Beyond reshaping Hollywood, what imprint has MeToo left on the country? Actress Leticia Dolera was among the early voices stirred by the global surge of outrage sparked by MeToo. In the wake of Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey’s reporting in The New York Times and Ronan Farrow’s in The New Yorker about Harvey Weinstein, the Catalan star candidly shared that at 18 a television director touched her chest, and a decade later she carried the pain without touch.
Dolera’s account is not isolated. In Catalonia, graduates from the Aula de Teatre de Lleida and the Institut del Teatre have, in recent years, spoken out against decades of harassment by teachers. In both cases, justice did not bring prosecutions against the instructors. A teacher named Antonio Gómez from Lleida fled to Brazil after the city council paid him 60,000 euros to settle the case. Yet the industry battle continued: after identifying more than 150 cases of abuse or harassment, the Catalan Cinema Academy established a leading program of psychological and legal counseling for victims last May. Fewer than a third of those cases became formal complaints. Silence, fear, and little faith in justice still weigh on a tight-knit world where everyone knows each other. The La Manada case lit the fuse in Spain, triggering a tsunami of anger and solidarity. Tens of thousands of women poured into the streets in 2018, marking a historic year of feminist demonstrations across the country on March 8. Anger and resentment toward judicial responses persisted as the justice system described thePamplona gang rape as an atmosphere of festivity. Five years on, consent has become a legal cornerstone under a new framework that has just taken effect. A third of the 5,000 judges in Spain have completed the gender perspective course started in 2019. In these five years, the language around these issues has shifted. Like much of society, terms such as consent, solidarity, privilege, and toxic masculinity have entered everyday conversation. This shift revealed that patriarchy is not a caricature of a corrupt few, but a structured system that has subtly shaped societies for generations—often irregular, uneven across generations and genders. Even those who identify as pro-feminists can resist real changes in a system designed to their advantage. Yet change is visible and accelerating. When viral chants from the Elías Ahuja residence sparked discussions last week, few suspected they were part of a broader movement; the idea of a “rape culture”—once rarely used—has become embedded in awareness and dialogue.
The United States saw a different tempo and scale. The movement sparked a flood of sexual harassment accusations that exposed long-standing impunity. Many victims spoke out and found listening ears for the first time. Justice doesn’t move at Twitter speed, but within five years resignations, layoffs, lawsuits, out-of-court settlements, and shifts in corporate culture followed. Prominent figures faced scrutiny, from industry icons to influential media personalities—names like Pixar’s co-founders, Fox News leaders, and others who had long enjoyed public prestige. The MeToo wave acted as a catalyst for accountability within the entertainment world and beyond. Yet the era also saw a wave of backlash and backlash-driven rhetoric. The phenomenon touched debates on consent, due process, and the media’s role in shaping public perception. The term “fifth wave feminism” surfaced, while broader conversations about sex, power, and accountability moved into mainstream discourse. Critics labeled certain responses as puritanical or as cancel culture, while supporters urged ongoing vigilance against harassment in all sectors.
Amber Heard’s 2023 court proceedings against Johnny Depp amplified the conversation online. The case drew intense digital scrutiny, with supporters and detractors parsing every detail as the public and media debated accountability, defamation law, and the pressures faced by public figures. The online environment—memes, videos, and rapid commentary—often amplified hostile tones and animosity directed at Heard. This showcased how social platforms can magnify both solidarity and cruelty, shaping perceptions in a highly mediated public square. The broader MeToo discourse has encountered a difficult collision with partisan and ideological currents, sometimes creating a charged lexicon that includes terms like woke culture, cancel culture, and gendered rhetoric. In Spain, high-profile allegations prompted investigations that underscored ongoing conversations about power, accountability, and how institutions respond to allegations of misconduct. The recent return of a controversial figure to prominent stages still sparked debate, illustrating how public sentiment can diverge from institutional responses. The era continues to redefine norms, practices, and expectations across cities and cultures, reminding audiences that accountability is a long, ongoing journey rather than a single moment.