#MeToo - Historical Comparisons and Patterns of Public Discourse

“Me too.”

In 2016, when Tarana Burke coined this common phrase into a movement to help survivors of sexual violence, little did she think of the ripple effect that would eventually turn into waves more than ten years later.

In 2017, New York Times broke the news of Harvey Weinstein’s record of sexual harassment that stretched on for decades. With leading female stars such as Ashley Judd, Claire Forlani, and Cara Delevingne coming forward and exposing Weinstein’s behavior, the man who seemed untouchable with power was moved from his position as number one of his own company[1]. The milestone event of Weinstein’s removal sparked two intertwined progresses: more allegations and removals of men in high positions in entertainment, politics, and business; a movement on social media, especially Twitter, for people to share their experience regarding sexual assault. Those who stepped forward with their stories were given the collective name “silence breakers” by TIME magazine and awarded TIME Person of the Year.

Comparing the #MeToo movement with previous feminist movements and the #BlackLivesMatter movement, I identified a pattern for public discourse in the #MeToo movement - high impact events followed by onnline discussion.

Here is a quick overview of the historical events that I will go over in the following sections.