The Meaning Behind “Me Too”
Normalization of sexual harassment and assault appears unproblematic to many. Many may even argue that it is a niche problem that only impacts a small number of victims, but a recent movement on social media has shed light on the commonality of sexual assault. This movement is demonstrating how it impacts many individuals.
“Me Too” is a social media movement that was started to showcase how common sexual assault is and therefore prove why it should not be normalized and furthermore, why victims should not dismiss their past experiences. It is initiated by a person either posting purely “Me Too” or posting “Me Too” followed by their personal experience with sexual assault and harassment. Many often include the number of times they’ve experienced it and the age(s) to emphasize how common it is, and sadly even so for young persons.
Banding together and admitting “Me Too” says a lot. For one thing, it shows that the number of victims is a lot larger than most would assume, especially amongst women, even those who are young enough to be called girls. These women standing up and posting statuses, tweets, and captions with “Me Too” are banding together with other victims and admitting that yes, they are a victim, and yes, it is tragically extremely common for women to experience sexual assault and harassment a multitude of times throughout their life. Those who are more aware of the problem can testify that themselves and most of their friends, family, and colleagues, can sadly give a long list of offences that were experienced at far too young of an age.
The vast amount of “Me Too” postings does quite a few things for victims, supporters, and those who are less aware of the issue. For victims, this can be helpful. Knowing that many others have experienced sexual assault and are pushing past with bravery and courage can be quite inspiring and comforting. This is what eventually created the intense snowball of a movement. As more victims witnessed others opening up on the internet, then others felt they could as well. For supporters who haven’t experienced this it was a way to understand how common these tragic events are, and hopefully for those ignorant to the commonality of these experiences it was a way for them to understand how much of an impact the normalization of sexual assault and harassment has.
As “Me Too” unveiled it was comforting for many to read these stories so publicly and in such large quantities. Yes, although disturbing, for many it indicated another step towards emphasizing the mass impacts of sexual assault. “Me Too” leans toward a generation where there no longer exists a dismissive attitude towards victims of sexual assault and harassment. “Me Too” showcased to many that sexual assault needs to be recognized and that as victims you do not have to stay silent.