The hashtag #balancetonporc, or "squeal on your pig", on Sunday rapidly became a way for thousands of French women to share stories of sexual harassment at work, reports FRANCE 24.
Friday the 13th boded ill for the patriarchy: that afternoon, Sandra Muller, a French journalist riding the post-Harvey Weinstein wave of pent-up frustration, launched a Twitter call for women to “#balancetonporc,” or “squeal on your pig”, by posting the names of men who had sexually harassed them at work and details of their behaviours.
She began with her own story, naming her former boss who had once told her, “You have big breasts. You’re my type of woman. I’m going to make you come all night long.”
As of Sunday, the hashtag remains the number one trending hashtag in France – and number three worldwide – as thousands of women join in.
Stories from journalists and others who work in the media were among some of the most frequently posted.
Giulia Fois, a radio journalist, recounted a disturbing encounter in a widely re-shared tweet: “An editor-in-chief, major radio station, small hallway, grabbing me by the throat, ‘one day I’m going to have sex with you, whether you want it or not.'”
She added that at the time she had filed a complaint and had been “neither believed nor heard”.
A journalist for the TV station BFM wrote that when she was a young intern at another company, “a producer told me while staring at my butt, ‘walk in front of me so that I can see you. It works well with your heels.’”