This is the hashtag that shook the world: #MeToo. For five years, women and men have reported their experiences of sexual harassment and violence under this slogan. The trigger was a revealing article in the New York Times about film producer Harvey Weinstein. He sexually assaulted and harassed women for decades. Meanwhile, the once-powerful studio mogul is in jail, sentenced to 23 years in prison. And he will again have to appear in court in Los Angeles – including because of rape.
What about the #MeToo movement following the Weinstein case? “We live in a time of intense anti-feminist backlash,” feminist author Moira Donegan said recently. Indeed, in the summer of 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 1973 court ruling that had secured abortion rights across the country for decades. At the same time, Amber Heard’s loss in a lawsuit with ex-husband Johnny Depp led to the announcement of the end of #MeToo.
But is the movement dead? no #MeToo is a “moral revolution,” as philosopher Susan Neumann explained in 2017. It is unlikely that any Hollywood producer will dare to force actresses or actors to provide sexual services. However, the structures that initially made sexual exploitation possible still exist, and the number of victims of sexual violence remains high. That’s why many will no doubt continue to say #MeToo.