The series of allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has prompted a social media campaign where thousands of women are sharing personal stories of sexual harassment under the hashtag or title ‘MeToo. ‘
Actress Alyssa Milano has sparked a huge outpouring with a simple Twitter request that women respond "me too" if they have been sexually assaulted or harassed.
At the time of writing, more than 40,000 people replied to her tweet, making “#MeToo” a top trending topic. This included actors like Anna Paquin, Debra Messing, Laura Dreyfuss and Gabrielle Union. Singer Lady Gaga also tweeted the hashtag.
The messages kept pouring in not just from women but men too. Most accounts were personal and painful, some going back to childhood memories and some accounts of sexual harrassment at workplaces.
Days earlier, another campaign - #WomenBoycottTwitter – spread in response to the temporary suspension of the account of actress Rose McGowan, after she had tweeted about Weinstein.