#MeToo

This week a viral movement called "Me Too" took social media by storm. Recently revived by the controversy and horrendous stories coming forward in the Hollywood industry from Harvey Weinstein, it has since expanded to highlight the every day sexism, sexual harassment, and sexual abuse from others in power. Strong, brave women and men have come forward to claim "me too" to highlight the magnitude and widespread scale of a story that is too common but never talked about enough. 

Here at Bravelets, we wanted to give others a platform to share their own "me too" and we launched a social media post that has now been shared, commented on, and liked over around 2,000 times and reached a mass of 56K people on Facebook alone. We wanted take a moment to thank everyone who decided to share their story and to share with you our thoughts surrounding this movement...

The reality is, the Me Too movement is long over due for our society, but in our eyes - better now, than never. We sat in awe of the bravery that has poured out from you on Facebook to the top celebrities using their voice for good. 

WE ARE STRONGER & BRAVER TOGETHER.

"Me Too" was started by activist Tarana Burke over 10 years ago, but recently made viral by actress Alyssa Milano. Ebony recently interviewed Burke about the growing popularity of her movement and this is what she said –

Burke said she began “Me Too” as a grassroots movement to aid sexual assault survivors in underprivileged communities “where rape crisis centers and sexual assault workers weren’t going.” 

“It wasn’t built to be a viral campaign or a hashtag that is here today and forgotten tomorrow,” Burke told Ebony in a statement on Monday. “It was a catchphrase to be used from survivor to survivor to let folks know that they were not alone and that a movement for radical healing was happening and possible.” 

The campaign’s motto is “Empowerment through empathy.” 

Read more at EBONY http://www.ebony.com/news-views/black-woman-me-too-movement-tarana-burke-alyssa-milano#ixzz4vydcikD1 Follow us: @EbonyMag on Twitter | EbonyMag on Facebook

Our heart breaks for the women (and men) who have felt like their voice has been silenced, not believed, or unheard through these experiences. You have every right to claim your voice now. Not everyone can though. On Twitter, user @apbenven shared this thought:

If you, reading this right now, don't have the opportunity to share your story publicly because of your job, your partner, your family, or just personally you may not be ready - you don't owe anyone your story. You owe it to yourself though to practice good self care and honor your mind & body with the opportunity to heal. 

Another one of the many positives that have come from this movement is the hashtag #HowIWillChange - men are now taking to Twitter and beyond to share how they will not stand idly by allowing this destructive behavior to stand. They are pledging to recognize and end the behavior that enables other men to act this way. It has been passively allowed for far too long, and we are thankful to the men who have spoken up in support. 

Some may be reading this and thinking, "How can this many women have endured this? This is can't be true." The reality is our world has slowly justified this behavior from the way we talk, to the way we joke, the way we casually objectify others. The "Me Too" movement encompasses the cat calls, the sexist comments, the "accidental" touches, the men who stare, the men who act, the abuse of power, and the silencing no matter how big or small. We need to educate those who don't understand, have never experienced it, or choose to blame the victim. 

The Atlantic published a great article on the psychology of victim blaming and how some times even the most well intention people do this. 

“I think the biggest factor that promotes victim-blaming is something called the just world hypothesis,” says Sherry Hamby, a professor of psychology at the University of the South and founding editor of the APA’s Psychology of Violencejournal. “It’s this idea that people deserve what happens to them. There’s just a really strong need to believe that we all deserve our outcomes and consequences.”

Hamby explains that this desire to see the world as just and fair may be even stronger among Americans, who are raised in a culture that promotes the American Dream and the idea that we all control our own destinies.

Read more here: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/10/the-psychology-of-victim-blaming/502661/

This movement is a shift in our society. We want to empower those who have felt held back, felt small, felt powerless to stand tall and take back your life. You matter. We believe you and your story. You ARE brave. 

We support you. Straight, gay, transgender, agender - we strive to empower you to live your life. Let's work together to make everyone feel safe, brave, and strong. Let's educate each other to be more empathetic and understanding of others stories. 

Many people see our jewelry and our message to "be brave" and some are offended that we would tell anyone to "be" something in such a sensitive situation. We want to make it clear that "being brave" means 1,000 different things to everyone. For some it is the bravery to make yourself a priority, to practice self care, to get out of bed each day. For some it is to be brave in the face of scary situations. Others it is to be brave for someone else who needs the support. We would NEVER imply anyone is weak, not brave, not strong, or needs to be anything other than who they are. We want to serve as your reminder to stay true to yourself in the face of things you can not control. 

Be brave & simply show empathy to one another.

If you would like to send support to the National Center for Domestic and Sexual Violence - visit their fundraising page here: https://www.bravelets.com/collections/national-center-on-domestic-sexual-violence-ncdsv

If you would like to share your brave story with us - email your story, story's title, and a photo to include to mallory@bravelets.com

Read some of our Brave Stories here: https://www.bravelets.com/blogs/story