Elizabeth Vierkant-
Film producer Harvey Weinstein has been accused of sexually harassing, assaulting and raping over a dozen women throughout his career. The New York Times recently interviewed several of the accusers, creating a controversy that has ignited a nationwide discussion of sexual harassment, bringing a movement to the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, a controversial movement called #MeToo has gained momentum on social media. The idea of #MeToo is to bring awareness to sexual assault. Those that participate post “me too” on their social media accounts if they have been a victim of sexual assault or harassment and wish to share it.
A few Stout students who participated in a photoshoot for Stoutonia for the “me too” movement shared their insights. One student, a senior at Stout, said, ” I just hope someone going through these experiences and feeling alone may find comfort in the magnitude of voices and representations that have shared in that experience, as negative as it may be.”
Now, back to Weinstein. Many of the women who came forward worked with Weinstein, and many of Weinstein’s employees knew about the allegations. Some of the accusers include Lucia Evans, Asia Argento and Mira Sorvino.
According to the New Yorker, Weinstein “enforced a code of silence.” Employees couldn’t speak out about the Weinstein Company in a way that could hurt the company or an employee’s reputation. Several of the accusers were also paid to keep quiet. These women agreed to keep all relative information confidential.
Due to the allegations, Weinstein was fired from the Weinstein Company on Oct. 8, and Hatchette Book Group dropped its publishing deal with the Weinstein Company on Oct. 12.
In an interview with The New York Times, Weinstein said, “I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it. Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go.”
“From the outside, it seemed golden — the Oscars, the success, the remarkable cultural impact,” Mark Gill, former Miramax president, told The New York Times, “But behind the scenes, it was a mess, and this was the biggest mess of all.”
In response to the sudden fame, Burke tweeted, “It made my heart swell to see women using this idea — one that we call ‘empowerment through empathy’ to not only show the world how widespread and pervasive sexual violence is, but also to let other survivors know they are not alone.”
Another participating student finished saying, “Sometimes it takes hundreds of voices before one of them is actually heard.”