I have to admit I was relieved and pleasantly surprised by the news that Harvey Weinstein was officially held accountable for the violence he has been perpetrating against countless women for decades. Like so many of us, I’ve grown up in a society where it was only recently plausible that a person would be believed and taken seriously when reporting rape or abuse within a relationship that they had a part in continuing. We are a step closer to ending this myth today.
For those people out there that are still hung up on this harmful and outdated “she asked for it” frame of thinking, I came across this helpful comment from “Daniel” in response to today’s breaking NYTimes story about the case: “I recommend reading the testimonies and stories of women and men who continued relationships in various forms after initial assaults. It can be as basic as trying to normalize what happened, of not wanting to feel like a victim, of trying to reframe a traumatic incident. I can’t even list all the reasons. Don’t forget, people will also stay with physically abusive partners after the first assault and reframe the abuse as love, as not so bad.” Today is a key moment in the #metoo movement, and one that we hope will affect real change in society across the board.
xo Rachelle