On
the 17th
October,
we saw the hashtag #metoo sweep across social media platforms
as Alyssa Milano encouraged women who have experienced sexual assault
in any form to themselves comment with the hashtag. The movement
gained a momentous following in just a few hours to raise awareness
about the widespread gender-based violence women are subjected to
throughout their lives. With Hollywood under the microscope, plenty
of women and men have come forward with claims regarding sexual
harassment committed by men in a position of power. Sadly, this issue
is a global one, as women all over the world shared their stories of
#metoo.
As
Vienna Paharon commented ‘every day is a “me too” day’ as
this issue infiltrates our daily routines as women, whether it be
objectivized behaviour we are subjected to on our way to work or
college, misogynistic remarks by male colleagues, or even the
ridicule of a romantic partner. Society has victimized women and
wrongful placed the blame on us. The
use of the passive voice regarding ‘violence on women’ has had a
negative political effect, as it shifts the focus from the
perpetrators and instead places it on the victim. What
we wear, how much make-up we put on, the places we go, or even the
time of day we are out. None of these things are acceptable as an
excuse of why we should be victims. We as women know this. Men must
too. This is not to say that there are not men conscious of this, but
there are many bystanders- and by this term I mean those who choose
to actively ignore the abuse they witness.
In
Dr Katz Ted Talk, he encourages men to be brave and support women by
‘interrupting’ behaviour they deem degrading to women. Telling
friends, siblings, co-workers that their comments are unappreciated
in their company and lack respect towards the women they themselves
may know, like sisters, mothers, and daughters. I am sure none of us
would appreciate a father, brother, or boyfriend making a remark that
in some way objectifies and belittles a women’s individual value by
marking her up as a sexual object. Instead, we should all be working
towards creating a social consciousness that appreciates us as human
beings, beyond our gender, our race, or our sexual orientation. We
deserve to live in a society were fear is not our first instinct.
Where the length of our skirt does not define the amount of negative
attention we receive. Or the opinions we share to be stifled and
ignored, told to come to terms with male behaviour as some form of
normalcy in our lives. This is not normal. Fear of being raped is not
normal. It is time we realize that the burden to change men is not on
the shoulders of women. It is men who need to fix this type of
thinking and support the movement toward a better equality amongst
men and women. #himthough
Unfortunately,
each woman has been subjected to some form of emotional or physical
abuse at the hands of a male, some strangers, others intimate lovers.
Under no circumstance should we believe we are deserving of this
behaviour, and we must remind one another that we are stronger,
beautiful, and brilliant creatures that are so much more than the of
our bodies. In
the midst of sexual harassment and violence becoming a much more
talked about and acknowledged concern within our societies, we must
know how to recognize the issue and tackle it for ourselves and the
future generations. So,
we must speak out against this injustice, not merely as women, but as
people who want equality and sense of being that goes beyond
physicality. I encourage you all to check out @makerswomen which is a
storytelling platform created by Justin Baldoni to reshape the way we
see strong women and helps redefine concepts of masculinity and how
these attitudes tie into behaviour toward women.
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