Michel Madrigal #MeToo movement

(Fonda, J., Covert, B., Pollitt, K., Meyerson, C., Lipsitz, R., & Walsh, J. (2017, December 18). 6 Perspectives on the Future of #MeToo. Retrieved from https://www.thenation.com/article/6-perspectives-on-the-future-of-metoo/)

What is the Me Too movement?

It is a movement against sexual assault and harassment. It was founded in 2006 to help survivors of sexual violence, particularly Black women and girls, and other young women of color. What started as a local grassroots work has expanded to reach a global community. 

(About. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://metoomvmt.org/about/#theory)

Sexual Assault- Illegal sexual contact that usually involves force upon a person without consent or is inflicted upon a person who is incapable of giving consent (as because of age or physical or mental incapacity) or who places the assailant (such as a doctor) in a position of trust or authority. 

(Sexual Assault. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2018, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sexual assault)

  

Sexual Harassment-uninvited and unwelcome verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature especially by a person in authority toward a subordinate (such as an employee or student) 

(Sexual Harassment. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2018, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sexual harassment)

Research: Information and Facts 

• A national study on sexual harassment and assault conducted in January showed that 77% of women experienced verbal harassment, 51% unwelcome sexual touching, and an alarming 30% had been exposed to genital flashing.
• From October to December 2017, calls to the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network-a US crisis hotline- rose by 23% compared with the same period in 2016.
• More than 300 actresses, writers and directors launched the project on 1 January, raising $21 million in just a month to fund legal assistance for people who suffer harassment, abuse, or assault at work.
•  (Seales, R. (2018, May 12). What has #MeToo actually changed?)

https://youtu.be/Y3Wkb74TEtA

Held accountable for their actions!

Significance

          I chose this topic because it is more than a movement. It is causing an important cultural shift. For years women and men had suffered in silence by the fear and guilt that their perpetrator had instilled in them. The voices of the brave women like, Anita Hill, Ashley Judd, Alyssa Milano, and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, have given a voice to the voiceless. I, like thousands of other women, have been victimized, with the first incident at the age of 9, then again at the age of 17 at my first job. As many before me have said, I did not say anything because I was scared and ashamed. How can they possibly believe me over a manager with seniority? To those men who have voiced their fears of being wrongly accused or who have voiced their concerns about approaching a woman, It is time to realize that WE women have lived and been told to be careful on how we dress, how we talk, or who we talk to all our lives. I hope that this blog will at least bring awareness to those that still feel that this is just a movement.  

Voices from the community

"The #MeToo movement is long overdue and was necessary to expose how cases of sexual harassment and assault are overlooked despite the frequency of incidents. Women are highly objectified, especially in the United States, which makes us all constantly harassed if not physically then verbally. The movement also encourages women to speak up and fight against sexual harassment. Sometimes we don’t realize were being harassed and overlook certain situations that make us feel uncomfortable. The #MeToo movement made me realize how much the assaulter can get away with and the different ways women can be sexually harassed. Since the movement, there have been various women coming forward with accusations against many men, including men in the entertainment industry. As a result, men claim that they fear to even get close or look at women because they're afraid that they will be wrongly accused. Yet they fail to realize that women are constantly in fear of being objectified or harassed by men almost everywhere they go. I feel that this movement not only helps people who have been victims but also helps stop the continuous cases of sexual assault from being disregarded by giving women the courage and ease to speak up against their assaulter. #MeToo is not a movement against men; it actually welcomes men who have also been victims to also speak up. The amount of support this movement has received is a huge progress for women and I couldn't be more proud to be a woman today who is much more than just her body."

-Adilene Torres

"I've never really thought about it, but yeah I have been affected by it. It's sad to say but I feel like women have just become desensitized by it and we think like, oh that's just how boys are. Don't listen to them or ignore them. The #Metoo movement allows for this kind of behavior to end. I have been grabbed at and have had unwanted sexual advances made towards me and I feel like time is up.  This is such an important movement and I feel like parents should really take the time to speak with their children and teach them the importance of consent and respecting one another."
-Joanna Carrasquilla 

"The #Metoo movement has had such a huge impact on girls and women. It's sad to say that it has taken the rest of the world to finally see what's been going on in plain sight and behind closed doors. It's become a platform for not only women but for men as well to discuss what has occurred in their lives. I think every girl including myself has been the victim of being cat-called while walking down the street, being groped at a concert, or pretty much any night event, or being called a slut/bitch because they won't "put-out" and for guy's and men to think that it is okay to not only treat women like this, but to make it seem what they are doing is okay is total bullshit. It's sad to say that this social platform has been used to talk about "bad times" but at the same time it's a comforting feeling to know that you're not the only one. This hasn't only happened to me. Times are changing and its about fucking time."
-Cynthia Alvarez

Works Cited 

Fonda, J., Covert, B., Pollitt, K., Meyerson, C., Lipsitz, R., & Walsh, J. (2017, December 18). 6 Perspectives on the Future of #MeToo. Retrieved from https://www.thenation.com/article/6-perspectives-on-the-future-of-metoo/

North, A. (2018, March 20). The #MeToo generation gap is a myth. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/2018/3/20/17115620/me-too-sexual-harassment-sex-abuse-poll

Seales, R. (2018, May 12). What has #MeToo actually changed? Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-44045291