A few months ago, ELLE India began the hashtag #MyFirstTime. We wanted to make the point that for most women, their first sexual experience isn’t consensual. In fact, for far too many, their first sexual experience occurs when they don’t even know what sex means. Powerful voices from TV journalist Shaili Chopra to writer Rosalyn D’Mello to actor Priyanka Bose bravely shared their stories, along with so many more women on Facebook and Twitter who had the courage to open up about their own personal horrors.
Two days ago, following a battle cry issued by actress Alyssa Milano in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sex abuse scandal that’s rocked Hollywood, thousands of women around the world renewed the fight. One lakh tweets in 24 hours alone, to be precise. If your timeline is flooded with the hashtag #MeToo, know it’s because the creator of that post has been a survivor of sexual violence.
If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet. pic.twitter.com/k2oeCiUf9n
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 15, 2017
Whether you decide to tell your own story, or just want to stand in silent solidarity with fellow survivors, this is not a conversation that we can allow to be swept back under the rug. We cannot allow women to be shamed and bullied for speaking up against assaulters, to feel like their bodies are public property, or that it was their short skirt or sleeveless blouse that acted as an invitation.
It’s not just you. It’s #MeToo.
