How #MeToo Could have helped Lewinsky like it's helping modern America

via the washington post

Former campaign staffer Alva Johnson has filed a lawsuit in Florida against President Trump for “racial and gender discrimination,” which includes sexual misconduct. According to the Washington Post, Johnson states that Trump grabbed her hand and kissed her during his 2016 campaign in front of others.

Johnson is not the first to accuse Donald Trump of sexual assault. How could one forget “grab them by the pussy” and other accusations from women that came to light during his campaign? However Johnson is the first to come forward since Trump has been in office. A White House statement by press secretary Sarah Sanders denies Johnson’s claims, as do two of the personal witnesses Johnson named in her lawsuit.

via the whole story

Sound familiar?

Though the #metoo movement has made the most ground in the entertainment industry— it possesses a foundation that transcends beyond media circles. The sexual abuse of power can take place in any field (think politics, religion, music etc), against women AND men.

The significance?

The manipulation of power by sexual predators is unfortunately not uncommon. Thankfully, Johnson and other modern women in similar positions are at an advantage that their predecessor Monica Lewinsky did not have. The reason why the #metoo movement has garnered such monumental attention is heavily due to its reach on Twitter. So how can the #metoo movement and social media help Johnson in a way that it could have been able to help Lewinsky, had it existed back then?

via youtube

For starters, Johnson has the opportunity to use her own unedited voice on an even-level platform as her alleged abuser. This is extremely important, and something that was not afforded to Lewinsky back in 1998. Though the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal did not exhibit sexual abuse since it was a consensual 2 year relationship, it did present an extreme abuse of power for sexual gain. Had Lewinsky the opportunity to provide her narrative then rather than 20 years later, the complexities of power imbalances and political manipulation could have been better understood; with Lewinsky not being named the sole scapegoat.

Johnson also has the possibility to network and uncover whatever support she may have from communities online. This sense of connection is vital when going through such a lonesome situation. Of course I cannot discuss the benefits of community through social media without acknowledging the tiers of online harassment, body shaming, doxing and endless cyberbullying.

We are at a time where information can be so easily delivered and opinion so easily broadcasted. Whether truthful or not, Johnson and modern women have so much to thank Monica Lewinsky and others before her for.