#IDidIt and #BalanceTonPorc as Responses to #MeToo
If you are not familiar with the #MeToo campaign that has grown out of Harvey Weinstein being accused of repeated sexual assault, this story from NPR gives an overview of the movement and its intentions:
As a response to #MeToo, feminist Instagram account @doyouconsideryourselfafeminist has created a campaign all of her own: the #IDidIt #ImComplicit campaign.
The idea began when the administrator of the account posted the below image:
This campaign challenges men in particular to hold themselves accountable for and to own up to their actions. Since the creation of the post, @doyouconsideryourselfafeminist has posted eleven stories that she has received from followers recounting times during which they objectified, sexualized, degraded, or abused women, and all of which contain an acknowledgement of their actions as wrong. All of the stories have been posted non-anonymously, allowing viewers to see the identities of the writers; the administrator decided to do this with the requirement that her followers neither praise nor harass the men coming forward.
By asking men to share stories, this account has shifted the focus of sexual assault and harassment from the victims to the perpetrators.
Though none of the stories are included in this post in the interest of not triggering readers, the link to @doyouconsideryourselfafeminist's public Instagram account is below:
Women in France have similarly started a counter campaign using the hahstag #BalanceTonProc or "expose your pig." Women are using this hashtag to share stories of harassment or assault that they have experienced. In France, street harassment cannot be reported to the police. Here is an article from Time that goes into more detail:
This campaign similarly shifts the focus from the victims of assault to the perpetrators.
What do you think about the #MeToo campaign, the #IDidIt campaign, and the #BalanceTonPorc campagin? Is one more effective than the other? When we talk about sexual assault, who should be the focus of the narrative? Comment below with your thoughts.