#MeToo is a sexual assault movement started, initially, by Tarana Burke 10 years ago when she used that phrase in a tweet. It had popularity at that time, but what really got it going was Alyssa Milano’s retweet of Burke’s tweet that was the original post. #MeToo is a sexual assault movement made for other people to tell their story, made for other people to show other people that it’s ok to not be silent, and that you shouldn’t be blamed for something you didn’t do.

#MeToo has sparked women to share their stories on social media, youtube, etc. to get the word out and show that their story does not own them. In one particular video, a woman had been sexually assaulted in her very own bed a few years ago but had continued to sleep on the mattress. She goes on to tell us that she didn’t know if it was out of anger or shame that she was holding onto after the rape. The mattress is moved to the woman’s front yard upon which she writes #MeToo in black sharpie across the mattress. She leaves sharpies and notes inviting people to leave a story on the mattress-turned-canvas. After returning from work, the mattress sitting out all day, she finds many stories on it telling who raped the women and where it happened and what they were told to do after. The woman who made the video said that she was happy she did this, not only to let herself know that she wasn’t alone, but other women who have been assaulted aren’t either.

#MeToo is an important movement. It is one that tells women, who experience rape, that it is okay to tell someone, it is ok to seek help and not be silent. They don’t have to sit idly and bear the burden of something that isn’t their fault and not tell anyone. It shows women that they are human and should be respected. It tells women that rape is not their fault. Never has been, never will be.