Analyzing #HimToo and Counter-Movement Culture

In the current media environment, hashtags have become unavoidable. Techopedia says that a tag is, essentially, a keyword which serves as a “non-hierarchical method to describe something.” Social media has turned hashtags into statements and now, movements. It was ultimately humans who decided to place meaning on a computer’s way of organizing information. One particular hashtag that has become a movement is #HimToo.

#HimToo started off as an innocent hashtag with little significance. It was used to express anything that a male also participated in. For example, “I love rocky road ice cream #HimToo.” A more significant use of the #HimToo hashtag is when it was used in response to the #MeToo movement. In October 2015, actress Alyssa Milano started to encourage her followers to use #MeToo. This movement was created by Tarana Burke in 2006 with the purpose to give a voice to survivors of sexual assault. The first thing you see when visiting their website is “You are not alone.” Their vision is to “help survivors of sexual violence, particularly Black women and girls, and other young women of color from low wealth communities, find pathways to healing.”

#MeToo became an outlet for sexual assault survivors to share their stories. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), 63% of of sexual assaults are not reported to the police (It is worth noting because of the vast amount of unreported sexual assault crimes. Any statistics regarding the topic are only referencing the reported crimes. This means they may not be telling the entire truth or they may under represent the truth). While stories posted on social media by survivors are not police reports, they are still instances in which someone is speaking about their experience. There were a few specific examples in which the #MeToo movement received more attention in the media. One of the major stories of this year was about Harvey Weinstein’s sexaul assaults. This sparked inspiration in the media and the hashtag blew up. A can of worms was cracked wide open. Not only were stories about sexaul assault in Hollywood revealed, the jarring magnitude of people who have experienced sexual assault was brought to light. At the 2018 Oscars, A-list actresses wore black clothing and brought activists Saru Jayaraman, Ai-jen Poo, Tarana Burke, Rosa Clemente, Marai Larasi, Mónica Ramírez, Calina Lawrence, and Billie Jean King to spread a wider message. These people came together to say “Time’s Up.” Their message explains we should no longer be tolerating, encouraging, or perpetuating sexual assault and rape culture. This movement goes hand in hand with #MeToo.

With any movement comes backlash. Some felt that #MeToo was only bringing light to female sexual assault survivors. #HimToo became a platform for men to share their sexual assault stories. However, this is only one of the many ways the #HimToo hashtag facilitated a response to #MeToo. Rather than acting as a voice for victims, some Twitter users criticized the movement for only emphasizing female victims.

While we should not dismiss the men who have been sexually assaulted, 91% of sexual assault victims are women (NSVRC). While Burke created the #MeToo movement to empower young women of color to speak out about sexual assault, the hashtag has expanded much farther than just women. She aims to give a voice to “young people, queer, trans, and disabled folks, Black women and girls, and all communities of color.” Furthermore, the pronoun “me” has no gender, and users on social media have acted accordingly.

The #HimToo hashtag has been around for a while but it didn’t become a “movement” until it was associated with reactions to the Kavanaugh hearing this September. The hearing took place after Brett Kavanaugh was announced to be considered for the Supreme Court — the highest position of the judicial system in our country. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford courageously came forward to say that she was sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh during high school. This is an extremely important moment in history as it directly addresses the way we talk about sexual assault. Instead of listening to Ford’s story, many jumped to the conclusion that they should be protecting their “sons, husbands, brothers, uncles and others.” The homepage of the HimToo movement’s website looks strikingly similar to the one for the MeToo movement with the bold one-liner “You are not alone.” The website claims the movement is to “support male and female victims, end sexual violence and advocate for fairness and due process,” however as you scroll through the site, it is clear that this particular movement’s goal is to focus on the men being falsely accused. While there’s no denying that false accusations are immoral and wrong, they are extremely rare.

The various interpretations and usages of the #HimToo hashtag all boil down to a similar understanding that people speaking out about their sexual assaults should be further questioned. “Innocent until proven guilty” is the way we see alleged crimes. The difference in the Kavanaugh hearing and with other sexual assault accusations is that speaking out about a traumatic event like sexaul assault is no easy task. The brain reacts differently and makes it difficult for survivors to share their story. According to Time, “[N]orepinephrine, a neurotransmitter released in response to stress or emotional arousal, allows the brain to zero in on certain things and tune out others.” Because there are often holes in the recounts of sexaul assault, they are picked apart and considered to be false. The #MeToo movement helped survivors come out into the open with bravery and courage. #HimToo is forcing us to take many steps backward and is encouraging survivors to go back into their box and stay quiet.

Another hashtag that is comparable to #HimToo is #AllLivesMatter. #AllLivesMatter was a protest in reaction to #BlackLivesMatter. #BlackLivesMatter was created in 2013 following Trayvon Martin’s murder. His murder is not the first or last case of police brutality towards African Americans. The movement was created by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. It has expanded to become a member-led global organization of over 40 chapters. #AllLivesMatter quickly emerged as a counter-hashtag to this movement. The #BlackLivesMatter movement was not to say that Black lives are more important than others. It is a continuation of a historical battle in which African Americans have been oppressed and been considered to NOT matter in comparison to their White peers.

Both #HimToo and #AllLivesMatter piggy-backed off a wider movement to bring attention to issues in society. These two hashtags diminish the original movements they stemmed from. A social movement is defined as “purposeful, organized groups striving to work toward a common goal. These groups might be attempting to create change … to resist change … or to provide a political voice to those otherwise disenfranchised. Social movements create social change.” To me, a movement provides a voice for a group of people who may not have previously had one. By creating these counter-hashtags, this voice is taken away from people who didn’t have that voice in the first place.