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Social movements and protests are among the most effective methods of introducing changes that establish and protect people’s rights and lives. However, their success depends on the relevance of the issue, its importance in society, as well as the appropriate timing in which movements will become large-scale. The #MeToo movement is an example of such a movement in the modern world where the Internet is a great power for social changes, since it spread and achieved goals through social media, rather than riots in the streets. This paper will examine the factors contributing to the #MeToo movement and its success, as well as its characteristics and consequences for society.
Factors Led to the Emergence of the #MeToo Movement
At the center of every social movement is an important issue affecting the lives of many people and their rights. The #MeToo movement is dedicated to the problem of sexual abuse and sexual assault, which has been a known fact for years but has no solution. Both men and women are subjected to sexual harassment, which the movement focused on, but the factor that provoked it is misogyny in society, as well as its noticeable manifestation in Trump’s election speeches in 2016.
One of the main factors behind the #MeToo movement is misogyny in various forms, as well as the widespread problem of sexual abuse and violence. Hillstrom (2014) notes that misogyny can be expressed in contempt, hostility, denigration, objectification, and violence against women. Consequently, a person can be a misogynist even if he or she does not use direct physical or moral violence against a woman, but, for example, belittles her skills or inappropriately emphasizes gender features. In the history of the United States, one can trace such trends both in the absence of voting rights and property rights of women at the beginning of the twentieth century, and in the current facts of a lower level of wages, participation in politics, and holding top executive positions in companies.
Moreover, modern culture still allows the objectification of women and the formation of their images as objects of sexual desire. For example, advertisements for a variety of brands still use erotic imagery for advertising their product. At the same time, 81 percent of women experienced sexual harassment on the streets in various forms, from whistling to stalking, groping, and sexual assault (Hillstrom, 2018). In addition, many women also face harassment from colleagues or bosses at work but are afraid to report the problem due to fear of losing their job, feelings of helplessness or guilt (Hillstrom, 2018). Consequently, people who have experienced sexual abuse often do not report it, and the problem remains unresolved.
Another factor is that in the presence of such inappropriate behavior patterns, men continue to deny the existing problem. Pettyjohn et al. (2019) identified three groups of men, one of which promotes social change against the rapist culture, the other indignantly opposed them, and the third hostile toward the notion of social change. The second group justifies its position by stating that not all men are misogynists, and representatives of the third group deny the problem of abuse against women or its truthfulness (Pettyjohn et al., 2019). Thus, the combination of these factors and the severity of the problem created tension in society, which was necessary for the movement’s spread.
However, the most significant factor and trigger for the movement emergence was the election race of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in 2016. First, Hillary Clinton’s running for the presidency and the tension of her confrontation with Trump, raised the feminist mood in society as many voters saw an influential woman politician capable of leading the country. Secondly, many of Trump’s phrases and statements during this election race had sharp misogyny features. For instance, Trump said that one journalist’s aggressive questions were caused by her menstruation, and later there was information about his sexual misconduct toward several women (Hillstrom, 2018). For this reason, Trump’s election victory came as a shock to many people and forced women to defend their rights, dignity, and bodies. Following Trump’s inauguration, in January 2017, 3 billion people in 400 cities participated in the Women’s March to advocate for gender equality and raise awareness of sexual violence (Hillstrom, 2018). Consequently, for many people, the victory in the presidential election of a person who allows himself misogyny behavior became a signal for a fight and social change, and also determined the timing of the #MeToo movement.
Features and Principle of #MeToo Movement
#MeToo is one of the unique social movements that has drawn public attention to the problem of sexual violence. Its peculiarity is that its main part took place in social networks, but had significant success around the world and led to real changes. Another feature is that while many people consider #MeToo to be part of the women’s rights movement, the issue of changing the rapist culture is applied to all genders.
The #MeToo movement’s central goal was to highlight the problem of sexual abuse and harassment, as well as to change the attitude towards its victims. Quite often, victims do not report and accuse their offender because they experience guilt and shame, or have less power than the abuser. This trend exists due to cultural stereotypes and patterns of behavior, since victims often face accusations of their wrong behavior, which provoked the harassment. For example, some people believe that if a girl wears a short skirt or drinks alcohol in the company of men, she draws attention to herself (Hillstrom, 2018). Another situation is the dependence of a person on a manager or superior, such as a boss, coach, or producer. For example, a producer can put young actors or actresses on “a blacklist” and ruin their career if they refuse to have sex. For this reason, the central message of #MeToo was to change the rapist culture in which victims are forced to hide their experiences due to the pressure of society and lack of support. Sharing people’s stories on social networks showed that sexual harassment and violence are significant and large-scale problems, but no one should be left alone with their concerns and can find support.
The hashtag MeToo actually has a long history, although it did not start spreading until 2017. Tarana Burke first used the concept back in 2006 on her MySpace page, where she encouraged users to share their stories of sexual assault and seek support; however, the page was not popular (Harris & Morris, 2019). In October 2017, actress Alyssa Milano tweeted, urging users to respond “me too” if they experienced sexual assault or harassment, and within 24 hours the hashtag went viral (Harris & Morris, 2019). The impetus for this spread was also the stories of famous people who faced harassment in their field.
The scandal with the famous producer Harvey Weinstein, who was accused of various types of harassment from seductive massages to the rape by sixty women, became especially famous and widespread (Harris & Morris, 2019). The news was shocking to the general public and encouraged people to share their stories. Many celebrities in politics, sports, journalism, television, and the film industry have also been accused of sexual misconduct. It is also an interesting fact that not only women shared their stories; for example, actor Terry Cruz also posted that he was sexually assaulted by one producer, although he did not give a name (Hillstrom, 2018). Consequently, the participation of famous people in the movement has become one of the factors of its success and the delivery of its message.
Another feature that contributed to the spread of the movement is the ease of its distribution. People on social networks only need to click a couple of buttons to repost someone’s story, leave a comment, or create a post. People need moral and emotional strengths to make this action and share their stories or read about the experiences of others, but they did not exert physical efforts. In addition, users from the same city or different countries feel the same support, since, despite the distance, they are all separated by only a few clicks. The Internet and social networks are the most convenient tools in this movement as the required social changes must be realized on a mental and emotional level, and the breadth of audience coverage will only contribute to this process.
This format of the movement also has a logical rationale for psychology and Internet communication. Hosterman et al. (2018) note that #MeToo Tweets and related posts are the most used and effective for spreading information and call them weak-tie informational support. In other words, users read Tweets under the hashtag and can find out their experience in similar posts and feel support without direct and close communication. This approach means that users do not need to connect directly to receive support, which reduces the pressure and awkwardness inherent in therapist visits.
Moreover, famous people also have Twitter and Facebook accounts, and their participation in #MeToo allows its supporters to popularize the movement. On the other hand, posts from celebrities show that people with different life situations, wealth, and lifestyles are subject to the same problem. Consequently, the benefits of using social media by the #MeToo movement include anonymity, the ability to reach a broad audience, use the authority of influencers, and avoid establishing a close connection between users. Thus, it is easier for people who have experienced sexual harassment and abuse to share their experiences and receive the central message of the movement, which is gradually changing social norms.
Results and Impact of #MeToo Movement
#MeToo movement over time has become a large-scale project that has covered not only the United States but also in other countries. This movement became public, and its representatives were able to influence people’s emotions and attitudes towards sexual harassment on the street and at work, as well as to achieve legislative changes. However, while the #MeToo movement has reached its goal of drawing attention to the issue of sexual violence and the culture supporting it, society needs more time to achieve significant changes.
One of the illustrative results of the #MeToo movement is a change in states’ law that has expanded people’s protection against sexual abuse. First, federal law previously protected employees from sexual harassment but did not apply to independent contractors. However, following the #MeToo movement, several states expanded the rights of independent contractors to be protected by the law from the sexual misconducts of their employers (North, 2019). Secondly, some states, such as California, also banned the use of a non-disclosure agreement in cases of sexual harassment and abuse (North, 2019). Earlier this agreement between the parties prohibited subordinates from sharing any information about the interaction and relationship with the employer. Several foundations and organizations also have been established in the country to provide legal, psychological, and material assistance to people who have experienced sexual harassment or violence. For example, The Time’s Up legal defense fund helped 3,600 people win trials against their offenders in a year (North, 2019). Consequently, these changes demonstrate that the government has recognized the magnitude of the problem since the #MeToo movement and is willing to protect its citizens.
Nevertheless, more significant changes are the behavior of people and the perception of sexual harassment and abuse in society, since, in the fear of reporting of abuse, legal measures are useless. The first change is that some people have changed their attitude towards sexual harassment at work and are determined to stand up for their rights. For example, Bower (2019) notes that in 2018, in one major study, 74% of women said they wanted to speak out more openly against harassment, and 77% of men said they would be more careful about potentially inappropriate behavior. These results demonstrate that the #MeToo movement message has reached society and is changing its culture gradually. Brown and Battle (2019) also determined that ostracism and stigmatization of sexual harassment victims in the workplace also decreased after the #MeToo Movement. This fact means that people who have faced harassment are less sensitive to public pressure and have more support to report their abuser’s behavior. Hence, positive shifts in cultural changes to protect people from sexual assaults are the results of the #MeToo movement.
However, there are also negative consequences and disadvantages that the #MeToo Movement has not yet changed. Firstly, as noted by Pettyjohn et al. (2019), some men still do not support the changes, and some oppose them because of the belief that the problem is doubtful or not too serious. These manifestations are also a consequence of a misogynistic culture that society still has to overcome. Another negative outcome is that some men and women, fearing accusations of harassment and work conflicts, exclude women from social interaction. For instance, one-fifth of men said they were reluctant to hire attractive women or include them in interpersonal work such as travel, and one-fifth of men avoided one-on-one meetings with female coworkers (Bower, 2019). This change is the result of a string of accusations resulting from the #MeToo movement, as well as a lack of education about sexism and harassment. Therefore, society needs to clarify these issues to avoid new forms of discrimination due to fear of being accused of sexual misconduct.
Connection to Other Social Movements
The #MeToo movement was the first large-scale protest against sexual violence and harassment in the United States. However, gradual change and the struggle for people’s rights to the integrity of their bodies have been fought since the 1960s. In addition, the suffrage and feminist movements are also closely related to the topic of sexual abuse. Although men also become victims of misconduct, women face this problem often. Consequently, one can trace some of the movements and manifestations of civic attitudes against sexual harassment in history.
The first movement that opposed sexual violence can be considered suffrage. Although the primary goal of suffragettes was to gain the right to vote and participate in politics for women, their struggle also implied equal rights for both genders. Previously, the woman practically belonged to her father and then to her husband, and had to obey their will. For example, until the 1930s, a married woman could not hold a passport under her own name (Harris & Morris, 2019). Accordingly, a woman actually could not protect herself from unwanted sexual relations in the case of an arranged marriage or even rape, since men spoke and decided for her. Consequently, the suffrage movement and the feminism that followed it are among the first attempts to protect women from sexual abuse.
Another movement connected with the #MeToo is the struggle of the 1960s, which combined the ideas of opposing racial and gender discrimination. This struggle led to the adoption of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination based on color, race, religion, gender, and national origin (Harris & Morris, 2019). However, it wasn’t until the 1970s that the concept of sexual harassment was first introduced when Carmita Woods spoke out against the harassment of her boss Boyce McDaniel. Woods, with the support of other women, formed Working Women United, which included about 300 women and fought for their rights (Harris & Morris, 2019). Further, the issue of sexual harassment gradually received publicity in society during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, and began to be considered at the state and federal levels. In 1980, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued the first guidelines on sexual harassment and had continued to develop policies to discourage such behavior in the workplace (Harris & Morris, 2019). Consequently, the #MeToo movement was the first decisive action against sexual violence and harassment in decades; however, previous changes in legislation and culture made it possible.
Conclusion
The #MeToo movement has become one of the most significant and effective campaigns against sexual violence and harassment that has influenced modern culture. The features of this movement allowed it to reach substantial scales and attract the attention of both the public and the government, which contributed to the implementation of changes. These features are the use of social networks as a central platform and weak-tie informational support for disseminating information. In addition, the timing of Trump’s misogynistic remarks, as well as the use of celebrity influence, help to get an emotional reaction in society. Although the #MeToo movement was the first campaign against sexual violence with such manifestations and impact, previous struggles for women’s rights and efforts against sexual harassment contributed to its realization. Therefore, the movement avoided the typical consequences of social confrontation, such as riots or arrests, but triggered a change in US culture and law.
References
Bower, T. (2019). The #MeToo backlash. Harvard Business Review. Web.
Brown, S.E.V., & Battle, J.S. (2019). Ostracizing targets of workplace sexual harassment before and after the #MeToo movement. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 39(1), 53-67. Web.
Harris, D., & Morris, R. (2019). The silence breakers and the #MeToo movement. ABDO Publishing.
Hillstrom, L. C. (2019). The #MeToo movement. ABC-CLIO.
Hosterman, A.R., Johnson, N.R., Stouffer, R., & Herring, S. (2018). Twitter, social support messages, and the #MeToo movement. The Journal of Social Media in Society, 7(2), 69-91.
Pettyjohn, M., Muzzey, F., Maas, M., & McCauley, H. (2019). #HowIWillChange: Engaging men and boys in the #MeToo movement. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 20(4), 612-622. Web.
North, A. (2019). 7 positive changes that have come from the #MeToo movement. Vox. Web.
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