When the #MeToo Movement was started by Tarana Burke in 2006, no one new anything about it. The #MeToo movement lay quietly beneath the radar until it went viral around October of 2017 and quickly became associated with the Harvey Weinstein investigation. It took Actresses, Musicians, and A-List celebrities to popularize this movement that should've gained traction on its own.
Several newspapers, such as the New York Times, have had minimal coverage of this movement. Close to a year after the movement gained popularity, the New York times put together a compelling collection of stories from 20 men and women on their involvement with the #MeToo Movement. These men and women, a conglomerate of mainly well-known celebrities and people who already "made it big", share their harrowing accounts of sexual harassment. After reading all 20 accounts of varying degrees of sexual harassment, you notice a trend. The majority of women experienced fear tactics to keep them quiet. These women were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements, given money and felt obligated to stay in the perpetrators presence, or kept quiet to keep their job. The men often had similar stories- they were young and trying to break through a certain industry. In either case, the victims were cruelly preyed upon.
Incase there is any doubt as to what data is included in the #MeToo Movement's list of the affected, here is a look at the #MeToo polls provided by Upshot to show the prevalence.
This survey gives us a breakdown of typical locations where sexual harassment happens. At the top of the list are public spaces, workplaces, and the home. The very bottom of the list includes health care facilities, religious spaces, and taxis. This list is incredibly surprising to myself. The top three and bottom three of the list are places that I would least expect. Workplace sexual harassment is a huge problem. Many times you have bosses and superiors harass their employees and cause an unsafe workplace environment. Many women don't report harassment in the workplace because they are scared of being fired! Other times, workplace harassment is reported to HR and nothing is done about the matter. Both cases are horrifying and need to end.
Moving onto those at the bottom of the list; health care facilities, religious spaces, and taxis are equally horrifying. Men and women alike put their trust into doctors and priests because they often have no real choice. People must have complete faith that their doctors are knowledgeable and will cure them. A similar situation happens for priests. Children often grow up in the church and are told that their pastors, youth group leaders, and elders are trustworthy adults to help in any situation that may arise. Children and adults alike shouldn't have to think that their religious space might not be safe.
The #MeToo movement is an excellent example of how social justice warriors and civil rights activists are constantly battling for peoples' rights. This movement gained such a huge following because sexual harassment doesn't know gender or race or age. Many other movements have continued to fly under the radar because their niche is much smaller. Take the Chicano Movement, Animal Rights Movement, Pro-Choice Movement, and the Slow Food Movement. All hold importance and a big following, but what lacks in many of these movements is the celebrity backing. Sad as it is, Celebrities and the top 1% hold incredible power in our society as influencers. Once these influencers take hold of a movement and show their support, it often causes a ripple effect where others slowly feel compelled to jump on board and become part of the same movement.
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| #MeToo Movement via Quillette |
Several newspapers, such as the New York Times, have had minimal coverage of this movement. Close to a year after the movement gained popularity, the New York times put together a compelling collection of stories from 20 men and women on their involvement with the #MeToo Movement. These men and women, a conglomerate of mainly well-known celebrities and people who already "made it big", share their harrowing accounts of sexual harassment. After reading all 20 accounts of varying degrees of sexual harassment, you notice a trend. The majority of women experienced fear tactics to keep them quiet. These women were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements, given money and felt obligated to stay in the perpetrators presence, or kept quiet to keep their job. The men often had similar stories- they were young and trying to break through a certain industry. In either case, the victims were cruelly preyed upon.
Incase there is any doubt as to what data is included in the #MeToo Movement's list of the affected, here is a look at the #MeToo polls provided by Upshot to show the prevalence.
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Here we see a comparison of how often different sexual harassment techniques affect men versus women. It should come as no surprise that women are the most preyed upon, but it is also very important to note that men have a high percentage of verbal sexual harassment - 34% of those surveyed! Many people don't believe that men can be affected by sexual assault/harassment, but it happens more often than you would think.
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| Statistics provided via Stop Street Harassment 2018 National Study |
This survey gives us a breakdown of typical locations where sexual harassment happens. At the top of the list are public spaces, workplaces, and the home. The very bottom of the list includes health care facilities, religious spaces, and taxis. This list is incredibly surprising to myself. The top three and bottom three of the list are places that I would least expect. Workplace sexual harassment is a huge problem. Many times you have bosses and superiors harass their employees and cause an unsafe workplace environment. Many women don't report harassment in the workplace because they are scared of being fired! Other times, workplace harassment is reported to HR and nothing is done about the matter. Both cases are horrifying and need to end.
Moving onto those at the bottom of the list; health care facilities, religious spaces, and taxis are equally horrifying. Men and women alike put their trust into doctors and priests because they often have no real choice. People must have complete faith that their doctors are knowledgeable and will cure them. A similar situation happens for priests. Children often grow up in the church and are told that their pastors, youth group leaders, and elders are trustworthy adults to help in any situation that may arise. Children and adults alike shouldn't have to think that their religious space might not be safe.
The #MeToo movement is an excellent example of how social justice warriors and civil rights activists are constantly battling for peoples' rights. This movement gained such a huge following because sexual harassment doesn't know gender or race or age. Many other movements have continued to fly under the radar because their niche is much smaller. Take the Chicano Movement, Animal Rights Movement, Pro-Choice Movement, and the Slow Food Movement. All hold importance and a big following, but what lacks in many of these movements is the celebrity backing. Sad as it is, Celebrities and the top 1% hold incredible power in our society as influencers. Once these influencers take hold of a movement and show their support, it often causes a ripple effect where others slowly feel compelled to jump on board and become part of the same movement.
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