‘I told no one’ America Ferrera on the guilt she carried at 9-years-old
'Me too' – They're just two simple words, but they currently carry a tremendous amount of weight on social media.
Used to highlight the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault in contemporary society, the hashtag has swept Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in the last 36 hours, and there's no denying the magnitude of the campaign.
Taking to Instagram earlier today, Ugly Betty star, America Ferrera, contributed to the conversation, and provided her fans and followers with a harrowing account as to why the hashtag affects her.
"First time I remember being sexually assaulted I was 9-years-old, " she wrote in a post which has amassed more than 36,000 likes so far.
Recalling the anxiety she felt at the time, the 33-year-old actress continued: "I told no one and lived with the shame and guilt thinking all along that I, a nine-year-old child, was somehow responsible for the actions of a grown man."
The actress, who joins a number of other stars coming forward with their own stories of assault, remembers the horror of having to regularly face the individual who violated her.
“I had to see this man on a daily basis for years to come,” she continued. “He would smile at me and wave, and I would hurry past him, my blood running cold, my guts carrying the burden of what only he and I knew – that he expected me to shut my mouth and smile back.”
America pushed for her followers' support of the hashtag, writing: "Ladies, let’s break the silence to the next generation of girls won’t have to live with this bulls**t.”
"I wish that I knew that it wasn’t normal at a younger age. It sucks to keep all that bottled inside. As a child you blame yourself not knowing that the adult is the one who is in control," wrote one follower.
Actress, Alyssa Milano, created the #MeToo platform for victims to come forward in a show of solidarity.
