The Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford testimony has sparked countless debates, conversations and disagreements, each of them with the identical question at hand: Is Dr. Ford to be believed or not? As a result of the established inquiry, numerous amounts of people — celebrities included — have taken to Instagram and Twitter where they have been sharing their opinions on the matter, executing the hashtag #WeBelieveHer.
Well-known stars of hit TV shows The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, Phoebe Tonkin and Claire Holt, are just two examples of leading women who have revealed their support for Dr. Ford.
However, while the two actresses were simply stating their beliefs on a widely talked about topic, many worked to make the two women feel as though they shouldn’t speak on the topic at all.
The Instagram posts of both actresses were flooded with harsh comments, many of which attempted to sway the women’s opinions as well as criticize them for their beliefs.
The backlash in which people all over the world face for simply stating their opinions — celebs and non-celebs alike — is the leading factor in what stops so many from being afraid to share their opinions on such controversial topics.
Jarring comments on social media are just the beginning of the backlash that so many face. Countless people also find themselves in danger of being sent death threats as a result of speaking out.
For example, when Dr. Christine Ford alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by Brett Kavanaugh, what followed soon after were countless death threats. The threats were progressing so quickly that it has been revealed that Ford was forced to move out of her home and seek safety and shelter elsewhere.
After the testimony, many other celebrities aside from the aforementioned actresses took to social media to share their thoughts and feelings. Sarah Hyland, well-known actress on reality TV show Modern Family, posted on Twitter about her own story of having been raped as a teenager. Whereas Hyland took to social media to share her support for Dr. Ford as well as relive herself of this weight on her shoulders, a lot of the replies focused on putting Hyland down rather than simply standing with her and choosing to listen to her story.
#WeBelieveChristine #MeToo #believewomen #IBelieveHer pic.twitter.com/T1Evor6GTD
— Sarah Hyland (@Sarah_Hyland) September 27, 2018
Though everyone is entitled to their own opinion and Phoebe Tonkin, Claire Holt and Sarah Hyland were not necessarily asking for anyone to have the same exact beliefs as they do, it is still extremely important for people — celebrities and non-celebrities alike — to feel as though it’s okay for them to share their thoughts and opinions.
No one should feel scared or coward to share their beliefs for fear that they will be bullied, beaten down, harassed, and even sent death threats.
It is problems like this one that lead to so many women today feeling as though they can’t share their stories and talk about the things that happen to them when they do happen.
Today, too many women — and men — fear speaking out and letting their voices be heard, simply because they are afraid of what others have to say.
It’s time we start listening to each other rather than fighting with one another. It’s so much easier to listen and understand than ignore and fight.
Photo: Win Mcnamee/Getty Images
