The acknowledgement and participation of these celebrities have given a fresh mileage to the #MeToo movement. (Source: File Photo)
If you have been fairly active on social media for the past few days then there is no way you could have missed the hashtag #MeToo and the outpour of harrowing experiences by women and men. The news of Hollywood producer Harvey Weistein molesting and sexually abusing women for years not only brought forth a disturbing reality, but also opened the flood gates for other women to share similar experiences. Women on social media are embracing the difficult experiences they went through and are sharing them for all to see. It started with actress Alyssa Milano tweeting a note saying,“Suggested by a friend: “If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote “Me too” as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.” “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet,” she added.
Countless men and women have participated in this and even famous personalities like Lady Gaga and comedian Mallika Dua back home have extended their support and shared their experiences. While Dua shared how she was sexually harassed at the age of seven, Gaga, who has been vocal about her experience of being sexual assault victim, tweeted “#MeToo”.
If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet. pic.twitter.com/k2oeCiUf9n
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 15, 2017
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— xoxo, Gaga (@ladygaga) October 15, 2017
American actress Patricia Arquette who has acted in films like Bringing Out The Dead and Boyhood also tweeted #MeToo
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) October 15, 2017
Actress Debra Messing, who is known for essaying the role of Grace Adler in the television sitcom Will & Grace too voiced her support.
Me too https://t.co/ScX67Kmmiy
— Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) October 15, 2017
The social media movement has also found support from men. American stand-up comedian Barry Crimmins tweeted, “As a male childhood rape survivor who has gone public and had so many disclose to me, I promise: any rape stat you see is low.”
As a male childhood rape survivor who has gone public and had so many disclose to me, I promise: any rape stat you see is low. #MeToo
— Barry Crimmins (@crimmins) October 15, 2017
Back home, editor of Mirror Now, Faye DSouza shared how she was groped and pinched when she was in school and college. “When I was in school &college, getting groped & pinched was normal.You’d be red faced, you’d cry,you’d keep walking.”
When I was in school &college, getting groped & pinched was https://t.co/YneBVERYCe‘d be red faced, you’d cry,you’d keep walking #MeToo
— Faye DSouza (@fayedsouza) October 16, 2017
Lending his support to the movement, actor and stand-up comedian Vir Das wrote that all men must learn from the #MeToo movement. “Every educated man needs to use the #MeToo movement to learn. Above all, To spread knowledge. To be inclusive and to be aware. I vow to try,” he wrote.
Every educated man needs to use the #MeToo movement to learn. Above all, To spread knowledge. To be inclusive and to be aware. I vow to try.
— Vir Das (@thevirdas) October 17, 2017
Amidst all this, some men are finally taking responsibility for their actions. Recently Shariq Rafeek, a Twitter user shared a Twitter thread on how he “had been bad in many ways” and was “pushy” and “lewd” with women in the past and derived fun out of it.
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