Scrolling through my Facebook page, I stumble upon senior pics, furniture for sale, family vacations, and homecoming photos. I never really looked deep into these posts until I came across a status that said “me too.” This post is an online campaign through Facebook asking both males and females to share if they have ever been sexually harassed or assaulted. I was in awe scrolling through the amount of people who have been cat-called, touched without consent, and harassed. Me too.

As I clicked the repost button, I thought to myself, “I am 18.” In only 18 years, I have been sexually harassed, disrespected, and pressured to do things that I wasn’t comfortable doing. Was I asking for it for the way I dressed? Since when did no become yes? If it’s such a personal issue, why would I put this out on social media for the world to see?

Along with the many shares these posts had, I also saw the amount of heat that came along with them. Multiple men and women said that being drunk, having a past of casual hook ups, and what they are wearing were all motives to disrespect each other. I’m clearly not the first to tell you, but I’ll say it louder for the people in the back: no matter what you are wearing, saying, or doing, you do not deserve to be disrespected.

Because of the sexual culture being abusive for so long, people have come to ignore the big picture, which is only making the problem worse. It doesn’t matter who you are and what walk of life you come from, there are no excuses. American film producer, Harvey Weinstein, was recently fired due to sexual misconduct with over 30 women. Because of his inappropriate actions he lost his job, bright future, wife, and respect from his peers. This campaign is a great way to show the world this is happening everywhere and we need to change the way we treat others. Like Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Next time you’re on Facebook and you see the words “me too,” be vulnerable and share your story. whether you have only experienced it emotionally like myself, or in extreme cases, physically. Together we can no longer allow this to be a problem that’s ignored. Have you been sexually assaulted or harassed? Have you been cat-called or felt uncomfortable based on what a peer was saying or doing to you? Me too.