By MeToo was made up of millions of personal stories. There were the bombshell revelations about celebrities, politicians, and the powerful. But the core of the movement felt closer: posts from our neighbors, our teachers, our acquaintances, ourselves. Millions of voices rising into a crescendo screaming, “Enough.” Enough of the old ways, bad habits, and ignorance that forced us to suffer harassment and abuse in silence. Things for the next generation would be different.
But did that happen? We wanted to find out what the legacy of the MeToo movement is—five years after it became a national story, as kids graduate and enter the workplaces, the college campuses, and the world that those voices have tried to create. It seems clear that something in our culture has shifted, but how much has actually changed? To find out, we spoke to people who have lived and grown through this era, asking them how it impacted their lives. We talked with those who experienced life before MeToo, reflecting on what they hoped would be different. We also looked back at the cultural influences of this era—the media, music, and influencers who shaped it. We wanted to know: How has this era altered the landscape for the generation that came of age after MeToo? And to answer that, you have to go back to the movement’s heart: the personal stories.
Will MeToo Be Enough for the Next Generation?
RUTH MURAI
The Young Survivor Who Rocked a Wealthy Bay Area Suburb
ABBI BERRY AS TOLD TO RUTH MURAI
The Patient Who Pushed Legislation to Punish Abusers
EVELYN YANG AS TOLD TO MAGGIE DUFFY
The Men Fight Back
EAMON WHALEN
The Student Journalist Harassed for Reporting on Toxic Masculinity
OLIVIA KRUPP AS TOLD TO RUQAIYAH ZAROOK
The Incarcerated Woman Who Wishes MeToo Had Arrived Earlier
CELESTE BLAIR AS TOLD TO SAMANTHA MICHAELS
How MeToo Changed Music’s Relationship With Age Gaps
ANGELICA CABRAL
The Researcher Whose Story Exposed a Prominent Geologist—And Changed Science for the Better
JANE WILLENBRING AS TOLD TO JACKIE FLYNN MOGENSEN
The Policy Strategist Whose Personal Life Got Political
NIKITA MITCHELL AS TOLD TO RUTH MURAI
Project managing editor: Jacob Rosenberg
Reporters: Samantha Michaels, Eamon Whalen, Ruqaiyah Zarook, Maggie Duffy, Angelica Cabral, Jackie Flynn Mogensen
Story editors: Jacob Rosenberg, Marianne Szegedy-Maszak, Sophie Murguia, Nina Liss-Schultz, Kiera Butler, James West, Ruth Murai
Copy editor: Daniel King
Web developers: Robert Wise, Young Kim
Art direction: Adam Vieyra, Grace Molteni
Top illustration: Simone Noronha
Animation: Sam Van Pykeren
As-told-to illustrations: Simone Noronha
Additional art: Grace Molteni, Mark Murrmann
