The brave Silence Breakers behind the #metoo movement have been recognized as TIME’s Person of the Year. The idea was conceived in 2006 by Tamara Burke, but went viral after being posted by Alyssa Milano in October of 2017: “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.” It has received over 66,000 responses so far.
The movement was described by Edward Felsenthal, TIME editor-in chief, as “the fastest moving social change we’ve seen in decades.” Not just women, but men are also coming forward to speak out about their experiences with sexual harassment and assault. The concept has permeated social media, inspiring victims to report the crimes against them, resulting in powerful men losing their jobs that once were able to shield themselves from retaliation.
You can watch the TIME piece on the Silence Breakers here:
Inspired by the Silence Breakers and the overwhelming impact of the #metoo movement, Miss Universe Guam, Myana Welch, has teamed up with us here at FaceChex to create a movement against online image abuse. When your image is stolen online, it affects you, the people in your social circle, as well as others online who are catfished, scammed, or hacked by someone using your photos. Online image abuse affects me, you, and #ustoo. #Ustoo is an outlet for victims of online image abuse such as revenge porn, identity theft, and hacking, to raise awareness and offer support to others.
Myana shared her story on the FaceChex Youtube channel, talking about how she dealt with finding out her photoshoot images had been sexualized and exploited on a fake online escort ad. She directed FaceChex to take down the pictures and spoke out about the lasting impact from the experience to CBS 8 San Diego to raise awareness on the issue of online image abuse.
If you have been affected by sexual harassment, assault, or online image abuse, know that you are not alone, and you can fight back. Through awareness and action it is possible to begin the healing process and prevent these crimes moving forward.
Are you ready to share your story of online image abuse, or offer your support to other victims? Use the tag #Ustoo to share your experience and get involved in the movement to end online image abuse. You can also reach out to FaceChex at info@facechex.com if you wish to share your story anonymously or need help getting stolen images removed online.
This article originally appeared on the FaceChex Blog. It has been republished with permission.