From Viral to Vanished: #MeToo and Media in Pakistan
Article by Sobia Nasim.
The global #MeToo movement marked a historic shift in how societies confronted sexual harassment and abuse. It challenged entrenched power structures and encouraged survivors to speak without shame. For younger generations around the world, #MeToo introduced a new vocabulary of consent, accountability, and dignity.
In Pakistan, however, the movement arrived with a bang! through hashtags, high-profile celebrity cases, and relentless headlines. Women’s voices briefly dominated talk shows, social media feeds, and opinion pages, and the media appeared willing to confront uncomfortable truths. Yet, almost as quickly as the conversation began, it started to fade. What once seemed like a turning point became trapped in a spiral of silence. The more relevant question, then, is not why survivors stopped speaking, but why the media stopped listening.
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Initially, #MeToo offered an opportunity to challenge long-standing social norms that discourage victims from speaking out. In a society where honor and reputation often outweigh justice, the movement had the potential to create safer spaces for dialogue. Instead, it was frequently framed as a foreign or “Western” concept, portrayed as incompatible with local culture and values. Media coverage linked the movement almost exclusively to elite circles and celebrity cases, reinforcing the idea that sexual harassment was a problem of privileged women rather than a structural issue affecting women across classes.
This framing contributed directly to silencing. Victim-blaming narratives, questions about women’s intentions, and moral scrutiny of accusers became more prominent than examinations of male power or institutional failure. Rather than interrogating why harassment is so pervasive and underreported, much of the media discourse focused on whether women were exaggerating, misusing, or exploiting the movement.
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The silence that followed was not accidental. It was produced by media practices that privileged controversy over continuity and individual drama over collective change. By repeatedly labeling #MeToo as an elite concern, media coverage deepened class divides and reduced the movement to a fleeting moment rather than a sustained struggle. Platforms often offered equal or greater space to accused men defending their reputations, framing harassment as a “both sides” debate instead of a systemic issue. Coverage frequently appeared driven by ratings and fan followings rather than ethical responsibility.
As a result, #MeToo did not disappear in Pakistan; it was pushed out of sight.
At its core, the movement was meant to provide women with a safer environment to question behaviors that are routinely normalized flirtatious remarks, sexually suggestive jokes, whistling, unwanted physical contact, or comments about bodies, clothing, and appearance. Many women remain uncertain about whether such experiences are serious enough to report, whether they should be dismissed as jokes, or whether speaking up would only invite ridicule. Even when these incidents are brushed aside, they leave lasting emotional effects.
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#MeToo offered clarity. It helped women recognize that these behaviors are not harmless, isolated acts but part of deeper patterns of misconduct and abuse of power. However, biased media coverage reinforcing patriarchal norms and amplified through entertainment channels that often romanticize or trivialize harassment played a damaging role in shaping public attitudes. Even before the movement gained momentum, some media narratives predicted that women would misuse it or that it would somehow make “women stronger than men.” Such framing ignored decades of silence, suffering, and injustice experienced by women.
It is troubling that segments of the media attempted to undermine the legitimacy of an entire movement by dismissing the lived experiences of countless women. #MeToo was the movement against immoral social norms and unchecked power.
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If Pakistani media is serious about addressing sexual harassment, it must broaden its lens. Coverage should not be limited to celebrity scandals but extend to ordinary women demanding safe workplaces and institutional accountability. The disappearance of #MeToo from headlines does not mean its impact has vanished. It persists in quieter conversations, in the language women now have to name their experiences, and in journalists who understand the ethical weight of these stories.
Whether this awareness translates into lasting change depends largely on the media’s willingness to look beyond moments of virality and to treat silence not as the end of the story, but as a signal to look closer—-this time with responsibility rather than spectacle.
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Article by Sobia Nasim. The writer is an MPhil Scholar and Researcher of Media Studies at GCU Lahore.
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