
#Metoo
Two words that have become a growing trend all around the
world on social media, is a campaign to raise a voice against sexual
harassment. It is an attempt to unite victims of all forms of sexual harassment
to come together and bond over such hideous acts.It also raises an awareness of
the extent at which this is increasing on an everyday basis.
The harassments may range from eve-teasing on the streets to
physical attacks. Originated on the MySpace social network in 2006 by socialist
and activist Tarana Burke as part of a grassroots campaign to promote
"empowerment through empathy" among women of color who have
experienced sexual abuse, particularly within underprivileged communities. As
said Burke herself, the phrase was originated when she was unable to respond to
a 13 year old girl, who had confided her. She regrets not saying "me
too".
After accusations of sexual harassment on Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein surfaced in 2017, actress Alyssa Milano encouraged spreading the phrase as part of an awareness campaign to show the scale and ubiquity of the problem, tweeting: "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."
On Facebook, the hashtag had been used by more than 4.7 million
people in 12 million posts during the first 24 hours. It had been used more
200,000 times by mid October. Tens of thousands of people replied Milano's
tweet, including more than 20 celebrities, including:
Vir Das, Viola Davis, Lady Gaga, Reese Witherspoon, et all. Some men, such
as actor James Van Der Beek, have responded to the
hashtag with their own experiences of harassment and abuse, while others have
responded by acknowledging past behaviors against women, spawning the hashtag
"HowIWillChange."The
hashtag "HimThough" was coined by Elizabeth
Plank. Several women in politics spoke out about their experiences of
sexual harassment, including United States Senators Heidi
Heitkamp, Mazie Hirono, Claire
McCaskill and Elizabeth
Warren.
The hashtag has been criticized for putting the
responsibility of publicizing sexual harassment and abuse on those who
experienced it, which could be re-traumatizing. Some found the hashtag to
inspire fatigue and outrage, rather than emotionally dense communication. Some
claim that the widely used hashtag is equating minor attacks to major ones to
the same scale. However, this movement has united so many traumatized victims,
forming a bondage stronger than blood lines.
We, the team of Iyouthmag, stand beside all the unfortunate
ones and take a step towards to demolishing such horrid acts. We stand
together, for all those in need for a voice.
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