Extended Commentary: A Comparative Analysis: #MeToo, Nari Movements, and the Price of Neoliberal Feminism

Abstract

When the #MeToo movement erupted over social media in October of 2017, people across the globe united on social media. Through contemporary, transnational feminism, advocates took to their screens. Deep engagement with social media and culture has begun to offer women opportunities to mobilize for women’s rights. Hashtag activism has allowed feminists to address sexism, misogyny, rape culture, and sexual harassment in public spaces, and although this mode of activism was introduced in the West, it would not take long for it to expand its influence from Global North to South. The women associated with the digital boom of the #MeToo Movement have received high praise for dismantling structures of sexual harassment in the workplace. The presence of Neoliberal Feminism has created new barriers of their own. White, Neoliberal feminists colonized a movement initially built by women of color and continually silenced them; while neglecting to recognize how unique forms of harassment affect people of marginalized identities. Where Tarana Burke’s original "Me Too" was built upon community justice and healing, #MeToo has diminished shared narratives to likes, retweets, and sales––primarily to the benefit of White, Neoliberal Feminists. This extended commentary will thoroughly examine the problematic tendencies associated with #MeToo. Further analyzing the movements weaknesses by comparatively analyzing a similar, yet successful movement in the Global South; Nari.