After the number of allegations against Harvey Weinstein began to grow, people took to social media, using the hashtag #MeToo to show just how many people have been affected by sexual assault and harassment. 

For sexual assault and harassment survivors, their assault may not be an easy topic to talk about. It’s uncomfortable, scary, honest and for some it may even be embarrassing. Being a victim of any kind of assault isn’t anything to be ashamed of because it’s not the victims fault ever. However, people are still scared to speak up. 

Will people believe me? Will they think it’s my fault? How will they treat me after they know what happened?

The #MeToo movement gives victims an opportunity to communicate that something horrible happened to them without needing to get into the details. I think this hashtag is a great way to see the impact sexual assault and harassment has on both men and women and that all those who have used the hashtag are incredibly brave. 

It’s important to remember, however, that it’s not a requirement for all victims to reveal their assault on social media. For some, it may be too soon to talk about it publicly, for others it may never be the right time. Victims have a right to keep their stories to themselves.

I do believe the #MeToo movement shows victims they’re not alone — this happened to other people, too. And although the hashtag won’t be shared by every victim, I hope the number of people who do share it will reveal something about rape culture. 

In the first 24 hours of #MeToo being on Facebook, there were more than 12 million posts, comments and reactions and as of Tuesday, 1.7 million tweets included the hashtag #MeToo. And that’s just the people who have used the hashtag — imagine how many victims decided not to share on social media. 

I respect anyone who has shared their story on social media and hope this movement will show everyone just how big of a problem sexual assault and harassment is. 

If you have been sexually assaulted or harassed and aren’t ready to participate in #MeToo but want to talk to someone, Iowa State offers counseling services for all students.