As a lot of you may have seen over the past few days, there has been a trending hashtag on social media, “#Me Too”.
For those of you who don’t know what this is, there has been a lot of conflict and controversy in Hollywood with a big shot movie producer Harvey Weinstein having actors make allegations of sexual harassment against him.
It’s safe to say this has sparked feelings in a lot of women all over the world. One of these women was journalist Sandra Muller who started the hashtag on twitter. She described how her last boss called her “my type of women” and the commented on her body parts inappropriately.
Soon after Sandra tweeted this, actress Alyssa Milano (Charmed) picked it up and had over 50,000 people replying, making “Me Too” one of the top trending hashtags on Social Media.
What Specifically has happened to the women that are posting?
Women all over the world are posting “Me Too” or posting the hashtag and sharing their experiences. Their experiences range from being whistled at from across the street, to being inappropriately spoken to sexually, to being touched inappropriately to full on sexual assault.
Why are women posting this?
The aim of this “Me Too” hashtag is to bring to light just how common sexual harassment and Assault are all over the world. Another aim is to encourage women to not necessarily be ashamed of it, but to make men take accountability for their actions.
What to keep in mind?
• Some women are not sharing their stories and are just posting “Me too”… This does not mean that they have been sexually assaulted; this could mean that they have been treated unfairly by someone (spoken to inappropriately). Keep this in mind when seeing some of your friends post this on social media. If you are worried about them, approach them in a caring calm way and ask if they’d like anyone to talk to and that you’re there for them.
• This is quite a hectic subject to be posted all over social media and may trigger some sad feelings for you and anyone else reading it. That is so normal to feel down after reading through things like this. If you need someone to talk to about it, be sure to chat to an adult you trust. And most of all try not to become fixated on reading through all of these posts, take a break, take a breath and be kind to yourself.
If you are thinking about posting “Me Too”…
- Girls, please keep in mind that social media is a very public place. We sometimes forget this, as it’s where we chat to our friends so often, but a lot of things are available for A LOT of people to see.
- If you have not yet told anyone about a serious incident that has happened to you, please keep in mind that posting it on Social Media might send a whole lot of questions your way from parents, friends, any of your friends on Facebook and people at your school. These may be questions that we are not quite prepared for girls.
- We are in no way saying that you should keep quiet about these things! It is so important that you speak up about anything inappropriate that has happened without your consent. Just keep in mind chatting to someone about it first, before putting it up on social media, may be a lot easier on you and allow time for you to settle some of those emotions that may be related to the event.
Again, girls if you have any concerns about anyone who has posted this, or are concerned about how you may be approached if you posted it, speak to an adult you trust. If you don’t have anyone you feel comfortable talking to about these things you can always seek some advice from our Standing Strong Instructors and Mentors either in person or through the online club www.standingstrongclub.com
Other Useful Numbers:
Lifeline WA: 13 11 14
Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800[/mpc_callout]
