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#MeToo brings harassment stories of women on social media

#MeToo brings harassment stories of women on social media

India Blooms News Service | @indiablooms | 17 Oct 2017, 03:52 pm
New Delhi, Oct 17 (IBNS): In the wake of the reports of sexual harassment of actresses by powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, #MeToo has been flooding the social media for some days as tens and thousands of women have bared their hearts to reveal their own ugly experiences.

American actress Alyssa Milano, on October 15, wrote a post on Twitter and asked her followers to retweet it with a reply 'me too' if they were sexually harassed or assaulted , to imply the "magnitude of the problem".

Milano tweeted to say: "If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet."

The urge to retweet by the actress has sparked the hashtag as several women started to write on social networking sites #MeToo and some of them even shared their own experiences.

A Twitter user in the name of °âˆµmoriartay∵° has shared her own experience of being raped at just eight years of age. "I was 8 when I was sexually assaulted, lasted for 2 years. It took me 2 years to find courage to tell someone what was happening #MeToo ‏" she tweeted.

Kate, 29, said she still feels afraid of any "physical contact" even since she had been raped at just six years of age.

"I was six when the abuse started, nine when it ended. At 29, I'm still afraid of any sort of physical contact. #MeToo" she said on Twitter.

Another user leesh said she preferred to remain silent even after enduring the sexual harassment. "#MeToo because on more than one occasion I’ve thought “just go with it, it’ll be easier than saying no”

However, along with women, several men have also reacted, supporting the hashtag.

Jensen Ackles tweeted: "For my wife, for my daughters, for all women...I stand with all of you. This has gotta change. #metoo #nomore."

Comedian and activist, Nick Jack Pappas, interestingly gave a suggestion to all men. He implied to say the men must act in a better manner as they are doing presently or did in the past.

"Men, Don't say you have a mother, a sister, a daughter... Say you have a father, a brother, a son who can do better. We all can. #MeToo" he said.

The #MeToo has also flooded in other social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram.

Women on Twitter have been active in sharing their experiences since the last week after a report by The New York Times on October 5, which reported about the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein alleged sexual misconduct.

Last week, several people boycotted Twitter after the social networking site temporarily suspended actress Rose McGowan's account, who is known to be critic of Weinstein.

Joining the list of actresses, Montreal actress Erika Rosenbaum went public recently about her alleged sexual harassment complaints against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, saying the latter had harassed her years ago.

The Montreal actress, who was so far mum about the sexual harassment, going back to mid 2000, reached out to the original reporter, Jodi Kantor, to share her own experience.

Rosenbaum said she was shaken to hear the experiences of other actresses, including one Canadian, which were similar to her own experience. 

Revealing her experience to the media, the Montreal actress said that Weinstein approached her aggressively thrice when she was in her early 20s, at a time she was pursuing her career in Los Angeles.

During the third occasion, Rosenbaum alleged the producer held lher by the back of her neck and masturbated while standing behind the actress.

Weinstein, however, denied any such allegations.

Rosenbaum, 37, is credited for her roles in films like The Smurfs 2 and The Trotsky.

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