Screw You Weinstein

In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal going on in the United States and the #metoo movement I felt the need to shed some light on these topics as well as share my opinions, as an advocate of Women’s Empowerment.

So for those of you who are thinking “who the hell is Harvey Weinstein and what is #metoo? Me too what?”

Well, Weinstein is an extremely successful movie producer in Los Angeles. Weinstein co-founded the company Miramax, and is behind the producing of many big movies, such as Gangs of New York, The English Patient, Pulp Fiction, South Paw, Woman in Gold, and many, many more. Just to give a quick professional description. Now, from this description this successful middle aged man seems like a cool, powerful guy, but he has only abused his power and success to sexual harass and assault women. Which really pisses me off!

#metoo? Have you notice this simple two word hash tag trending on social media the last couple weeks? Well it was started by Alyssa Milano, who is an American actress, producer, activist, and former singer; you may recognize her from roles in Melrose Place, My name is Earl and/or Charmed. She started the #metoo movement as a way to provide a platform for women and men to speak out about the ever so taboo topic of sexual harassment and assault.

(Read more about Milano’s intent behind this movement here: http://www.eonline.com/news/888044/alyssa-milano-talks-metoo-on-gma-it-has-to-go-beyond-just-a-hashtag-movement)

So what do these two things have in common?

Recently, there have been SEVERAL well-known actresses come out in the media regarding being sexually victimized by Harvey Weinstein. This man has repeatedly abused his position and taken advantage of many up and coming actresses, and I would imagine also women of other professions and involvement within his line of work. Some of the 58 actresses who have spoken out about Weinstein include Kate Beckinsale, Angelina Jolie, Ashley Judd, and Gwyneth Paltrow. (Go to this website to read more about their stories: https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/celebrities-slam-harvey-weinstein/)

Which has now sparked the #metoo movement!

Milano tweeted on Oct. 15, 2017:

And within 24 hour there was over 53 000 comments from women sharing their stories of sexual abuse…. Including America Ferrera, Lady Gaga, and Debra Messing. (I just want to clarify that these women are not saying they were assaulted by Weinstein; #metoo is for anyone who has been sexually victimized by someone in their life time).

Hearing that all these famous, beautiful, intelligent women, that many of us have admired, having been victims of sexual abuse and their stories, makes me think how it really can happen to anyone and unfortunately I think that some form of sexual harassment has happened to almost every lady I know. Because of this ‘epidemic’ of sorts, we as women are made to feel like we have to be cautious about what we put on social media, what we say, how we dress, how we act, and ultimately feel scared in many common scenarios; ex. Riding public transportation at night, trusting a person when they buy you a drink, and/or wearing a dress that is ‘too short’ or ‘too tight’. Which I am sure we can all agree is complete bullshit.

So, as women, how do we strive for success, feel empowered, and live fearlessly in a society where we are often targeted?!

It is simple: WE JUST DO.

Women are resilient. From the way we are anatomically created to the way we traditionally utilize our brain and are more emotional beings.

~We are an EXTREMELY IMPORTANT factor for our species continuing to exist

~We are NURTURING, COMPASSIONATE, and INTUITIVE.

~We can DO ANYTHING. We are mothers, business owners, employees and volunteers, and many women are all of the above.

~We SUPPORT other women. And everyone around us.

~We have FANCY bodies! Boobs, hips, booty…. Need I say more?

~We are statistically PROVEN to live longer!

~ The list goes on and on……

I wanted to write this post to raise awareness for this topic, but also to PRAISE the women out there who just don’t give a f*ck. That live their life the way they want to. Who strive for success and putting themselves out there even though there is risk involved. The ladies who don’t let fear take over and dictate their actions or style or opinions. All of the women I know who run businesses and/or do work that makes a difference. And most importantly I want to THANK the women who stand up for and support all fellow women. You are the most crucial piece to WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT, because if we cannot be there for each other in good times and in the bad, then how are we going to convince the rest of the world to do the same?

*If anyone reading this has ever suffered from sexual harassment or assault, please know you are not alone and that you can come to myself or Montana (W4W Partner) anytime. We would be happy to listen, help anyway we can, and/or connect you with some outside resources*

#weinsteinscandal #metoo #empowerwomen #w4wildflowers #girlpower #harveyweinstein #womensupportingwomen #sexualharassment