Gender equality might not seem like too much to ask for, yet in 2018 women are still fighting for simple human rights, such as the ability to keep their bodies and minds safe. The #MeToo movement started in 2006 when a woman named Tarana Burke wanted to enable women to give each other sympathy when dealing with their experiences of sexual harassment. This hashtag and movement became popular in 2017 when women in Hollywood started speaking up against Harvey Weinstein. This new operation has empowered women across the globe to say “me too” and seek help in all forms against any perceived concept of sexual harassment (Borge). The #MeToo movement has already led to improvements and will unquestionably continue to improve everyday lives for women such as strengthening interpretations of sexual harassment laws and a victim’s credibility in court, in addition to increasing protection against sexual harassment and assault in the workplace, and giving vulnerable women an outlet to speak up about their trauma and receive help with the mental effects sexual harassment has on victims.
  The power radiating off of the #MeToo movement is leading to changes in the interpretations of sexual harassment laws and causing businesses to review their sexual harassment regulations, both of which will improve the safety of women in the workplace. In court, the accusers’ allegations would not have held up as strongly before the movement as they do now. For example, in a New York Times article written by Catharine Mackinnon, it states “Complaints were routinely passed off with some version of ‘she wasn’t credible’ or ‘she wanted it’. I kept track of this in cases of campus sexual abuse over decades; it typically took three or four women testifying that they had been violated by the same man, in the same way, to even begin to make a dent in his denial” (Mackinnon). Other higher profile cases have been undermined since the accused man was simply denying the allegations. For example, the case regarding President George H.W. Bush’s nomination of Clarence Thomas for a federal judge to the U.S. Supreme Court during his term. Anita Hill had fired at the nominee with allegations of unwanted sexual innuendos while Thomas served as her supervisor. Thomas’ team attacked Anita Hill’s credibility and he was soon awarded the spot on the Supreme Court with a vote of 52-48. Yet after the damage that was done by this high profile case, people realized how much of a  “boys club” the Senate is, and President Bush passed a law that reinforced anti-discrimination provisions in workplaces to give accusers the ability and right to seek damages in a federal court of law. This law being passed caused a 50% increase in sexual harassment complaints in the workplace. Even before the #MeToo movement, one woman standing up and being able to cause a minuscule amount of damage to one man’s reputation allowed more women to speak freely (“Women’s Rights and Sexual Harassment”). The movement and the increasing amount of women speaking up have led to “expanding the congressional power to legislate against sexual abuse and judicial interpretations of existing law, guaranteeing equality under the Constitution for all” (Mackinnon). Also, workplace behavior has not always been censored in an acceptable way, leaving women to protect themselves and their bodies from men who have been viewed as “more credible” throughout history. In an article written about the changes the #MeToo movement has made to small businesses in Long Island, the chair of employment for the law department at Ruskin Moscou, a business law firm, Kimberly Malerba, expressed her horror that the owners and managers of some businesses who still are blind to the intensity of the sexual harassment epidemic. And while this still might be true, Malerba had also stated “[They] ‘are seeking out training on workplace harassment, and many, if they don’t have policies, are looking for workplace policies or a review of their existing policies’” (Mason-Draffen). This effort to improve workplace harassment policies is just one small, but important step in improving women’s rights. An influx of small businesses wanted to protect their employees from feeling trapped by sexual harassment policies in the workplace. Shifting interpretations in the Federal court, and the epiphany of businesses to refresh their sexual harassment policies are only some of the incredible effects of the #MeToo movement.
  Furthermore, the #MeToo movement is giving women who have been sexually harassed, the courage to speak up and get help regarding the mental and emotional effects that plague sexual harassment victims. Sexual abuse has left an open wound on many people psychologically. The experience of being sexually harassed, or sexually abused, whether it is physical or verbal causes medical symptoms such as improper brain development. For example, TIME magazine, states that:
“Cortical thickness is linked to brain development, with thicker regions generally healthier growth. Brains, like muscles, develop through use — so regions that have been “exercised” more tend to be bigger. But abuse can interfere with development. To cope with overwhelming experiences of distress, the brain can alter patterns of signaling from the pathways involved, which can ultimately leave those regions underdeveloped from reduced input. The brain of a child who is raped, for example, may react by reducing the connectivity of the regions that were hurt” (Szalavitz).
The development of a victim’s brain is stunted due to the distress, causing larger problems when those parts of the brain are required. This knowledge about a victim's brain can help uncover other root causes of emotional distress that can be treated. If women have experienced sexual abuse, they should not be afraid to speak up, and have the ability to get help with the emotional problems that come along with the trauma. In an article found in the New York Times, it states that “the most common reaction to sexual harassment and assault is anxiety or depression; 31 percent of women and 20 percent of men reported these effects after these incidents” (Chira). Mental health issues such as depression and anxiety can be treated with a combination of therapy and medication, and if women are able to speak out about their experiences, they can seek help for themselves regarding the secondary effects of sexual assault, meaning they can remain mentally healthy. Before the movement, women have been embarrassed at the possibility of telling someone about their abuse, or even scared at the repercussions from the abuser. Now, large amounts of women have found power within themselves to come forward and talk about their sexual harassment experiences as the result of the movement, shown by the millions of tweets with the hashtag me too. Women are able to seek psychological and emotional help since the #MeToo movement has given women the power to speak truth to power.
         Opposing viewpoints have argued that some women are exploiting the essence of the movement and small verbal encounters should not receive the support of the movement, meanwhile the purpose of the movement is to get all women to speak up against unwanted sexual encounters that affect daily lives, and cause men to rethink their decisions to engage in such encounters. Many people agree “Being discomforted for a few months by some guy’s awkward pass is not the same as a boss dropping [trousers] and telling a subordinate her job depends on how she handles it” (Stepman). Also, the recent popular case of actor Aziz Ansari has the opposition claiming that he had to have read her mind if he knew she did not want to continue with the situation (Weiss), yet if she was giving off signals of awkwardness or uncomfort, he could have avoided the scandal by simply asking, “Are you okay with this?”. This brings up the idea that there are different degrees to sexual harassment, and although this might be true, small things such as catcalling can implement fear, anxiety, and even body image issues in women. But the #MeToo movement is eliminating all reasons for women to live in fear, and instead causing men to rethink their actions. In an article written by a woman who has experienced frequent catcalling, she notes that on multiple occasions she has second-guessed her actions and had always felt safer when in public if she had an escape plan, in case she got into a situation where a male was trying to seduce her (Thompson). The inclusion of all types of unwanted sexual encounters, no matter the degree demonstrates that this movement is not a witch-hunt to target all men instead; one of its main purposes is to cause men to rethink their behavior. An excerpt from an article relating to the revolution this movement is causing states:
“I like to think that men are paying attention and rethinking their behaviour, examining their own relationships with colleagues, friends and families to discover where they really sit on the equality meter. But I also like to think that women are rethinking their responses to sexist behaviour, are gaining strength and support in their numbers, and are developing a language of resistance that they can use in the moment to stand up for themselves, and to address the issues officially should they decide to report it” (Shkimba).
The article goes on to address the idea that this form of social change is challenging, yet women have come so far to let opposing viewpoints incinerate the glorious movement. The #MeToo movement has the goal of stopping all forms of sexual harassment and although there are different levels and perceptions of sexual harassment, all kinds affect the daily lives of women and this movement aims to stop them at every level.
         Women traumatized by sexual harassment and assault are changing the norms of society in the courtroom and the workplace, and ensuring they are able to get mental help through the power of the #MeToo movement. This movement is destroying the idea that it is acceptable for men to treat women certain ways based on their body, and giving women the ability to do things such as walk to lunch or wear a dress without being scared that a man will single them out, and possibly say something derogatory. Now, because of this movement, people are not afraid to speak up, shown by a poll in which “81 percent of women and 43 percent of men said they had experienced sexual harassment or assault over their lifetimes—higher than most other studies and polls have suggested” (Chira). Women have been doing all they can by demanding change. It is now time for society to respond and move forward into an age free of harassment.
Works Cited
Borge, Jonathan. "Who Started the Me Too Movement?" Instyle, Time Inc., 7 Jan. 2018, www.instyle.com/news/who-started-me-too-movement. Accessed 7 Mar. 2018.
Chira, Susan. "Why #MeToo Took Off: Sheer Number Who Can Say 'Me, Too.'" New York Times, 24 Feb. 2018, p. A17(L). SPN.SP00, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A528687272/SPN.SP00?u=fran15329&sid=SPN.SP00&xid=c3ca4d4d. Accessed 6 Mar. 2018.
Stepman, Inez F. "Ladies, You Haven’t Been Raped If Someone Catcalled At You." The Federalist, 30 Oct. 2017, thefederalist.com/2017/10/30/ladies-havent-raped-someone-catcalled/. Accessed 7 Mar. 2018.
Mackinnon, Catharine A. "#MeToo And Law's Limitations." New York Times, 5 Feb. 2018, p. A19(L). SPN.SP00, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A526291595/SPN.SP00?u=fran15329&sid=SPN.SP00&xid=44848746. Accessed 6 Mar. 2018.
Mason-Draffen, Carrie. "#MeToo prompts Long Island firms to address sexual harassment." News Day, Newsday, 12 Jan. 2018, www.newsday.com/business/metoo-sexual-harassment-1.16144937. Accessed 7 Mar. 2018.
Shkimba, Margaret. "#MeToo movement a long time coming; Now that it's here, will anything change?" Spectator[Hamilton, Ontario], 12 Dec. 2017, p. A8. Global Issues in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A518438528/GIC?u=fran15329&xid=73a3ca8e. Accessed 6 Mar. 2018.
Szalavitz, Maia. "Sexual and Emotional Abuse Scar the Brain in Specific Ways." Time, Time Inc., 5 June 2013, healthland.time.com/2013/06/05/sexual-and-emotional-abuse-scar-the-brain-in-specific-ways/. Accessed 7 Mar. 2018.
Thompson, Tashna. "Women Are People Too: The Psychological Effects of Catcalling on Women." Medium, 29 Mar. 2017, risingyoungminds.com/women-are-people-too-the-psychological-effects-of-catcalling-on-women-c379f61487b7. Accessed 7 Mar. 2018.
Weiss, Bari. "Aziz Ansari Is Guilty. Of Not Being a Mind Reader." The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 15 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/01/15/opinion/aziz-ansari-babe-sexual-harassment.html. Accessed 7 Mar. 2018.
"Women's Rights and Sexual Harassment: Are Further Steps Necessary to Ensure Gender Equality?" Issues & Controversies, Infobase Learning, 4 Jan. 2018,http://icof.infobaselearning.com/recordurl.aspx?ID=6344. Accessed 6 Mar. 2018.