#METOO — WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

#METOO — WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

Women and men around the world stood united in the viral social media viral campaign #metoo, highlighting the global magnitude of sexual harassment and assault.

Alyssa Milano, Twitter

Alyssa Milano, Twitter

VICE Impact

#Metoo took the world by storm. The revelations were a surprise to many. Friends, coworkers, family members, celebrities, politicians—women and men shared their stories, revealing how endemic and global sexual harassment and assault really are.

But who are the women behind #metoo? As the campaign gains traction in the media, as celebrities such as Alyssa Milano spearhead the campaign on a global scale, and as high-profile cases such as Harvey Weinstein’s and Don Burke’s unfold… what happens to the everyday women that posted #metoo?

How are these everyday women’s lives impacted?

What can we do to ensure that the millions of courageous men and women who have stood up are truly supported in the months and years to come?

I interview Meg Solly of She Skills, an everyday woman from Brisbane, Australia, who is one of those millions.

What has the #metoo campaign brought up for you?

I spent ten years working in mining and construction. Overall my experience has been pretty good. However, a few years ago I was subjected to a series of sexual harassment incidents, which were incredibly traumatic. Looking back with renewed confidence and an understanding of sexual harassment, I can see there were plenty of incidents preceding it, and I expect there might be more in the future.

I was often scared to challenge people. It seemed silly or ‘not worth the trouble’ to tell someone that a comment or a joke made me uncomfortable. But acceptance of the small, frequent, seemingly insignificant things has shaped a toxic culture where harassment and bullying are status quo.

There are very few women in these industries, mining and construction. I never wanted to be ‘the girl who cries sexual harassment’ every time someone looks at her.

When you’re in a profession that’s made up of mostly men, there’s a sense of self-preservation, so I tolerated more than I should have.

How did you deal with this experience?

I was fortunate that my workplace was supportive and had strong anti-harassment and anti-bullying policies in place. I was provided counselling through the Employee Assistance Program, and I had the support of an excellent general practitioner who worked with me, a psychologist and my family to help me recover.

I still resigned though. I just couldn’t bring myself to walk back through those doors.

My case was dealt with professionally and thoroughly, and although it was one of the darkest times in my life, it’s had such a profound impact on me, and it now really inspires my work.

Remote Construction Site, Western Queensland

Remote Construction Site, Western Queensland

How has this impacted you?

My self-confidence took a huge blow. I suffered from anxiety and depression and, truthfully, it took me a year to recover.

When I look back, one of the most empowering tools I had was knowledge. Knowing legislation and company policy, and understanding that harassment and bullying are about power, made me so determined—I wasn’t going to let this one slide.

Everyone has the right to feel safe and live in a world free of sexual harassment and assault. I still think that people are mostly good. But I think a lot of things slip through, even unconsciously. I think that self-awareness and the courage to call out even the smallest of indiscretions will slowly help to change the culture.

What happens next?

If anything, my experience in mining and construction really inspired a passion for trade-based, practical skills.

In 2016, with renewed confidence, I enrolled into a welding course. It was confronting, walking into a room of fourteen tradesmen; there are still reminders of the past that makes me wary in these situations.

I loved the course, but I felt like the exception. Not just because I was the only woman, but also because most of the participants had previous experience and were upskilling or retraining for work or potential jobs. While I loved the course and the instructor, I found myself asking a million questions to level out my understanding, so that I could keep up with the others.

I thought, ‘How can I do what I love, in an environment I love, without any of the sh*t I’d experienced?’

A space where women can explore ‘unconventional’ skills such as woodworking and welding, free of judgement and harassment, surrounded by like-minded women doing the same thing.

I wanted to encourage women to step outside of their comfort zone and not feel like the exception. I wanted them to grow their confidence and understand how clever and capable they are in a range of different areas. I wanted to expose women to trade skills in a respectful, supportive and positive environment — so that’s what I did. I created She Skills, and so far we’ve taught more than 500 women (aged 17–74) a range of trade-based skills.

I want women to know they are as good as anyone to try. Gender, money, location, education etc. doesn’t determine your capabilities and potential, and I hope the seed we’ve planted will impact generations to come.

What advice would you give someone in a similar experience?

Firstly — it’s not your fault, and it’s not okay!

Tell someone, hopefully someone within your workplace if you can — but don’t keep it a secret. Always document incidents. Get support, both informally and formally through your family, friends, a counsellor, a psychologist or your doctor.

Sadly, sexual harassment happens in every industry and in every walk of life. I hope one day there wouldn’t be a need for spaces like She Skills. But for now I know we’re making a difference, building confident, capable women that know there is room for them at the table. They might even build the damn table!

Meg Solly and She Skills students

Meg Solly and She Skills students

Helen Coetzee

Meg Solly, She Skills

Phone: 0423 277 759

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot