Hundreds of thousands of women around the globe are telling their personal stories about experiencing sexual assault, with the intention of spreading awareness about the issue and presenting a potential resolution to this once hidden issue. Sexual assault victims are using social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, to post about their own experiences, using the hashtag #MeToo in their posts. 

Alyssa Milano, a Hollywood actress, posted a tweet on her Twitter account Sunday, October 15, 2017, encouraging women to speak up and comment “Me Too” on her post if they have been a victim of any type of sexual harassment or assault. Overnight, an overwhelming number of women replied to her post, publicly revealing that they were victims too, according to The New York Times.

In Hollywood, rumors of sexual assault and harassment have always existed, but people rarely exposed the perpetrators or discussed these rumors publicly. This, however, has changed over the last few months. Now, people are using social media as a tool to emphasize that sexual assault and harassment is not solely a problem in Hollywood, but also a common issue found in many workplaces and households, according to The New York Times.
However, some individuals do question whether or not this movement will change society, according to washingtonpost.com. Before #MeToo, there were other hashtags representing similar issues related to harassment and assault, including #MyHarveyWeinstein, #WhatWereYouWearing, #YouOkSis, and #SurvivorPrivilege. While it is true that social media users eventually stopped using these hashtags, the movements did not receive as much media attention as #MeToo, according to washingtonpost.com.

Sunday, November 12, 2017, hundreds of #MeToo survivors gathered to march in Los Angeles, California. Marchers walked and chanted as tourists took pictures, giving the #MeToo campaign more media attention, according to latimes.com.

Many women believe that #MeToo will end the cycle of sexual harassment and assault because the campaign received abundant media attention. Men have also joined the #MeToo campaign, sharing relevant stories from their childhoods and supporting sexual harassment and assault victims, according to The New York Times.

Others believe that because hashtags similar to #MeToo eventually lost momentum, #MeToo will lose momentum as well, according to washingtonpost.com.

At Sacred Heart Greenwich, students are invested and aware of #MeToo. In a senior Seminar in Literature and Thought class, students discussed Ms. Oprah Winfrey’s speech at the 75th Golden Globe Awards regarding #MeToo, and the future of the movement. The students strongly agree with the movement, as it resonates with them through its empowering message, especially for an all-girls school community.

“Because of the #MeToo movement, men are now held accountable and women know that they are not alone,” senior Laura Holland said. “This movement promotes greater awareness of sexual harassment in the workplace and encourages more respect and equality for women. As a future working woman, I am confident that #MeToo will yield greater opportunities and fair treatment for young women like myself.”

As women are coming forward about their past experiences with the hashtag #MeToo, it becomes increasingly evident how common sexual harassment and assault experiences have become. The Internet has, thus, become an instrument and mouthpiece for individuals, especially for women, to speak up and tell their stories, spreading awareness about this issue