No one should have to endure sexual harassment, or tolerate its prevalence. No one should have to live in a world that is deaf and blind to how pervasive it is. The #MeToo social media movement breaks the silence. The hashtag is a rallying cry for anyone harassed or assaulted to help demonstrate how enormous the problem is. Yet the viral reach of #MeToo is problematic for some survivors. If #MeToo has made you feel troubled, sad, upset or angry, you’re not alone. And today I’d like to talk about it.
It started as a way to help young women of color who were sexually exploited. “Activist Tarana Burke initially launched ‘Me Too’ 10 years ago as a grassroots movement to provide ’empowerment through empathy’ to survivors of sexual abuse, assault, exploitation, and harassment in underprivileged communities who typically don’t have access to rape crisis centers or counselors,” reports Molly Rubin in the online journal, Quartz
In mid-October, actress Alyssa Milano linked the hashtag to the allegations of sexual assault by film executive Harvey Weinstein. Twitter stated the hashtag appears in over 2 million tweets across 85 countries since October 15, reported CNN.
This is staggering—but for many of my clients and for sexual assault and trauma survivors everywhere—this is also triggering. So while many people are speaking up, sharing their stories and finding comfort and empowerment in the campaign, many also refrain from sharing—for a variety of reasons (as discussed in this Washington Post article).
Here’s my take:
You don’t HAVE TO tell the world in order to heal
If you have survived sexual harassment, assault or violence, I want to give you permission not to join the #MeToo campaign. While it might empower some, or even most…it can trigger emotional pain for others. Not everyone has to share his or her experience publicly. But I do encourage you to tell someone, because telling someone is an important first step on the road to healing.
You WILL be believed
I’m asking you to tell someone you can trust. If you have tried to tell someone before and they didn’t believe you,
» Read more about: Why #MeToo Isn’t Helpful for Everyone (You Don’t Have to Go Public to Heal) »
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