Warning: This article deals with sexual assault and harassment, which may be triggering to some.
It all began with the simple words: Me Too. In 2017, actress Alyssa Milano, in support of friend Rose McGowan’s allegations of sexual abuse against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, asked women to simply write ‘Me Too’ to show the magnitude of how many had experienced sexual harassment or assault.
The movement, first voiced by sexual assault survivor and activist Tarana Burke in 2006, has now seen millions of women stand in solidarity to share their stories. The stories were devastating but all too relatable, and while Myspace, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have seen waves of Me Too in the years since, the movement has now surged on TikTok, a social media platform generally reserved for dancing videos and lip-syncing.
A new challenge, aptly titled #MeToo, is seeing survivors “paint their pain” and share what happened to them while doing so. The challenge is raw and heartbreaking, with thousands of young women taking to the platform to stand together.
User Bailey Jones – who’s video has been liked over 2 million times – wrote: “Thank you to the women on this app for speaking out and giving me the strength to tell my story.” Her video sees her wearing the exact outfit she was assaulted in, and even details her police report where she was told her attacker was a registered sex offender.
Becauseofwhathapp did the challenge a little differently. After being sexually assaulted, the user explains she wore a large grey pullover for 5 years as a means of “protection.” In the video, she splatters it with paint writing “survivor.”
Now I want to “be seen and to be happy,” the text reads. “Now I protect myself.” That video has been liked over 1.2 million times.
tarahelizabeth also took part, detailing her sexual assault at the age of 13 and the toll it took on her mental health. “I was silently struggling with severe PTSD, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and eating disorders,” she writes. “My abuser told me I was disgusting, worthless, and ugly. LABELS HURT. You never know what someone is going through behind the scenes.”
While the world post-Me Too looks incredibly different – in fashion, music, politics and the workplace – the newest surge on TikTok proves we still have a long way to go.
See more women tell their stories here.
If you or someone you know needs help or advice, call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. If you need help immediately, please call 000.
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