The Weinstein Effect: How A Hollywood Scandal Sparked A Global Movement Against Sexual Misconduct
The scandals hit the British government like waves. First, conservative Member of Parliament Mark Garnier was suspended from his job as a trade minister after it was revealed he asked his secretary to buy two sex toys and called her “sugar tits.” Then, Defense Secretary Sir Michael Fallon was forced to step down over allegations he had made unwanted sexual advances toward several women. Welsh government minister Carl Sargeant resigned amid a Labor party investigation into his personal conduct, and killed himself a few days later.
The list is getting longer. In the past two weeks, dozens of women have come forward with allegations of sexual harassment in Britain’s highest echelons of power. The accusations span decades, and transcend political parties. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Theresa May apologized and acknowledged that women in Westminster have been subject to abuses of power for far too long. “The fact that they have taken place here at our seat of democracy should be a matter of shame for us all,” May said.
It’s been dubbed the Weinstein Effect. In the weeks since Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was forced out of his own company over bombshell reports of sexual crimes, harassment and intimidation, men and women around the world have been emboldened to come forward with their own accusations of sexual abuse.
‘I Know There Are Many Of Us Out There’
The revelations have rocked global power centers in politics, the arts and business. They have sparked investigations and caused law enforcement to take a fresh look at forgotten cases. In some countries, they have fueled national conversations about the effectiveness of the judiciary system and the privileged position of those in power.
“I know there are many of us out there,” South African singer and former politician Jennifer Ferguson told HuffPost South Africa on Monday.
Ferguson was motivated by a global online campaign ― survivors of sexual abuse had taken to the hashtags #MeToo in the U.S., #QuellaVoltaChe (“The time that”) in Italy, and #BalanceTonPorc (“expose your pig”) in France ― to go public with accusations that the president of South Africa’s powerful Football Association, Danny Jordaan, overpowered and raped her two decades ago. Ferguson said she felt it was important to come forward “so we can help each other be courageous, speak out and begin to heal as we find we are not alone.”
Artists and entertainers in Canada, too, have spoken to reporters, stirring a flurry of alleged cases of sexual misconduct. Two Canadian actresses have accused Weinstein of sexual assault. Several actresses and media personalities have accused Gilbert Rozon, the head of the “Just for Laughs” comedy festival, of rape and other forms of sexual assault. Rozon resigned on Oct. 18, the same day that Montreal La Presse detailed sexual misconduct allegations against Quebec radio host Eric Salvail. Among the 15 accusers listed in the article was hair and makeup artist Marco Berardini, who said he was inspired to go public with his story by the many women who spoke out against Weinstein.
‘I Wrote That Article In One Go’
Many online conversations in English-speaking countries coalesced around the hasthag #MeToo, a campaign originally created by activist Tarana Burke 10 years ago that was turned into a hashtag when actress Alyssa Milano wrote a call-out on Twitter asking followers to share their stories of sexual harassment and assault using the phrase “Me too.”
Just as the flood of Weinstein allegations gave rise to the #MeToo hashtag in the U.S. and beyond, it also inspired #BalanceTonPorc (“expose your pig”) in France. The creator of the hashtag, French journalist Sandra Muller, has accused a powerful French executive of making inappropriate remarks to her: “You have big breasts. You are my type of woman. I will make you orgasm all night.” Thousands of other people have followed her lead and shared their stories on social media.
The Weinstein case has sparked fierce reactions among Italians, ever since Italian actress and director Asia Argento told The New Yorker that Weinstein sexually forced himself on her multiple times when she was in her early 20s. Despite telling him “no” over and over, he would not stop, Argento said.
The revelations moved actress Miriana Trevisan to pen an op-ed with detailed allegations of unwanted advances by film director and screenwriter Giuseppe Tornatore 20 years ago. “When the Weinstein case broke out, I wrote that article in one go,” Trevisan told Vanity Fair.
The developments sparked the creation of a hashtag in Italy. Italian women took to Twitter and Facebook using #QuellaVoltaChe to share their stories.
The allegations also have led to a national debate and shed a disturbing light on deep-seated misogyny. After going public with her story, Argento faced a slew of angry comments that often shamed her, rather than the disgraced Hollywood executive. “If he raped you and then you shot three movies with him, then you should shut up,” said Italian actress Sandra Milo, echoing the sentiment of several prominent figures who publicly commented on the case.
Overwhelmed, Argento has left Italy for Germany. “Italy is far behind the rest of the world in its view of women,” she said.
Andree Lau, Giulia Belardelli, Pieter Du Toit and Paul Ackermann contributed reporting.
Also on HuffPost
Ashley Judd
She told the Times that she thought, “How do I get out of the room as fast as possible without alienating Harvey Weinstein?”
Gwyneth Paltrow
“I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified,” she said, noting that when Weinstein found out she told her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt, "I thought he was going to fire me."
Angelina Jolie
Kate Winslet
"I had hoped that these kind of stories were just made up rumours, maybe we have all been naïve," she said. "And it makes me so angry. There must be ‘no tolerance’ of this degrading, vile treatment of women in ANY workplace anywhere in the world.”
Meryl Streep
“The disgraceful news about Harvey Weinstein has appalled those of us whose work he championed, and those whose good and worthy causes he supported," she said in a statement.
Rose McGowan
After The Weinstein Company fired Harvey, the actress and director called on the rest of the studio's board to resign.
"They knew," she said in a tweet. "They funded. They advised. They covered up. They must be exposed. They must resign."
Ben Affleck
Actress Rose McGowan denounced Affleck for implying that he didn't know of the abuse before this week, saying that the pair had previously discussed Weinstein's treatment of her.
"You lie," she tweeted.
Lena Dunham
"Abuse, threats and coercion have been the norm for so many women trying to do business or make art," she wrote. "Mr. Weinstein may be the most powerful man in Hollywood to be revealed as a predator, but he’s certainly not the only one who has been allowed to run wild. His behavior, silently co-signed for decades by employees and collaborators, is a microcosm of what has been happening in Hollywood since always and of what workplace harassment looks like for women everywhere."
George Clooney
"A good bunch of people that I know would say, “Yeah, Harvey’s a dog” or “Harvey’s chasing girls,” but again, this is a very different kind of thing," the actor told the Daily Beast. "This is harassment on a very high level. And there’s an argument that everyone is complicit in it. I suppose the argument would be that it’s not just about Hollywood, but about all of us—that every time you see someone using their power and influence to take advantage of someone without power and influence and you don’t speak up, you’re complicit. And there’s no question about that."
Jennifer Lawrence
"I worked with Harvey five years ago, and I did not experience any form of harassment personally, nor did I know about any of these allegations. This kind of abuse is inexcusable and absolutely upsetting," Lawrence said in a statement. "My heart goes out to all of the women affected by these gross actions. And I want to thank them for their bravery to come forward."
Hillary Clinton
Clinton said that she "was shocked and appalled by the revelations about Harvey Weinstein. The behavior described by women coming forward cannot be tolerated. Their courage and the support of others is critical in helping to stop this kind of behavior."
Barack and Michelle Obama
"Michelle and I have been disgusted by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein," the Obamas said in a statement. "Any man who demeans and degrades women in such fashion needs to be condemned and held accountable, regardless of wealth or status. We should celebrate the courage of women who have come forward to tell these painful stories. And we all need to build a culture -- including by empowering our girls and teaching our boys decency and respect -- so we can make such behavior less prevalent in the future."
Judi Dench
"Whilst there is no doubt that Harvey Weinstein has helped and championed my film career for the past 20 years, I was completely unaware of these offenses which are, of course, horrifying and I offer my sympathy to those who have suffered, and whole-hearted support to those who have spoken out," she said in a statement.
Leonardo DiCaprio
"There is no excuse for sexual harrassment or sexual assault-- no matter who you are and no matter what profession," DiCarpio said in a Facebook Post. "I applaud the strength and courage of the women who came forward and made their voices heard."
Jessica Chastain
"I was warned from the beginning" about Weinstein, she said in a tweet. "The stories were everywhere. To deny that is to create an environment for it to happen again."
Julianne Moore
Colin Firth
“It must have been terrifying for these women to step up and call him out. And horrifying to be subjected to that kind of harassment. I applaud their courage."
Tamron Hall
Blake Lively
The actress said that she was unaware of the abuse but admitted that "it's devastating to hear."
"It's important that women are furious right now. It's important that there is an uprising. It's important that we don't stand for this and that we don't focus on one or two or three or four stories. It's important that we focus on humanity in general and say, 'This is unacceptable.'"
Julia Roberts
Ryan Gosling
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
