from POWER POINT, winner of the 2025 National Press Women Communications Prize
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#ME TOO renders real-world statistics on sexual violence (SV) and prevention into letters through data charts created in Microsoft PowerPoint. The poem is an homage to the ME TOO movement (popularized via social media) to end SV complicity and victim shaming. The title, a statement of inherent solidarity and consensus, is belied by the poem’s subtext, acknowledging SV as a politicized and polarizing issue. The stark statistics contrast with backlash claims that SV is not a prevalent problem, “the pendulum has swung too far the other way,” and that it is only an issue for certain genders or sides of the political spectrum.
The visual staging of the poem echoes a scientific paper, with boxed and numbered text explicating the data. The pink and blue of the large chart-based letters call attention to SV’s cross-gender impact. The poem questions the perceived acceptance of a chilling status quo.
From POWER POINT (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions, 2024).
The data behind the five charts of #METOO — prevalence, reporting rates, and the shared economic burden.
Sexual Violence Prevalence — Lifetime Victimization Rates, US
Source: CDC, “Preventing Sexual Violence” Fast Facts, 2023. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 26 men experience completed or attempted rape in their lifetime. An estimated 81% of women and 35% of men report PTSD or other lasting impacts.
Reporting Rate — Sexual Violence Cases Reported to Police
Source: RAINN.org, “Scope of the Problem,” 2020; US Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Criminal Victimization Report, 2022.
Lifetime Economic Burden of Rape — Cost Breakdown per Victim
Source: C. Peterson et al., “Lifetime Economic Burden of Rape Among US Adults,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2017.
Also on gender and statistics: 100% Mom →