'That Doesn't Represent Me.' The Man Whose Mom Made Him the Face of a Viral #HimToo Meme Wants No Part of It
This week, a mother made her son the face of a viral “HimToo” political meme that he wants no part of.
Pieter Hanson was shocked to find photos of himself in his Navy uniform all over the internet with a message that sparked a Twitter trend on Monday. It appeared to suggest that at the time of Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearings, men have fallen victim to false sexual assault accusations.
“This is MY son,” began his mother’s now-deleted post, which was originally tweeted under the handle marlareynoldsc3 and included a snapshot of Hanson.
“He graduated #1 in boot camp. He was awarded the USO award. He was #1 in A school. He is a gentleman who respects women. He won’t go on solo dates due to the current climate of false sexual accusations by radical feminists with an axe to grind. I VOTE. #HimToo.”
Despite the fact that the mother soon deleted the tweet about his supposed struggle to be comfortable on dates amid the #MeToo movement, that didn’t stop it from spreading on the wings of critics who escalated things rapidly. But that didn’t stop the internet from having lots to say about the original post.
This is MY son. He graduated #1 from the University of Flavortown. He was awarded three banging fajita poppers. He was #1 in flamin' hot crunch. He won't go on solo dates due to the current climate of false accusations of taking the last slice of pizza. I VOTE. #HimToo pic.twitter.com/4DY151a2W7
— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) October 9, 2018
This is MY son. He graduated #1 in boot camp. He is the strongest Avenger. He broke Harlem. I VOTE. #HimToo pic.twitter.com/AOaYJlL6TT
— Ashley C. Ford (@iSmashFizzle) October 8, 2018
This is MY son. He is the product of millennia of selective breeding. He is the Kwisatz Haderach and the messiah long prophesied by the Fremen. He won't go on solo dates due to the current climate of false accusations by radical feminists with an ax to grind. I VOTE. #HimToo pic.twitter.com/pBADhCqjLm
— David Klion???????? (@DavidKlion) October 9, 2018
This is MY son. He graduated #1 from the school of hard knocks. He lives in a plastic bubble because he has a rare disease. He won't go on dates with women (whom he respects as much as plastic) due to the bubble and also almost certainly being gay. I VOTE. #HimToo pic.twitter.com/0HFwezp4FC
— Gladstone (@WGladstone) October 8, 2018
And Hanson himself took to Twitter shortly after midnight on Tuesday to clarify things and try to change the conversation under the handle “@Thatwasmymom.”
That was my Mom. Sometimes the people we love do things that hurt us without realizing it. Let’s turn this around. I respect and #BelieveWomen . I never have and never will support #HimToo . I’m a proud Navy vet, Cat Dad and Ally. Also, Twitter, your meme game is on point. pic.twitter.com/yZFkEjyB6L
— Pieter Hanson (@Thatwasmymom) October 9, 2018
He’s now encouraging people to donate to charities including The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Make a Wish.
People enjoyed the speedy development in the plot.
Sometimes Twitter is amazing. #MeToo #HimToo #IBelieveSurvivors pic.twitter.com/KnrCkIJqlO
— Ronan FarrOhNoSheBetterDont ?????????????? (@SJGrunewald) October 9, 2018
“It doesn’t represent me at all,” Hanson told the Washington Post.
“I love my mom to death, but boy…I’m still trying to wrap my head around all this,” Hanson, who chose to protect his mother’s privacy, said.
His mother’s comments may not have been out of step with the President’s feelings who recently said he believed it was a “very scary time for young men in America.”
and that’s what we call a “reverse milkshake duck” https://t.co/gTQaoOzyvl
— ???? ????? ??????? ???? (@dynamofire) October 9, 2018
The #HimToo hashtag is not brand new. It emerged as a counterpoint to mock #BelieveWomen and #IBelieveFord, but people also popularized an earlier iteration to help circulate men’s voices as they shared their experiences of sexual harassment and assault alongside women.