Being posted on social media right now
Me too.
.………
If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote “Me too” as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.
Copy/paste.
I’ve been uncomfortable since I posted “Me Too” on my Facebook page. Really uncomfortable.
There are many reasons for my discomfort.
– This is something I don’t talk about
– This is not how I want to be identified
– I’m not looking for pity
– I don’t want people wondering ‘who’ did ‘what’
– I don’t want any attention for this
It took several days of seeing the “Me Too” Posts before I chose to respond. Then I nearly took it down.
But this is a big deal. If the fact that I need to face my discomfort for a day or two helps expose how immense this problem is, I can do that. Because right now … right this minute … today … tomorrow … there are too many women whose “Me Too” is spoken silently while they live in abuse and pain. There are also too many others who aren’t able to post for reasons too numerous to list.
Comments I’ve seen on other posts break my heart. “Mine wasn’t that big of a deal, I don’t want to draw attention to something that isn’t as bad as what others have dealt with.” Oh yes it was. If you still remember it, it’s a big deal to you. No one should ever take advantage of you.
There is so much more I could … maybe should … say about harassment and assault, but for now, this is enough.
~~~
Last night Jenny Lawson, aka The Bloggess, posted this and it’s the right thing. (Jenny writes hilariously funny and deeply honest books as well as a hilariously funny and deeply honest blog. She’s got more courage than I can even describe. Follow her Facebook page or her blog site.)
My timeline is full of men and women proclaiming “me too” regarding being the target of sexual harassment and assault.
If you are one of those and are speaking out I am proud of you.
If you are one of those but don’t want to share your story publicly I am proud of you for setting boundaries that are safe for you.
If you are surprised by how widespread it all is and take this opportunity to examine how you can help I am proud of you.
If you are having hard talks with your children about this to ensure they are less likely to become victims or victimizers I am proud of you.
If all of this is too much and you decide to leave social media until it’s a safer place for you I am proud of you for taking care of yourself.
No matter your story, and no matter how or whether you share it, you are far from alone.
~~~
You are not alone. I am not alone. We are all in this together, no matter our stories.
