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Metoo: Stories from the Australian Movement
In October 2017, the hashtag MeToo went viral.
Since then we've watched controversy erupt around Geoffrey Rush, Germaine Greer and Junot Díaz. We've talked about tracking the movement back via Helen Garner, Rosie Batty and Hannah Gadsby. We've discussed #NotAllMen, toxic masculinity and trolls. We've seen the #MeToo movement evolve and start to accuse itself - has it gone too far? Is it enough? What does it mean in this country?
And still, women are not safe from daily, casual sexual harassment and violence.
In this collection thirty-five contributors share their own #MeToo stories, analysis and commentary to survey the movement in an Australian context.
This collection resists victimhood. It resists silence. It insists on change.
Since then we've watched controversy erupt around Geoffrey Rush, Germaine Greer and Junot Díaz. We've talked about tracking the movement back via Helen Garner, Rosie Batty and Hannah Gadsby. We've discussed #NotAllMen, toxic masculinity and trolls. We've seen the #MeToo movement evolve and start to accuse itself - has it gone too far? Is it enough? What does it mean in this country?
And still, women are not safe from daily, casual sexual harassment and violence.
In this collection thirty-five contributors share their own #MeToo stories, analysis and commentary to survey the movement in an Australian context.
This collection resists victimhood. It resists silence. It insists on change.
- GenresNonfictionFeminismGender
349 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2019
8 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
Miriam Sved
10 books8 followersMiriam Sved is a Melbourne-based writer who grew up in Sydney, where she was largely oblivious to football or sport of any kind. Game Day is her first published novel. Her fiction has appeared in journals and anthologies including Meanjin, Overland and Best Australian Stories, and she is a contributing co-editor of the anthologies Just Between Us: Australian writers tell the truth about female friendship and Mothers & Others: Australian writers on why not all women are mothers and not all mothers are the same. She has a PhD from Melbourne University, where she sometimes teaches creative writing. She also works as an academic editor and a parent.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 25, 2019
A worthwhile collection from Australian women on the antecedents, necessity and impact of the #MeToo movement. A mix of essays, poetry, comic and prose is an eclectic way to explore what is tricky and unfamiliar terrain, particularly in those areas that give primacy to inter-sectional lived experience of difference.
As a whole though, I got a lot from it. The inter-generational aspect was enlightening, and I appreciated hearing the voice of a host of women that are often overlooked. Of particular resonance were the chapters exploring the experiences of nurses, and a short story that explored the impact of unconscious power imbalances on female, migrant IT workers.
As a whole though, I got a lot from it. The inter-generational aspect was enlightening, and I appreciated hearing the voice of a host of women that are often overlooked. Of particular resonance were the chapters exploring the experiences of nurses, and a short story that explored the impact of unconscious power imbalances on female, migrant IT workers.
October 30, 2020
Although a hard truth telling, this book was extremely insightful. It allowed all different Australian women or people that previously identified as women express their experiences of sexual assault, misogyny and sexism. Their reflections of the #MeToo movement were all independently powerful. The freedom of each contributor to express their thoughts in the way they wanted gave real weight to each story. There were also often considerations of the #MeToo movement I never contemplated so in-depth. Sometimes, it did leave me a little bit hopeless rather than inspired of the progress of treatment of women. Nonetheless, to know the devil is to move forward.
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March 21, 2019Preordered
March 19, 2023
An insightful and impactful collection that explores gendered violence with an intersectional lens. This book captured the diversity of what sexual violence and its aftermath can look like for different women, and some of the more overlooked ways women are impacted by male violence. It poses difficult yet important questions about the goals of supporting survivors, media erasure of marginalised voices in #MeToo and the often confusing realities of having endured sexual violence. I loved this collection and the array of voices that constructed it.
December 10, 2019
The problem with anthologies is there is always an over representation of establishment writers, that is, authors and journalists, who typically are privately educated or at least come from financial/social privilege. Their experiences are limited to white collar workplaces and more elite institutions, and are simultaneously universalised and dominate the discussions of workplace harassment and discrimination. I appreciate this anthology’s effort to look outside those professions, for example with nursing, and discussing sexual harassment and assault among immigrant diasporas, and women with less resources than those who typically dominate the forefront despite having the most resources/access. I was definitely skeptical of its release considering there is way too much #MeToo media being released rn in a way that feels like capitalising instead of actually advocating for reform/change. I felt this anthology avoided that trap and was full of honest, complex discussions about the impact this social problem has.
January 30, 2020
I remember the moment the #metoo hashtag began to swell. And suddenly it felt like women were being heard. And acknowledged. The ensuing backlash - #notallmen - and the seemingly unaffected career resurgence of perpetrators only demonstrates how short we’ve fallen in really achieving anything.
Like any anthology, this collection was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I did particularly appreciate the insights into the persistent unreported abuse experienced by female nurses - something I’d never considered before but can sadly believe.
Like any anthology, this collection was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I did particularly appreciate the insights into the persistent unreported abuse experienced by female nurses - something I’d never considered before but can sadly believe.
May 8, 2024
should be on everyone’s bookshelves
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June 23, 2019An important anthology - see my full review https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/c...
August 25, 2019
What is this about?: This book is a collection of essays from women, and a man, in Australia who experienced sexual abuse, harassment at work and at home.
What else is this about?: The stories are written by diverse women, in diverse fields and yet their experiences are much the same.
#Me Too: Stories from the Australian Movement is a collection of essays from diverse Australian women, who work and play in diverse fields and their experiences of exclusion, harassment, abuse and the misogyny they have experienced.
It’s hard reading, but illuminating too for these are women in fields in which I never thought about their experiences and its exhausting because while details are different the underlying message from the men around them is that they do not belong; that they are there to be looked at and judged by their bodies and what they can do.
Here’s a selection of stories that stuck with me:
In This Place Eugenia Flynn writes about Indigenous Australian women and how their fight against the stereotypes of being Aboriginal affects their choices when it comes to #MeToo
Carly Findlay in Us, Too talks about being an appearance activist who writes and speaks about ichthyosis, a severe skin condition that she suffers from and disability issues. She writes about the abuse she endures from within the disabled community.
Greta Parry in #Metoo and Other Women writes about a message she saw one day about her current boyfriend and the behaviour he once subjected other women too — hitting on girls and being intimidating. She goes on to question what becomes of the Georgina Chapmans of this movement, who bear the consequences of their partners’ actions.
Fleur McDonald in Breaking the Silence talks about the rural experience, of being in a house kilometres away from other house and enduring emotional or other abuse. Abuse, Fleur writes, can so easily go ignored in rural homes and communities. That’s why she started an organisation called Breaking the Silence.
Rashmi Patel writes about her experience in a start-up in Who is Afraid of Hindi. The start-up insisted that everyone speak English in the office because it was too clique-y. Management never realised that speaking Hindi provides support in a white office. And it’s that support that comes together for a young Indian woman who is being harassed and doesn’t want to lose her job.
Kaya Wilson in Among Men writes about how his experience as a woman affects his present post-transition. He writes about men needing to change how they react to gendered violence.
Jenna Guillaume in The Lucky Ones chronicles what she has had to do to protect herself at different stages in her life from walking down the street to how she learned that her body will always be seen first. She is 32 at the time of writing this piece and counts herself as one of the lucky ones for having survived her experiences with harassment during her lifetime. It’s sad that in a country known as the Lucky Country, the lucky ones are the women who have survived the abuse from men in their lifetime?
And not to mention, the poetry from accomplished writers that are sprinkled through this book.
This book is thought-provoking and engrossing and forced me to think about things I should have a long time ago.
What else is this about?: The stories are written by diverse women, in diverse fields and yet their experiences are much the same.
#Me Too: Stories from the Australian Movement is a collection of essays from diverse Australian women, who work and play in diverse fields and their experiences of exclusion, harassment, abuse and the misogyny they have experienced.
It’s hard reading, but illuminating too for these are women in fields in which I never thought about their experiences and its exhausting because while details are different the underlying message from the men around them is that they do not belong; that they are there to be looked at and judged by their bodies and what they can do.
Here’s a selection of stories that stuck with me:
In This Place Eugenia Flynn writes about Indigenous Australian women and how their fight against the stereotypes of being Aboriginal affects their choices when it comes to #MeToo
Carly Findlay in Us, Too talks about being an appearance activist who writes and speaks about ichthyosis, a severe skin condition that she suffers from and disability issues. She writes about the abuse she endures from within the disabled community.
Greta Parry in #Metoo and Other Women writes about a message she saw one day about her current boyfriend and the behaviour he once subjected other women too — hitting on girls and being intimidating. She goes on to question what becomes of the Georgina Chapmans of this movement, who bear the consequences of their partners’ actions.
Fleur McDonald in Breaking the Silence talks about the rural experience, of being in a house kilometres away from other house and enduring emotional or other abuse. Abuse, Fleur writes, can so easily go ignored in rural homes and communities. That’s why she started an organisation called Breaking the Silence.
Rashmi Patel writes about her experience in a start-up in Who is Afraid of Hindi. The start-up insisted that everyone speak English in the office because it was too clique-y. Management never realised that speaking Hindi provides support in a white office. And it’s that support that comes together for a young Indian woman who is being harassed and doesn’t want to lose her job.
Kaya Wilson in Among Men writes about how his experience as a woman affects his present post-transition. He writes about men needing to change how they react to gendered violence.
Jenna Guillaume in The Lucky Ones chronicles what she has had to do to protect herself at different stages in her life from walking down the street to how she learned that her body will always be seen first. She is 32 at the time of writing this piece and counts herself as one of the lucky ones for having survived her experiences with harassment during her lifetime. It’s sad that in a country known as the Lucky Country, the lucky ones are the women who have survived the abuse from men in their lifetime?
And not to mention, the poetry from accomplished writers that are sprinkled through this book.
This book is thought-provoking and engrossing and forced me to think about things I should have a long time ago.
July 15, 2022
I’ll admit it, I bought this book because it was on the bargain table and I’m a sucker for the 1970s vibe of the cover. But I’m also a feminist and therefore was interested in the content. This ended up being such a fantastic anthology, with a great mix of stories, comics, essays, and poetry written by Australian writers from various walks of life, about their experiences of sexual harassment and violence.
I was pleased to see some diversity here as well, as I’m very much aware that while the hashtag # MeToo was started by African American woman Tarana Burke, it has primarily been co-opted by cis, white, wealthy, non-disabled women in Hollywood. The stories here include those written by LGBTQ+, POC, and disabled people, who provide such crucial input to the discussion when we’re talking about this topic, due to the much higher rates of violence perpetrated against marginalised groups.
This was a great book to read a bit at a time as the content can be quite heavy, but often I found myself just burning through chapter after chapter, so absorbed was I in the power of peoples’ writing, stories and perspectives. One of the last chapters in particular, ‘The Lucky Ones’ by Jenna Guillaume, gave me actual goosebumps.
Although this book was published a couple of years ago, I really can’t believe I haven’t seen it around more and that it only has 90 ratings on Goodreads. If you see it around and feel like you’re in a place to read this, I highly recommend you pick up a copy.
I was pleased to see some diversity here as well, as I’m very much aware that while the hashtag # MeToo was started by African American woman Tarana Burke, it has primarily been co-opted by cis, white, wealthy, non-disabled women in Hollywood. The stories here include those written by LGBTQ+, POC, and disabled people, who provide such crucial input to the discussion when we’re talking about this topic, due to the much higher rates of violence perpetrated against marginalised groups.
This was a great book to read a bit at a time as the content can be quite heavy, but often I found myself just burning through chapter after chapter, so absorbed was I in the power of peoples’ writing, stories and perspectives. One of the last chapters in particular, ‘The Lucky Ones’ by Jenna Guillaume, gave me actual goosebumps.
Although this book was published a couple of years ago, I really can’t believe I haven’t seen it around more and that it only has 90 ratings on Goodreads. If you see it around and feel like you’re in a place to read this, I highly recommend you pick up a copy.
August 29, 2019
This is a brilliantly curated selection of pieces, from a commendable variety of voices. Together, they provide what can only be described as wake-up call to those unaware of the sexism inherent in society. It's shocking, sad, moving, angry, fierce, poetic and beautiful. All men should read this to grasp some idea of what women go through, and have always gone through. The quartet of editors should be extremely proud of what they have put together, it's a hugely impressive piece of work.
September 16, 2019
#metoo is a conversation that we never wanted to have, but had to. This is a thought provoking and fascinating series of essays, comics, poems, and other miscellanea that have been collected on the subject. With heartfelt and personal messages to instructions on how to approach the topic of sexual assault, this was a good read. The only thing lacking was perhaps some more pieces, and in some cases, slightly more developed ones. An important read for anyone looking to understand the implications of #metoo in the modern world.
January 4, 2024
This is a great and informative book. It was very intense as a woman and my emotions varied from anger, disgust, sad and embarrassed. You really need to be in the right headspace to read this book.
I personally enjoyed the chapter on intersectionality (something I understood from my degree) and found the 2nd last chapter about the paranoia women have because of rape culture and the fear to resonate
I personally enjoyed the chapter on intersectionality (something I understood from my degree) and found the 2nd last chapter about the paranoia women have because of rape culture and the fear to resonate
September 30, 2019
In the wake of the #metoo movement that started in America 2017 comes a collection of Australian intersecting women who are sharing their experiences in the forms of essays, stories, poetry and comics, telling their encounters of sexual harassment and violence in every day life.
December 23, 2019
A rich feast of reflections, analyses and personal stories, highly recommended.
Reviewed here:
https://www.australianbookreview.com....
Reviewed here:
https://www.australianbookreview.com....
December 11, 2024
4.25 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
This was an interesting look at the #metoo impact on Australian women. It does a good job of getting different perspectives (age, location, culture, etc) but the essays are approximately 5 pages each so they might outline an experience but don’t analyse it with any depth.
This was an interesting look at the #metoo impact on Australian women. It does a good job of getting different perspectives (age, location, culture, etc) but the essays are approximately 5 pages each so they might outline an experience but don’t analyse it with any depth.
July 19, 2019
This was filled with a rich variety of thoughtful and informed perspectives on a complex matter. Not the easiest read, but a worthwhile one.
February 20, 2020
A good compilation focusing on Australia. Great to see non-writers included.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews