While many in Hollywood have publicly voiced their support for the #MeToo movement, don’t count Lindsay Lohan as one of them. In an interview with British publication The Times, Lohan said, “I don’t really have anything to say. I can’t speak on something I didn’t live, right? Look, I am very supportive of women. Everyone goes through their own experiences in their own ways. If it happens at that moment, you discuss it at that moment. You make it a real thing by making it a police report.”
She went on to say, “I’m going to really hate myself for saying this, but I think by women speaking against all these things, it makes them look weak when they are very strong women,” and, “You have these girls who come out, who don’t even know who they are, who do it for the attention … That is taking away from the fact that it happened.”
Last year, Lohan also defended Weinstein in an Instagram video, following his fall from grace after more than 80 women stepped forward to accuse him of sexual assault and harassment. So, this is not the first time she has voiced a lack of support for the #MeToo movement, but it’s still upsetting to see her voice it in such unfair, blanket terms.
There is nothing to be gained for women who come forward about sexual assault, except public opinion being swayed against them and people looking for ways to discredit them. It’s an open invitation to have people pick apart their stories and spew vileness in their direction. In studies done, between 2% and 6% of rape claims are false; that’s a drop in the bucket compared to how many cases are not investigated at all because of attitudes like this.
The idea that a woman has to make a police report at the time something happens is also harmful in the context of the Hollywood system, where it would be easy for a powerful man like Weinstein to blacklist an actress for making an accusation. Lohan is not considering that these women had their livelihoods to consider, and are in fact putting their careers at risk to come forward in the first place.
There is also the troubling idea that these women are “weak” for coming forward. There is nothing weak about stepping forward to speak out about your experiences; given our culture, it takes immense courage. The #MeToo movement has done amazing things to erase the stigma around coming forward to speak about sexual assault, but it is still a deeply painful, vulnerable experience. Lohan trying to shame those who do come forward by calling them weak is more a reflection of her character than of those who come forward, but words are still hurtful.
Lohan needs to take a step back and apologize for her harmful sentiments and perhaps even educate herself on what good the movement is doing. Her statements are oblivious at best and viciously hurtful at worst, will cause more pain to survivors, and will be used to disparage the push for better treatment of women in Hollywood. And in turn, Lohan is seeking attention by publicly making controversial and harmful statements, so really, who’s the real attention-seeker here?
(via The Hollywood Reporter, image: Paramount)
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