Did you know the “Me Too” movement started in 2007? I didn’t either until this week. While it’s sad that it took a Hollywood producer to be finally called out for his appalling deeds and a Hollywood star (Alyssa Milano) to get the ball rolling on the #metoo viral hashtag, I’m happy it’s out there.
What is the #metoo hashtag?
The “Me Too” catchphrase was originally created by Tarana Burke of Just Be Inc., to allow survivors of sexual abuse to let each other know they are not alone.
Why “Me Too” is powerful
Before Tarana started this movement, I learned how powerful the words “me too” were one drunk night in Thailand. My friends that I had been travelling with were more about hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving, and anything outdoorsy. While at a Full Moon party in Koh Phangan, my friends wanted to head back to the bungalow early. Of course, I had more partying to do, so I stayed behind. After a bucket (if you’ve been to Thailand, you should know exactly what I’m talking about), I hit the dance club and made friends with a group of people. Two of the guys were local (they were also fire performers on the beach that night) and we all went back to their apartment.
After several hours of sitting around listening to music, drinking, dancing, and talking, we all had gotten to know each other quite well. One of the guys made an off-the-cuff joke (I can’t remember exactly what he said) that was making fun of a girl getting sexually assaulted. One of the other girls got this look on her face that everyone else probably didn’t even notice. I recognized it.
I asked her if she’d ever been assaulted, and she started crying.
Without knowing exactly what happened to her, I went over to her, rubbed her back and said “me too.” She looked up at me and asked me how I could know what happened to her. I said I knew that she’d either been raped or sexually molested as a child, because I had, too.
Turns out she had been molested. That night was the first night that she had ever told anyone.
The first time I heard “Me Too”
When I was in high school, I went through a very troubling time (too much to go into in one post). It was highly suggested that I attend teenage group counseling meetings.
We came from all walks of life, but it turned out we had a lot of things in common. I didn’t fight the process and I shared my life stories with a bunch of strangers. I talked about being sexually abused as a child. I talked about being raped when I was 13. After telling my story about being raped, a girl said the words “me too.” After she spoke up, another girl spoke up and said that she too had been sexually abused as a child.
There was a power in hearing those words and knowing that I wasn’t alone. I have never forgotten how much stronger those words made me feel. Since then, I’ve done my best to help others know that they are not alone.
I am not alone
Sadly, I am not alone in saying the words “me too.” I wish I was. But the hard truth is that 1 out of 6 American women has been the victim of a completed or attempted rape. One out of 18 American men have been raped, too. The image for this article depicts those statistics.
The statistics for sexual harassment are even higher. More than 50% of all women have been sexually harassed at work. This number does not include being harassed walking down the street, at the grocery store, or any where that men are. And while the statistics for men being sexually harassed is much lower, the number is still way too high.
These numbers might actually be higher because most victims do not speak out.
More to follow in part 2.
Unicorn Upshot:
If you have been assaulted, you are not alone.
References:
https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence