'Me too' campaign targets sexual assault, harassment

(CNN) - Public figures from Silicon Valley to Capitol Hill are speaking out as the #Metoo campaign gains continued momentum. 

Prominent women such as Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alyssa Milano and others accused major industry leaders of sexual harassment.

Harvey Weinstein is the most recent in a long list of alleged predators - including Roger Ailes, Amazon entertainment chief Roy Price, Bill Cosby and others who have fallen from the highest levels of business.

On Wednesday, Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney tweeted that she was repeatedly molested by the team doctor from age 13.

Women hope that as the #metoo protest builds, sharing their stories will help others erase the stigma of secrets and stop the abuse.

"During this time, a female producer had me do a nude lineup with about five women who were much much thinner than me, and we all stood side by side with only paste-ons covering our privates," Jennifer Lawrence said. "After that degrading and humiliating line-up, the female producer told me that I should use the naked photos of myself as inspiration for my diet." 

Lawrence's painful story was from when she was an unknown in Hollywood. She joined millions speaking out against sexual harassment and assault. 

They are responding to a tweet from Milano that revitalized a movement starting more than 10 years ago suggesting every victim of sexual abuse simply type "Me too" in their social media status to give the world a true sense of the magnitude of the problem.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, tweeted that harassment and abuse of women won't end unless spoken about. 

Facebook Chief Operations Officer Sheryl Sandberg wrote that many women in the workforce, including herself "especially in the early years - deal with unwanted advances and harassment the best we can." 

Maroney, saying she was inspired by others to tell her story, wrote, "This is happening everywhere. Wherever there is a position of power, there seems to be potential for abuse."

The "Me Too" movement gives new voice to an age-old problem, one that was rarely discussed publicly until 1991 - when Anita Hill accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment during his Supreme Court nomination hearing.

Hill, a professor at Brandeis University, said progress must continue.

"I think we do have to ask ourselves in this moment, how far have we come to equality - how close are we if in fact women are having to endure this kind of behavior in their day-to-day lives in the workplace and in the streets?" she said. "And if we ask ourselves that question, we need to also ask our leadership both in the public and private sector to step up and tell us what they are going to do to stop the problem." 

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