#MeToo: Women expose enormity of sexual abuse with personal stories
Actress Alyssa Milano's two-word protest against sexual harassment went viral
October 16, 2017
Social media was flooded with women who took to Twitter and Facebook to indicate they have been sexually harassed or assaulted.
On Sunday actress Alyssa Milano tweeted a note that read "Suggested by a friend: 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."
"If you've been sexually harassed or assaulted write 'me too' as a reply to this tweet," she wrote.
The movement started in response to the sexual harassment allegations against the American film producer and former studio executive Harvey Weinstein.
Weinstein lost his job and wife after several women accused him of sexual misconduct. He was also stripped of his membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Saturday.
Through a spokesperson, Weinstein "unequivocally" denied "any allegations of non-consensual sex."
Milano’s tweet brought a huge response from women across the world, including celebrities, who tweeted "Me too" and shared their experiences.
Even some men added their voices to the #MeToo hashtag that started trending following the response to Milano’s tweet.
French women also joined in as they tweeted their experiences of being sexually harassed by using the hashtag "balancetonporc" or "squeal on your pig."
Milano costarred with Rose McGowan on the show "Charmed." McGowan, who has become an outspoken online critic of both Weinstein and Hollywood’s culture of objectification, has alleged that the film producer raped her.
In an essay written last week, Milano said that giving a statement on Weinstein was "complicated" for her for "personal reasons." She is friends with Weinstein's now-estranged wife, Georgina Chapman, whom she has worked with on "Project Runway All Stars."
Milano says she is passionate about women's rights.
"Sexual harassment and assault in the workplace are not just about Harvey Weinstein," she wrote." We must change things in general. We must do better for women everywhere."
