Monica Lewinsky, whose name has been dragged through the mud for decades and whose name has become synonymous with “sex scandal,” is done keeping quiet. Unsurprisingly, given her experience, she has become more of a social activist in recent years. As a white woman whose affair with the then-President of the United States, Bill Clinton, was hyper-covered by the news and is constantly still brought up, she feels she has some level of social obligation to tackle issues of sexual harassment and assault. But the one thing everyone seems to forget about the “story” of Lewinsky and Clinton is the fact that although they had a consensual relationship, he was the freakin’ President and she was a 22-year-old intern. Obviously, the power dynamics were severely in his favor. (And didn’t Clinton have other things to worry about? War on drugs, anyone?)
On November 28, The Hill tweeted a headline that read, “HLN to revisit ‘The Monica Lewinsky Scandal’ with two-hour special.” Calling attention to the disturbing way her experience is often framed, Lewinsky replied with a screenshot correcting the headline to, “HLN to revisit The Starr Investigation/The Clinton Impeachment with a two-hour special.” She was so gracious in her shade that she even added, “fixed it for you. you’re welcome.”
The fact that literally decades after the fact, Monica Lewinsky’s name is still shorthand for this “scandal” is beyond misogynistic and just plain dumb. But of course, although people can’t recite all the many women that have accused Donald Trump of sexual harassment, everyone knows Lewinsky’s name. The misogyny and hypocrisy inherent in Lewinsky being the poster girl for sexual assault, at any time, but especially today, is horrific and needs to be addressed. So Lewinsky is taking upon her own fight to defend herself, her name, and holding news organizations to a higher standard than just “click bait.”
Header photo via Wikimedia Commons; second photo via Twitter/MonicaLewinsky
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