It’s been a groundbreaking year for courage and bravery. TIMES Magazine has chosen their Person of the Year, and the award has been presented to the #MeToo movement. The concept was originally started in 2006 by activist Tarana Burke, but it wasn’t until October 2017, due to the Harvey Weinstein accusations, that the #MeToo hashtag, started being used to shed light on stories of sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment.
Image recovered from time.com
Many people took it to their social media accounts to share their stories and, in that, find comfort in seeing they weren’t the only ones who had gone through what they were talking about. Though the number of people sharing their stories was alarming, it was also an eye-opening movement. It gave survivors the ability and the platform for them to share their stories in a world where subjects of sexual assault are still handled with sour looks. But #MeToo gives people of all genders the chance to raise their voices and feel empowered within the bounds of social media. It is a community built on the understanding that we can stay silent no longer.
The winners were titled as “the silence breakers”, and it’s important to see how survivors of sexual assault have been given a voice. More times than often, survivors are silenced by their abusers who generally hold more power than they do. This movement has been crucial in uplifting people and making them feel like their voices are heard and their experiences are valid. That while they are victims, they can use that to become stronger and find support in others.
To read the TIMES Magazine article click here.