By Samantha VanAlstyne
Staff Writer
Roughly a year ago the sexual misconduct allegations against Hollywood’s well-known Harvey Weinstein, broke setting the social media-verse ablaze with #MeToo.
To this day, it is a topic that is still heavily talked about.
Although it’s seen a resurgence within the last year the #MeToo movement is actually a decade old.
Started in 2006 by Tarana Burke to support women of color who were victims of sexual violence, #MeToo now spans the gender-sexuality spectrum.
In a video message to viewers of the movements website, Burke said, “…To be clear #MeToo isn’t about the take down of powerful men it’s about giving the most marginalized of us the opportunity for a healing journey.”
In a world where one in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives; one out of every three women as well as one out of every five men will experience sexual violence, we could all use a little healing.
The scarier thing is that more than half of the time women are assaulted by an intimate partner and 41 percent are assaulted by an acquaintance.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a dilemma that only affects adults as one in four young girls and one in six young boys will be raped before they turn 18, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
In spite of the staggering statistics, society still seemingly points fingers at the victim. The misconception is that if a woman wears a short skirt or is too flirty, she was asking for it.
But, the double edged sword for victims is that no matter if they tell right away or wait 35 years, it is somehow always their fault in the court of public opinion.
I can assure you that if you’re a victim of sexual violence, it isn’t your fault, it’s never your fault.
In light of Dr. Ford coming forward against Brett Kavanaugh, society seemingly wants victims to prove themselves more than ever before, as if decades somehow invalidate what happened to her.
I’ve heard a lot of people speculate that if Dr. Ford was in fact assaulted, why would she wait to come forward? It’s as if people genuinely believe she has something to gain from this.
Memory repression is a tactic the body uses to survive trauma and is often uncovered via therapy, as was the case with Dr. Ford. The general public is quick to say that her coming forward about the attack could ruin lives; they forget that the attack already had.
Keeping all of this in mind, I sincerely hope that this article touches someone and lets them know they aren’t alone.
If you’re an assault survivor and you haven’t told anyone, please know you can tell me. I believe you.
And if you’re a survivor and you’re open about your experience, I’m so proud of you.
To reiterate what Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement said, this movement isn’t about bringing down powerful men.
This movement is meant to inspire those who need to find closure and heal to do so.
