It was five years ago in the United States: the beginning of an unprecedented movement to free women’s speech following the accusations against Harvey Weinstein. Quickly, the #MeToo keyword spread on social networks, accompanied by a deluge of testimonials. What changes in American society five years later? What impacts in South Korea and India?
In the United States, an awareness to put into perspective
In the United States, we first remember a few highly publicized convictions of powerful men. That, of course, of Harvey Weinstein who was sentenced to 23 years in prison – a second trial has just opened against him in California. Singer R. Kelly is also serving 30 years in prison for sex crimes.
At the state level, twenty-two of them have passed laws aimed at making workplaces safer. A handful have also passed texts intended to prohibit non-disclosure agreements in cases of harassment or sexual assault. The objective is that the victims can speak. In Washington, a similar law is being discussed on Capitol Hill, 5 years after #MeToo.
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The main consequence of the movement in the United States is a general awareness, resulting in greater coverage of sexual violence cases in the media. But, in reality, not much has changed. Actor Bill Cosby, accused by 60 women, was released on a procedural error. Not to mention what is called the “backlash”: the flashback of a counter #MeToo who recently spoke against actress Amber Heard in the lawsuit against Johnny Depp. Finally, according to the specialized organization RAINN – Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network –, out of 1,000 sexual assaults, only 25 predators are incarcerated in the United States.
A movement against #MeToo among young South Koreans
South Korea was one of the Asian countries where the movement had a considerable impact. As soon as the keyword appeared on South Korean social networks, the testimonies were very numerous and powerful men, from extremely different backgrounds, were quickly implicated for assault or sexual harassment. There was, for example, the director Kim Ki-duk or, some time later, the mayors of the two largest cities in the country: Seoul and Busan.
The movement also reinforces the rise of modern feminism in South Korea which developed from 2016. In the years following #MeToo, the fight against “molkas” is reinforced, these spy cameras hidden in the toilets public to film the intimacy of women. Abortion also ceases to be illegal in early 2021. Appearance, which is very important in South Korea, has also evolved: we see more muscular, tanned South Korean women with short hair, especially in tall women. cities. A style that breaks with the traditional aesthetic of a woman with a thin waist, pale skin and long hair.
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But, lately, there has been a real movement of opposition to #MeToo from part of the population, especially among young South Koreans. In 2019, nearly 60% of men between the ages of 20 and 29 declared themselves opposed to feminism. A community of “masculinists” has developed, especially on social networks, in order to denounce what they consider to be the abuses of feminism and #MeToo. This is a speech that has been partly taken up by the current president of South Korea, especially during his campaign. Yoon Seok-youl, for example, denounced the discrimination suffered by men according to him and held feminists responsible for the low birth rate in the country. Just last week, he assured that, in accordance with his promise, he would soon abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality.
In India, the voice of women between liberation and apprehension
#MeToo has also affected India and its huge film industry, the biggest in the world. Bollywood actresses have thus tried to reveal the regular abuses practiced there, a year after the United States. In September 2018, Indian actress Tanushree Dutta accused one of Bollywood’s great actors and directors, Nana Patekar, of sexual harassment. Other actresses, encouraged, denounce other big names, which forces some to give up their productions.
But the complaints filed do not prosper, either by prescription of the facts, or because the victims prefer to give up the fight. And the pressure drops after a few months, as Onir, a director who tried to support these victims, laments: “Today, a director who has been accused by nine women is part of a reality TV show. What has changed, however, is that producers are talking to their teams more about these issues and a lot of contracts mention the prohibition of sexual harassment because these scandals cost them money.”
“It shows that the chains are not ashamed and that this industry is still dominated by men, who support other men, while the women who have accused them are struggling to find work.”
Onir, Indian directorat franceinfo
Above all, another element discourages denunciations: as soon as they accuse important directors, women are often prosecuted for defamation. However, in India, defamation is a crime, punishable by two years in prison.