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Iynna·Mar 01, 2021

A lot to unpack from this article but perhaps the line that stuck with me “We tend to forget the collective experience,” Ms. Lewinsky said by phone. “We direct this kind of vitriol and misogyny toward one woman, but it actually reverberates to all women. We’re all collateral damage, whether we’re the object or not.”In honor of sisterhood, let's remember how our actions affect the society we are actively BUILDING. On this, Happy Women's History Month, Elphas!

teresaman·Mar 02, 2021

Yesss, as mentioned in the article, the Lindsay Lohan interview by Letterman alongside others who he's interviewed (see this thread that infuriated me) really sheds light on how our culture tends towards sensationalizing people's downfall, especially women, under the media spotlight.

DianePrince·Mar 02, 2021

That thread is horrifying. I've also been looking back at my favorite iconic 80's movies from growing up and am mortified that I accepted them as normal and even funny when they are so blatantly misogynist and racist. At least my daughters notice these things when they've watched them, but I did not. Current mood = angry and looking for ways to make a changehttps://www.vox.com/culture/2018/9/27/17906644/sixteen-candles-rape-culture-1980s-brett-kavanaugh

Iynna·Mar 02, 2021

oh wow thank you Diane for sharing..!

Iynna·Mar 02, 2021

Oh yes I watched that interview... and thinking at the time that it was normal to harass her this way.

KashaH·Mar 02, 2021

Thanks for bringing this up, I just recently read the article and was so disturbed to reflect on the piece that you pointed out specifically. I have asked peers this same question. Who were the role models that we saw in the public eye (even if they weren't role models we associated with) and how did it affect us to see them treated in this way? I don't want to drive shallow gender binaries but I simply can't remember examples of men who would have been a similar age depicted in similar 'dumb blonde' stereotypes. There was a documentary on YouTube showing Paris Hilton's experience throughout those younger years and how some of her childhood trauma has affected who she is today. I have no feelings towards Hilton and no reason to single her out as particularly worthy of sympathy, but it does make me question how much of a role she played in creating this persona of hers, and how much of it was pushed on her by media and public that wanted her to be a certain way (dumb, incapable, ditzy, etc.). Truly jarring.

Laila13·Mar 02, 2021

It’s not a shallow binary but a double standard. Even the articles about ‘alleged’ male abusers use kid gloves and don’t typically offer any real critique of men.