Donald Trump: “I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything… Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.” (Transcript, New York Times)
Well, that ends that, I thought (very naively). Upon reviewing this interview, I assumed that then Republican candidate, Donald Trump, would never be President of the United States of America. (I was wrong, obviously. We all know what happened…)
Regardless of your political affiliation, the fact that Donald Trump was recorded saying the above in 2005 (released in 2016), and received any votes at all (especially from females) says a lot about the way sexual harassment was viewed in our society less than a couple of years ago. (Before you comment, Americans- yes, yes, I know, you voted for whom you thought was the ‘lesser of two evils.’)
Women have been sounding the alarm with the creation of ‘Pussyhats‘ and women’s rights marches since Donald Trump’s inauguration. (Clearly, I wasn’t the only one rattled by things Donald Trump said- before and after the election.)
Fast forward to October 2017, Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual assault. On October 15, 2017, Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) tweeted, “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.” With that, the floodgates opened. Via Alyssa Milano’s tweet, the #MeToo hashtag went viral (though, please note that the “Me Too” movement started with Tarana Burke ten years ago).
The #MeToo movement has transcended borders, sex (some men have bravely stood with their female counterparts, announcing that they, too, have been sexually harassed and assaulted), and sparked translation of the hashtag “MeToo” into various languages, which has kept the movement going.
Alyssa Milano began the lesser known (but equally important), #HerToo with UNICEF, a social movement shining light upon women and girls who face violence and sexual abuse, and do not have access to social media; therefore, they cannot share their own stories online.
Abuse of Power
Regardless of industry, the #MeToo movement shatters the deafening silence that has surrounded the victims of sexual harassment for years (please read this TIME article- it’s amazing).
Upon inspection, I think that camaraderie amongst survivors is less about the trauma experienced, and more about the shared struggle in falling victim to the abuse of power instigated by the perpetrator(s) (corporate hierarchy is certainly present in most- if not all- work-related instances of harassment).
The Role of Social Media
As a freelance writer, editor and social media manager (www.thewriteresults.ca), I love when social media is used to influence society. #MeToo is a great example of this. Throughout this social movement, we’ve seen the definition of feminism defined based on political ideologies, in addition to the examination of whether or not ‘degrees of harassment’ exists. (Check out this Real Time with Bill Maher clip if you have no idea what I am referring to). You may recall that Matt Damon said that “…there’s a difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right? Both of those behaviors need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn’t be conflated, right?”
This comment unleashed a storm of fury on Twitter, and frankly, such a reaction doesn’t add up to me. Are all of those actions deplorable? Yes. Should any be tolerated in our society, in any industry, under any circumstances? No. (That was easy.)
In the clip referenced above, Bill Maher says, “Justice requires weighing things… We can’t agree that groping and rape are both unacceptable and one is worse?” Yes, we can, Bill. And for those who still can’t, I urge you to reread “Both of those behaviours need to be confronted and eradicated without question” and “grope and rape are both unacceptable” parts of the above quotations.
I hope that those people who have been suffering in silence, forced to maintain a job with superiors subjecting them to harassment can finally speak up, and create change in their own lives. I think that the #MeToo movement has opened the doors for healthy discussion and debate, however, some people think that it’s an “overcorrection.”
What do you think? Has your place of business updated their policies because of #MeToo?
Give your life the green light. It’s A Go!
Amber Green