Vancouver women are showing support for a movement trending on Twitter against the #notallmen sentiment that surfaced on the platform earlier this week.
People around the world celebrated International Women's Day on Monday (March 8), with individuals, companies and governments showing their support for women. However, the "not all men" hashtag began picking up stream shortly after.
The "not all men" phrase was created as a response to the "me too" movement. Many men felt personally attacked by it, rather than focusing on the actual issue: violence against women.
While the "not all men" hashtag was popular on Twitter this week, a new phrase is trending: #notallmenbutallwomen.
The "not all men but all women" phrase acknowledges that not all men sexually assault women, but that every woman has personal experiences with misogyny. Women from around the world are sharing intimate stories of sexual assault and harassment, with many of them expressing that they have lost count of the times they've experienced uncomfortable or traumatic experiences.
Body of Sarah Everard discovered
The latest response also comes after the body of 33-year-old Sarah Everard was discovered in woodland in Kent. She disappeared on March 3 when she was walking home in south London.
Women are now sharing the precautions they take when they walk alone. Additionally, they express shared anger that these practices need to be employed.
Here are some of the posts made by Vancouver women on the social media platform.
I commend all the women sharing their stories today, I just hope we can get to a place where we don't feel like we have to revisit trauma and pain to have our message be validated...
— Rebecca Olson (@Becca_Theresa_) March 12, 2021
Instead of listing mine (and there's plenty) I want to share -with the little audience I have on here - a video I came across a couple years back. I think these men set a great example of where this work can start https://t.co/jzA3VpKh7M#notallmenbutallwomen
— Rebecca Olson (@Becca_Theresa_) March 12, 2021
I can’t stop thinking about #SarahEverard.
— Alexa Morden (@alexamorden) March 12, 2021
I can’t stop thinking about how this awful occurrence represents so much in how women go about their daily lives when nothing is done to actually stop the problem at the cause.#NotAllMen brigade - fuck you.#NotAllMenButAllWomen pic.twitter.com/RJ0YH2ufth
I can't list the number of times I've been sexually assaulted. It's happened too many times. I can say the first time was when I was 7. #notallmenbutallwomen
— Jessie Crimson Hart (@TheJessieHart) March 12, 2021
Just gonna leave this here for the #notallmen crowd to ponder. #notallmenbutallwomen https://t.co/V8NRf7YnGM
— Katherine Lazaruk (@execpresencepro) March 12, 2021
**T.W.** 🚨 Being a women in this toxic patriarchy is feeling “lucky” to “only” have been groped and physically assaulted by strangers on the street, sexually harassed at work and targeted by a 26 yr old man when you were 14 #notallmenbutallwomen
— Rene Melanson (@ReneMelanson1) March 12, 2021
Here are some posts from women around the world.
I ordered a pizza and answered the door in my pyjamas #notallmenbutallwomen pic.twitter.com/Ph43dmPONN
— carli mincher (@carlimincher) March 12, 2021
Watch this to understand what it is like for women to leave the house every time. Day after day, year after year.#notallmenbutallwomen#Feminism #SafetyFirst https://t.co/lYMB97kwCN
— TheRealDee (@TheRealDenene) March 13, 2021
I’ve heard “not all men” so many times, and we’re not disagreeing.
— thewordofgee (@thewordofgee) March 13, 2021
How’s this: only 3/500 species of shark will actually kill you, are you telling me you’re willing to take a chance with it? Say that statistically it won’t hurt you?#notallmenbutallwomen
So many young girls are given a talk about how to stay “safe” when outside but where is the same talk for men?? Why don’t men get a talk about how to do the bare minimum and just be fucking respectful! #notallmenbutallwomen #RIPSarahEverard
— Tleaf~🌻🦋 (@1D_Tleaf776) March 13, 2021
to be in my house or leave for months and eventually i was diagnosed with CPTSD because of this incident. i’m still terrified every time i see a black kia, despite living in a different state now. #YesAllMen #NotAllMenButAllWomen #MeToo
— 💗🍄 elfie irusu 🍄💗 (@elfieirusu) March 13, 2021
18: intoxicated/passed out. Boy from school climbs into bed with me. Spread I ‘wanted it’. I was asleep.
— EMMA DOUGAN (@emmaa_dougann) March 11, 2021
19: grabbed in the street, man fondled my parts. I stood frozen.
22: attacked in my home. He had to be pinned down to get off me.
I am 1 of many.#notallmenbutallwomen pic.twitter.com/NmSMzi2bUD
This is what women have to deal with daily. I sold this man a mirror on marketplace. Spoke for seconds, I had no makeup on and was in my pyjamas, then I receive this text. Now I’m upset, scared to sleep as this man has my address and my phone number #NotAllMenButAllWomen pic.twitter.com/faSzPw9F7w
— Alice (@alicebirchxx) March 11, 2021
#notallmenbutallwomen
— Chloe Kirsten (@chloe_kirsten21) March 12, 2021
- I was raped by my grandad at 8 years old
- A random guy kissed me against a wall at a train station without my consent after I asked for a lighter
- My ex would beg me to sleep with him for hours to the point where I felt guilty not doing it so I did it
Been back and forth about posting this for the last two days, but fuck it. After the discourse this last week, from Meghan to Sarah, I am angry. It’s important to the conversation, so here’s mine. TW. #notallmenbutallwomen #MeToo pic.twitter.com/WLaw03ur6r
— Kelsey Cooke (@KCookeActress) March 12, 2021
‘Me too’: Only one out of every 20 women report non-spousal sex assault to police
“Behind every woman who reports a non-spousal sexual assault are nineteen women who don’t.”
A powerful image depicting a woman who has experienced non-spousal sexual assault has been put up around Vancouver to show the need for survivor support.
In the 2019 run-up to the 16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the Battered Women’s Support Services spread the posters across the city in order to spark a conversation about how only one woman out of 20 reports her non-spousal sexual assault to police.
The first poster shows a woman who has reported an assault, followed by 19 additional posters featuring silhouetted women. According to Statistics Canada, of all sexual assault incidents perpetrated by someone other than a spouse, one in 20 was reported to the police. In contrast, one in three incidents of other types of crime measured by the General Social Survey on Victimization is reported to police.
