ONE YEAR ON FROM #METOO

In October of 2017, film mogul Harvey Weinstein went up in flames, amid horrifying allegations of sexual abuse and a phoenix called Rose McGowan and the #MeToo movement rose from his murky ashes. For far too long, the patriarchal values engrained into our society’s DNA have told women to be silent. Women have been told to simply put up with abusive and violent treatment at the hands of men and worse yet, they have even been told to expect it. 

The conversation ignited in response to the #MeToo movement has rattled the world of social media to its core. Many have celebrated the movement as a powerful demonstration of solidarity, where those who have been abused, dominated, humiliated or marginalized at the hands of men can finally speak out. But even the most powerful of movements have been subject to criticism. 

Just over a year on since the #MeToo movement emerged and it still continues to face enormous criticism, backlash and controversy. The movement's critics have dubbed the movement as a dangerous ‘mob mentality’, which threatens to devastate the presumption of innocence in the legal system. In just October of 2018, the whole world was divided on whether a man with sexual assault allegations penned against his name, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, should be accelerated to a lifelong position of power. 

The movement has revealed fundamental rifts between the most obvious allies to the women speaking out on social media. Some (self-described) feminists including the likes of novelist Germaine Greer, have publicly criticised a generation of 'younger feminists' for complaining about things they deem too minor to warrant vilification. Meanwhile, younger feminists have taken this sentiment to be an admission of  ‘older feminists’ and their complicity in the global assault against women. This rift between competing forms of feminism raises the all-important question of who, then, are the real allies to the #MeToo movement in the patriarchy we live in? 

While it’s so important to always remember that subjugation is not solely the province of men, the disproportionately gendered relationship between those who have been sexually harassed, humiliated or abused is a clear call to ensure that men in positions of power are no longer able to use their positions of power to render others powerless. That was certainly the main objective in the case of Brett Kavanaugh and though the verdict is a disheartening one, we should always strive to fight against abuses of power in the future.

Moving forward raises the question of how best to utilise the #MeToo movement. A guilty verdict in a courtroom is liberating to victims of sexual misconduct. But have we lost sight of what’s really important in all this? Can we just take a few steps back for a moment and focus on the victims of rape and sexual assault? What are their stories and how long did they remain silent for? Do they feel as if they are finally able to move forward, after speaking out against their experiences? And if not, how can we come together to help that individual? What are the support networks which can be put in place? 

A good movement will listen to their criticisms but a better movement will learn how to stand up to them. A better movement yet will reflexively position those whom they wish to liberate and empower at the centre of their movement’s universe and not as some kind of epiphenomenon of it.

Antonia x