BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • BBC Trending

'I asked if I could kiss her' - one man responds to #MeToo

  • Published
    18 October 2017
Share page
About sharing
Illustration of three women holding signs which read "Me Too"Image source, @taraobrienillustration
Image caption,

Tara O'Brien's illustration has been shared across Instagram

ByRozina Sini
BBC UGC and Social News

A writer in India has responded to the #MeToo movement with an admission of his own impropriety towards a woman.

Using the hashtag #IDidThat, Devang Pathak in Mumbai posted: "It wasn't easy to write but here it is. I am sorry and I will do better. #IDidThat".

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post by Devang Pathak

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post by Devang Pathak

Devang said he decided to make the public admission after seeing a plea on social media by Rega Jha,, external the editor of Buzzfeed in India, early on Tuesday morning in which she tweeted:

"I'd love to see a counter trend of men posting 'I'm sorry and I'll do better' if they feel they've ever made a woman uncomfortable, unheard or unsafe. This one's on you, dudes, and yet I still see all the mobilisation and conversational labour being held by woman."

  • How 'MeToo' is exposing the scale of sexual abuse

Devang PathakImage source, Devang Pathak
Image caption,

Writer Devang Pathak responded to the 'me too' hashtag with #IDidThat

"This has been playing on my mind since the Harvey Weinstein story surfaced as well as the domestic revelations and conversations in India," Devang told the BBC.

"I saw the me too conversation and saw Rega's comment on my timeline. I hope more men share their stories."

  • Harvey Weinstein scandal: Who has accused him of what?

  • Harvey Weinstein timeline: How the scandal unfolded

The #MeToo movement, which began on social media after a call to action by actress Alyssa Milano on Sunday evening, generated more than 1.3 million tweets by Wednesday morning and hundreds of thousands of posts across Facebook and Instagram, as women and men across the world continue to share stories of the sexual harassment and abuse they've faced.

Similarly #YesAllWomen was tweeted more than a million times following the killing of six people in May 2014, and continues to be used. Both it and the #EverydaySexism campaign have seen spikes in use on social media since Sunday.

  • #YesAllWomen: California rampage sparks Twitter response

  • #NotAllMen angers women in India

Among the responses, there was criticism emerging about why women should feel compelled to share their stories of abuse in order to highlight the magnitude of sexual misconduct.

In the US, Vox writer Liz Plank suggested there should be a shift of the burden from women to men taking accountability for their actions.

Her posts on both Facebook, external and Twitter ended with the hashtag #HimThough generating 8,000 mentions as the discussion shifts from abuse victims to perpetrators.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 2 by Liz Plank

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 2 by Liz Plank
This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 3 by hanp93

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 3 by hanp93

A written excerpt from a Ted talk by author and filmmaker Jackson Katz, external which was being shared before the #MeToo movement began is now being posted with the #HimThough hashtag.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 4 by NiamhNic

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 4 by NiamhNic

Another term, #HowIWillChange, has generated traction among the #MeToo response hashtags with more than 9,000 tweets, and 6,000 likes on public-facing pages on Facebook, since Tuesday morning.

Australian writer and journalist Benjamin Law used it first in an online thread in which he suggested multiple ways men can change their behaviour, complicit or otherwise.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 5 by Benjamin Law 🌈

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 5 by Benjamin Law 🌈
This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 6 by Benjamin Law 🌈

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 6 by Benjamin Law 🌈

The #MeToo movement has also spread to other parts of the globe as women and men contribute to the discussion. In Arab countries the hashtags وأنا_كمان# and ‏وانا_ايضا# - which roughly translate to "me too" - have been used mostly on Facebook.

In Italy, in addition to #MeToo, social media users have been posting #quellavoltache which translates to "That time that..." to describe a situation in which women and men have felt harassed or abused. It has generated more than 11,000 tweets since Milano's post., external

In Germany #IchAuch ("me too") is generating stories of harassment and in France users have been sharing the hashtag #Balancetonporc which translates to "rat on your dirty old man" to encourage women to name and shame their attackers.

And actors and filmmakers in Nigeria's film industry have told the BBC's Pidgin language service how they have tried to push back against sexual harassment in Nollywood.

More on this story

  • 'MeToo' and the scale of sexual abuse

    • Published
      16 October 2017
    Alyssa Milano
  • Weinstein 'steps down from company board'

    • Published
      18 October 2017
    Harvey Weinstein
  • Game of Thrones star accuses Weinstein

    • Published
      17 October 2017
    Actress Lena Headey
  • Zeta-Jones on fall of 'dinosaur' Weinstein

    • Published
      17 October 2017
    Catherine Zeta-Jones
  • How the Harvey Weinstein scandal has unfolded

    • Published
      24 February 2023
    Image shows Harvey Weinstein at his LA trial
  • Weinstein Company in talks over sale

    • Published
      16 October 2017
    Harvey Weinstein
  • Weinstein a sad, sick man - Woody Allen

    • Published
      16 October 2017
    Director Woody Allen and producer Harvey Weinstein arrive on the red carpet at the Los Angeles Premiere of 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' in 2008
  • Social buzz: Tuesday 3 January 2017

    • Published
      3 January 2017
    Police try to control New Year's Eve crowds in Bangalore
  • Raped girl's baby 'was fathered by uncle'

    • Published
      10 October 2017
    Indian school students participate in an awareness Campaign against Child Sex Abuse in Hyderabad on 19 November, 2014
  • Harvey Weinstein's accusers

    • Published
      10 January 2019
    (L-R) Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Cara Delevingne, Lea Seydoux, Rosanna Arquette, Mira Sorvino

Top stories

  • Trump suggests Starmer could use military to control UK borders

    • Published
      1 hour ago
  • Sarah Smith: Trump visit showed UK's warm relations - and limited influence

    • Published
      2 hours ago
  • Trump diverted and forced to swap helicopters on way to Stansted

    • Published
      51 minutes ago

More to explore

  • Royals, Maga and tech CEOs: What we learned from state banquet guest list

    A long dining table with dignitaries seated down either side is seen in a banquet hall, with staff and press against the walls.
  • The Summer I Turned Pretty to conclude with feature film

    Lola Tung, left, wears a low cut silver dress as she places her right hand on teh shoulder of her I Turned Pretty co-star Christopher Briney on a red carpet. Behind them is a poster that says The Summer I Turned Pretty: The Movie.
  • 'Slot-age time' - breaking down Liverpool's late success

    • Attribution
      Sport
    A composition graphic of Arne Slot, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah celebrate some of Liverpool's late winners
  • Leonardo DiCaprio on why his new film addresses 'divisiveness in our culture'

    Leonardo DiCaprio attends the "One Battle After Another" London Premiere at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on September 16, 2025 in London, England
  • In pictures: Chequers, scout groups and a dolls' house - day two of Trump's state visit

    The Princess of Wales (left) and First Lady Melania Trump in Frogmore Gardens in Windsor, Berkshire, on day two of US President Donald Trump's second state visit to the UK.
  • Fashion risks going backwards on diversity, says ex-Vogue boss

    Edward Enninful in a suit and bow tie
  • 'Day by day, year by year' - Borg on cancer diagnosis

    • Attribution
      Sport
    Bjorn Borg waits to serve during the 1980 Wimbledon final against John McEnroe
  • 'Ultimate in cancel culture': Fans outside Jimmy Kimmel studio react to show's axing

    Split image of man on the right and woman on the left outside Jimmy Kimmel studio in LA
  • Katty Kay: America is at a dangerous crossroads following the Charlie Kirk shooting

    A treated image of Charlie Kirk in front of the flag, with his hand pointing up
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    Trump diverted and forced to swap helicopters on way to Stansted

  2. 2

    Scientists pinpoint the brain's internal mileage clock

  3. 3

    Trump suggests Starmer could use military to control UK borders

  4. 4

    Corbyn and Sultana clash over new party membership

  5. 5

    Sarah Smith: Trump visit showed UK's warm relations - and limited influence

  6. 6

    Musk's fellowship of Royal Society in doubt after rally address

  7. 7

    MI6 launches dark web portal to attract spies in Russia

  8. 8

    Sally Rooney says she cannot enter UK in case of arrest

  9. 9

    First migrant deported to France under 'one in one out' deal

  10. 10

    In pictures: Chequers, scout groups and a dolls' house - day two of Trump's state visit

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Stacey and Joe welcome you back to Pickle Cottage

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Stacey & Joe
  • What's the future of home parcel delivery?

    • Attribution
      Sounds
  • The state of the UK-US special relationship examined

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Panorama: Trump and Starmer
  • A couple's search for the Croydon cat killer

    • Attribution
      Sounds
    Illuminated: The Cat Killer Detectives
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.