It’s incredible that we’re here, but women are sharing pictures of themselves at age 14 to protest the ultraconservative Republican candidate for the United States Senate after he was accused of attempting to initiate a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old when he was 32.
Roy Moore, who is now 70, was the subject of a Washington Post exposé last week, which accused him of trying to engage in sexual encounters with four women age 14 to 18 when he was in his 30s.
Shortly afterwards, a deeply religious (and deeply cooked) Alabama state auditor came to Moore’s defence by invoking the Biblical story of Mary and Joseph.
“Take Joseph and Mary,” Jim Ziegler told the Washington Examiner. “Mary was a teenager and Joseph was an adult carpenter. They became parents of Jesus.”
It’s worth noting that Moore and Ziegler are in the minority here (although they’re certainly not alone). Republicans have been criticising Moore, and prominent religious leaders have been criticising Ziegler.
Look, I’m sorry, but even before these reports surfaced, Roy Moore’s nomination was a bridge too far.
— Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) November 11, 2017
Really? So basically claiming St. Joseph was a pedophile also to justify #RoyMoore behavior? Wow. Just wow. https://t.co/rbXeCobTJS
— Father Edward L. Beck (@FrEdwardBeck) November 10, 2017
Women are now using the hashtag #MeAt14 to demonstrate the seemingly obvious fact that they were children at that age, and literally incapable of consenting to an adult relationship.
Comedian and co-creator of The Daily Show Lizz Winstead started the hashtag, but plenty more – including celebs – joined in.
This is me at 14. I was on the gymnastics team and sang in the choir. I was not dating a 32 year old man. Who were you at 14? Tweet a pic, tell us who you were and pic to the top of your page #MeAt14 #NoMoore pic.twitter.com/HPVzMgaD8h
— Lizz “Insufferable Wench” Winstead (@lizzwinstead) November 12, 2017
#MeAt14 I worshipped my brother. I loved my dog, Pucci. I loved OMD. I had Big hair. I was happy. I was innocent.
Please share your #MeAt14. pic.twitter.com/ccPyVHgcVS
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) November 12, 2017
#MeAt14 w my boyfriend — JK I’m with my math teacher, Mr James @lizzwinstead pic.twitter.com/e2BaXySl7Y
— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) November 12, 2017
#MeAt14 Cheering for the 7th and 8th grade teams; NOT for the 32 year old misogynist. #NoMoore pic.twitter.com/EBloTnulEu
— Tosha Woodard (@totcraw) November 12, 2017
This is me at 14. I wasn’t dating a 32 year old male. I was riding horses, playing basketball, and trying to survive freshman year of high school. #MeAt14 #NoMoore pic.twitter.com/ftnHi9bIGQ
— lexlo (@LexLondino) November 12, 2017
#MeAt14 I was super self-conscious of my body. I had no idea how to love myself far less how to love anyone else romantically. I was not dating period, far less for 32-year-old men. There was nothing about me that should attract a 32-year-old man. #NoMoore pic.twitter.com/Iblc8coB6g
— Kay Tee (@Quadrant4change) November 12, 2017
While some people described their 14-year-old selves as “innocent”, others used it to talk about their experiences of sexual abuse and harassment.
#MeAt14
COMPLETELY unable to give consent or stop my abusers. No adult should ever talk about “dating” a child.
14.Is.A.Child.
It is sexual abuse. Call it by its name.#NoMoore pic.twitter.com/p0REQw6tqK— Debbie 🐝#EqualityAct 🏳️🌈 (@DebbieDoesTwitt) November 12, 2017
https://twitter.com/danibostick/status/929781425645260800
https://twitter.com/scott2919_2016/status/929746195987288065
https://twitter.com/BanditRandom/status/929804907682586624
https://twitter.com/sporky90029/status/929778767437840384
https://twitter.com/Alt_FedEmployee/status/929819173689098240
It’s also worth noting here that some people have been criticising the hashtag, taking particular issue with people using “dating a 32-year-old” to describe what is blatantly child abuse.
There’s also the other issue that puberty hits us all at different times, so while some of us might look very young and childlike at age 14, others may appear to be more mature. It gets tricky when you use your age and innocence to ‘prove’ that an adult hitting on you is wrong, because there’s a hint of an implication that to look more mature is to be sympathetic to the child abuser.
Obviously this isn’t the case – your appearance has absolutely no bearing on child abuse – but it’s always worth noting when language is being criticised.
The main takeaway here is that while some of the words are clumsy, the message is the same: no grown ass adult should be trying to pick up children, and it’s insane that we need to remind people of this. Yet, here we are.
If you would like to access support for issues around sexual abuse, please call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or the Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.
