#MeToo

"It became a hashtag, a movement, a reckoning, but it began, as great social change nearly always does, with individual acts of courage."

A few weeks ago, my dad texted me to ask me about my thoughts on feminism. I immediately asked, "Well how much time do you have?"

He laughed. I didn't.

I told him about how I can't walk alone at night just because I want to for fear of being followed, or worse, by some strange man, leaving me constantly looking over my shoulder and holding my keys in my fist as a potential weapon.

I told him how, when I go out to a bar, if a guy is hitting on me, he won't take "no thanks" as an answer, but he's more likely to back off if I tell him I have a boyfriend. Because guys have a greater respect for another man's stake in a relationship than they do for one woman's personal opinion.

And things I didn't tell him include how at bars, I've been grabbed, touched, and had my ass slapped by strangers who feel that they are entitled to touch my body without my consent. Or how I've been called a "bitch" for telling a boy to leave my obviously-too-drunk friend alone. And I didn't tell him about all the friends I've had to hold while they cried because they had been sexually assaulted.

I would never wish sexual assault, of any degree, upon anyone. But I am immensely thankful for the Silence Breakers - all the women who have stepped forward over the past few months to tell of their own experiences. I am so thankful for them for bringing justice to those who committed the acts, for showing other women who might not be able to tell their own stories for fear of judgement or retribution that they are not alone, and for showing men that sexual harassment is not something to be taken lightly, and that "boys just being boys" is not an excuse.

Actors and models and journalists, state legislators, baristas and marines. Sexual assault or harassment isn't just contained to jobs in Hollywood or the media. It doesn't matter how famous you might become, or how old you might be, because in today's world, no women is safe from the problem plaguing our world today.

Taylor Swift - 27 - Singer/Songwriter 

Alyssa Milano - 44 - Actor and creator of the #MeToo hashtag
Tarana Burke - 44 - Activist 

Susan Fowler - 26 - Former Uber Engineer 

Ashley Judd - 49 - Actor 

Megyn Kelly - 47 - Journalist

Isabel Pascual - 42 - Strawberry Picker 

Adama Iwu - 40 - Lobbyist  

Rose McGowan - 44 - Artist and Activist   

I have hope that things will change as the result of this movement. Because it would be really nice if I was able to walk down the street one night without being worried, or I'll be able to go out to a bar without being groped or touched or without rude and unsolicited comments being made on my body.

Yet, the biggest test of this movement will ultimately be the extent to which it actually changes the realities of those who are unable to tell the truth because it would threaten too much for them. So here's to standing up, speaking out, and fighting for the change that our world so desperately needs.

Cheers,
Katie