This focus on abusive behavior from powerful men comes at an interesting moment for the country, which is to say, during the Trump presidency. In the final weeks of his bombastic presidential campaign, several women came forward to allege that Donald Trump had made unwanted sexual advances toward them. Barely a year ago, The Washington Post unearthed audio recordings of Trump bragging about how he kissed and groped women. (Trump could be heard saying, “I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait,” and “Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”)

Less than a month later, he was elected president—helped by more than half of white women who voted for him.

In a sense, the current reckoning with predatory behavior by successful men has come about both because of, and in spite of, the country’s choice of president. It’s not that Trump’s comments were the most vulgar words ever said about women. And it’s certainly not the case that he’s the first president to be accused of sexual harassment and impropriety. Additionally, there’s no reason to believe Trump’s vulgarity prompted high-profile men to participate in the despicable behaviors detailed in so many accusations. Yet it’s impossible to contextualize the growing public outcry over sexual assault without considering the short distance, and largely unresolved tension, between Trump’s “you can do anything” attitude toward women and his subsequent victory over a female candidate. Trump’s repeated denigration of women on the campaign trail, and the fact that he was elected anyway, set the stage for this moment. Viewed in that light, coming forward about experiences of abuse is both an act of personal courage and a protest against this political moment. For those who see Trump’s election as a dramatic failure in accountability for predatory behavior, speaking out against powerful men—men who allegedly believe they “can do anything” to women—is a kind of correction.

The calls to address sexual violence en masse, and as a form of protest, certainly aren’t new, but the tactic picked up speed almost as soon as the tapes of Trump’s so-called locker-room talk surfaced. The author Kelly Oxford took to Twitter in October of 2016 to share a story of sexual assault, and encouraged others to do the same. There were thousands of responses. A similar effect has been achieved when it comes to the accusers of Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, and a host of other men. This surge of support and corroboration has been a catalyzing force in creating swift, and public, accountability. At a time when companies are being looked at to take strong stances on social issues, and movements such as #MeToo are trending across the internet, companies that could be tainted by accusations of impropriety, especially by high-ranking or public-facing individuals, have little choice but to act.