There’s no doubt that the Metoo movement has changed Hollywood and has encouraged many women to speak out about sexual assault. However, the movement is anything but perfect as it contains many flaws and can create harm and ruin lives.
The movement was created to encourage women to speak up if they’ve been sexually assaulted. But that’s the thing. It’s only been women who’ve been speaking out which is understandable since they’re usually the prime target.
The case with Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is a great example of this. Amber Heard has accused Johnny Depp of abusing her and they are going to court for this. Recently, Depp lost a libel case against The Sun newspaper for calling him a “wife-beater”.
And following the libel case, Warner Bros had Depp resigned from the film franchise, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”. There are also talks of replacing him as Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series. While Heard’s career is still in good standing.
However, for the past few months, there has been concrete evidence that Amber Heard is in fact the one who’s abusing Johnny Depp.
But no one believes that Heard is capable of committing these acts solely the fact that she’s a woman. And this exposes a huge problem with the movement. Just because the movement was created by women, doesn’t mean that only women can be sexually assaulted or suffer from abuse.
The point of the movement is to have men change their behaviors and take responsibility that could impact other men or boys in the future. Not to constantly bash on them when they do speak out.
Sometimes it’s the men who are on that end of the stick and it’s the women who are just as capable to act on their aggression. Even then, not all women have equal treatment when it comes to talking about their experiences.
Before the movement was made, “Transformers” actress, Megan Fox has announced that she’s been sexually assaulted by Michael Bay. She was sexualized in the 2003 film, “Bad Boys Ⅱ” wherein the scene she was dancing in a bikini and high heels under a waterfall. She was fifteen at the time and was told to just do it.
But everyone turned a blind eye to it due to the fact she’s been portrayed as a sex object for a very long time.
Fox is still left out of the movement because of the image she has been given since she’s first started.
“I just didn’t think based on how I’d been received by people, and by feminists, that I would be a sympathetic victim.” Fox said in an interview with the New York Times, “And I thought if ever there were a time where the world would agree that it’s appropriate to victim-shame someone, it would be when I come forward with my story.”
It seemed that the #Metoo movement has a type of criteria when it comes to women like Megan Fox. For a woman to be a victim, they have to be portrayed as a victim who was devastated by what happened to her. With Megan Fox, she didn’t play that role.
Instead, she would make it as a joke or being casual about it and that doesn’t sit right with the movement’s agenda. Jokes or not, all victims of sexual assault should still be able to stand with Fox because she’s still a victim.
“I was rejected because of qualities that are now being praised in other women coming forward. And because of my experience, I feel it’s likely that I will always be just out of the collective understanding,” said Fox, “I don’t know if there will ever be a time where I’m considered normal or relatable or likable.”
There’s also a racial factor to what kind of women can speak out against sexual assault. Most of the women who had made headlines are white, wealthy, and a good platform.
Even though the movement was created by a black woman, most people of color and LGBTQ+ have been left out in the movement as they’re being overshadowed by the white women who have more of a voice than they do.
It’s a shame that they don’t get the same recognition that they deserve as they are most likely to be the target of sexual assault in the workplace but are in the minority where they do not have much of an equal right to speak out and be heard.
