Chronicling Sexual Harassment And Assault In The #MeToo Era

The #MeToo movement has helped millions of women share their stories of sexual assault and harassment.

But imagine having so many stories that you had to make a list.

Imagine if that list included the president.

That’s the reality for Elle advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, who recounts experiences of harassment and assault in her forthcoming book, What Do We Need Men For?

Here's an excerpt, courtesy of New York Magazine:

Now, about this Most Hideous Men of My Life List: It is a list of the 21 most revolting scoundrels I have ever met. I started it in October 2017, the day Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey published their Harvey Weinstein bombshells in the New York Times. As the riotous, sickening stories of #MeToo surged across the country, I, like many women, could not help but be reminded of certain men in my own life. When I began, I was not sure which among all the foul harassers, molesters, traducers, swindlers, stranglers, and no-goods I've known were going to make the final accounting. I considered Matt Lauer, Bill O'Reilly, and the giant dingleberry Charlie Rose, all guys whose TV shows I was on many times and who made headlines during the rise of #MeToo. But in the end, they do not make my Hideous List.

Author Chavisa Woods also has a list. Her upcoming memoir, 100 Times (A Memoir of Sexism), documents experiences of harassment and abuse that begin at age five.

“What compelled me to embark upon this project seemed to me to be the exact opposite motivation behind the writing of most memoirs,” she wrote for LitHub. “I decided to put these stories to the page not because my life has been exceptional. I felt it was incumbent upon me to tell the stories exactly because, when it comes to sexism, my life is not exceptional at all.”

We talk with Caroll, Woods and you about chronicling experiences of harassment and assault, and where the #MeToo movement goes from here.

Show produced by Haili Blassingame.

If you or someone you know needs help, you can reach out to the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. You can find more resources to assist here.

GUESTS

Chavisa Woods, Author of “100 Times: A Memoir of Sexism.” @Chavisawoods

E. Jean Carroll, Advice columnist for Elle Magazine, and author of “What Do We Need Men For?: A Modest Proposal.” @ejeancarroll

Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO, the National Women’s Law Center; a lawyer who specializes in anti-discrimination law; @FGossGraves

For more, visit https://the1a.org.

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