#MeToo is a social movement and awareness campaign against sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape culture, in which people publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was initially used in this context on social media in 2006, on Myspace, by sexual assault survivor and activist Tarana Burke. The hashtag #MeToo was used starting in 2017 as a way to draw attention to the magnitude of the problem. "Me Too" empowers those who have been sexually assaulted through empathy, solidarity, and strength in numbers, by visibly demonstrating how many have experienced sexual assault and harassment, especially in the workplace.
Protest in New York City, 2018
Tarana Burke (2018)
Alyssa Milano encouraged use of the hashtag after accusations against Harvey Weinstein surfaced in 2017
Harvey Weinstein, who was once one of the most influential producers in Hollywood, was found guilty of rape.
Rape culture is a setting, as described by some sociological theories, in which rape is pervasive and normalized due to that setting's attitudes about gender and sexuality. Behaviors commonly associated with rape culture include victim blaming, slut-shaming, sexual objectification, trivializing rape, denial of widespread rape, refusing to acknowledge the harm caused by sexual violence, or some combination of these. It has been used to describe and explain behavior within social groups, including prison rape and in conflict areas where war rape is used as psychological warfare. Entire societies have been alleged to be rape cultures.
Rape rates (police reported) per 100,000 population, 2010–2012
A protester's sign refers to rape culture.
2004 anti-rape march at Rhodes University
The first SlutWalk in Toronto, Ontario, 3 April 2011