It began as a Facebook status.  A tweet.  A cryptic Instagram post.  One day, your social media feeds were probably inundated with women posting the same two words: ‘Me Too’.  A quick Google search revealed that the act of solidarity was meant to bring awareness to all those who have been victim of sexual assault or harassment.  For some, it brought up an important conversation about what constitutes sexual harassment or assault; many victims never came out of the shadows in fear of retribution from perpetrators, existing stigmas about sexual harassment, or even internalized guilt that what had happened to them didn’t ‘count’ as sexual assault.  

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For others, the movement turned their entire timeline into a trigger: an unavoidable reminder of their own trauma.  Although civil rights activist Tarana Burke coined the phrase back in 2006, it didn’t become a nationally trending hashtag until late 2017, when actress and activist Alyssa Milano popularized it.  The resulting wave eventually led to the firing and indictment of producer and alleged harasser Harvey Weinstein.  Oprah Winfrey soon announced that for other sexual predators, the time was up.

Soon, other women came out of the woodwork.  Louis C.K., a previously respected comedian, had been charged with inviting young female comics to his hotel rooms and masturbating in front of them.  Kevin Spacey was ousted for preying on underage boys.  Formerly-respected Hollywood men were now seen with a different, scrutinizing eye.  Survivors could finally speak and be heard.  Of course, the movement is not without its criticisms . Fans of these men especially don’t want to believe that their favorite celebrities are sexual predators.  Many myths have arisen from the #MeToo movement, and it’s important to separate the truth from the fiction.  Here are some of the most common myths regarding the #MeToo movement.

The #MeToo Movement is ruining men’s lives.

Women are not ruining men’s lives. Survivors are holding their assailants accountable.  Sometimes — though not often enough — there are consequences to sexual assault.  Whether those consequences mean putting rapists in jail or halting a man’s comedy career when he knowingly harassed his female peers, the concern should never be on the predator’s wellbeing.  They are an adult who acted of their own accord, and should answer to the justice system like any other person.

#MeToo is just a witch hunt.

This myth is also concerned with the so-called ‘innocent men’ that #MeToo allegedly targets. There is considerable irony in comparing anything primarily led by women to a witch hunt, since witch hunts have historically been steeped in violence and misogyny.  Once again, the #MeToo movement is a movement of awareness and accountability, and anyone who likens it to a witch hunt is not only insensitive to historic, systemic violence against women and is also inclined to delegitimize the stories of survivors.

Most of the accusations are based on hearsay.

A common criticism surrounding sexual assault allegations is that they follow a ‘he said, she said’ narrative (nevermind the fact that sexual assault can take place between any genders). How can you reach a satisfying, just  conclusion when you only have two opposing testimonies? Our nation’s ‘innocent until proven guilty’ precedent protects alleged rapists, often at the cost of assassinating survivor’s characters and questioning their credibility. The #MeToo movement, as a way to combat this narrative, often focuses on predators who have had multiple accusations against them. Most rapists are serial offenders, meaning  40 women testifying against the same man is hardly just vicious gossip.

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Women are not ruining men’s lives. Survivors are holding their assailants accountable.

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The #MeToo Movement is just for women.

Although women are statistically more likely to be sexually assaulted than men, sexual assault can happen to anyone.  Women can be perpetrators, too.  Actor Terry Crews has been an outspoken member of the #MeToo movement as a survivor himself, bringing awareness to the myth that men cannot be survivors.  Moreover, Crews’ experience points out that physical strength is not always a factor in sexual assault when psychological coercion, including power imbalances, exists.  Sexual assault against men is rarely taken as seriously as it should be, and the #MeToo movement isn’t looking to start a gender war — it just wants all accounts of sexual violence to be legitimized.

#MeToo is just a useless hashtag; it can’t bring about real change.

It’s possible to just tweet #MeToo and never follow up with real action, but that’s why the responsibility falls on everyone hoping to make change.  The #MeToo movement can only function in practice as long as there are people willing to work beyond a tweet and advance its respective social causes.  It’s true that the movement’s focus on entertainers does little for the average woman, but it does send a powerful message about our society’s tolerance for sexual assault.  Perhaps more women will have the confidence to report to HR, and maybe individuals will be more open towards their friends’ experiences.  #MeToo is just a step in the process —  the real question is #WhatNow?

 

Brooke Kushwaha is a rising junior at Wesleyan University.  Her writing can be found on The Wesleyan Argus and on the satire website, The Wesleyan Groundhog.

 

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