Much like Gretchen Mol, there were a lot of sneers, blind items and assumptions about Blake Lively’s relationship with Harvey Weinstein, and whether or not it was any way transactional. Blake wore Marchesa to several high-profile events over the years, which was always thought of as a way for a young actress to try to suck up to Weinstein (I know that’s a gross way of saying it, but it’s true). But really, Blake has never done a movie produced by Weinstein. They’ve participated in some events together – like a White House panel discussion/workshop in 2013 – but no one ever really knew what their relationship was behind-the-scenes. Many were expecting Blake to speak about Weinstein at some point, although AGAIN no one has to speak about Weinstein if they don’t want to. Blake agreed to take questions about Weinstein during a THR interview to promote her latest film, All I See Is You. When I say “take questions,” I mean… well, this sounds like she was given a statement to read and THR just transcribed it or something. Anyway, Blake never knew or heard about any of these stories.
“That was never my experience with Harvey in any way whatsoever, and I think that if people heard these stories … I do believe in humanity enough to think that this wouldn’t have just continued. I never heard any stories like this — I never heard anything specific — but it’s devastating to hear.”
“The number one thing that can happen is that people who share their stories, people have to listen to them and trust them, and people have to take it seriously. As important as it is to remain furious about this, it’s important to also say that this exists everywhere so remember to look everywhere. This isn’t a single incident. This cannot happen, this should not happen, and it happens in every single industry.”
“It happens to women all over the place, all the time, to the point where women don’t even think that this is a real assault. I’ve had plenty of things happen to me whether it be trying on a dress for prom at some clothing store, to a director being inappropriate, to a guy walking down the street where you don’t think, ‘Oh well, that wasn’t actually sexual assault — this guy just, like, grabbed my butt.’ It’s important that women are furious right now. It’s important that there is an uprising. It’s important that we don’t stand for this and that we don’t focus on one or two or three or four stories, it’s important that we focus on humanity in general and say, ‘This is unacceptable.'”
If we’re believing George Clooney, Glenn Close and Meryl Streep when they say they had no idea, I guess we should believe Blake when she says “I never heard any stories like this.” I like the caveat there though, because that tells a different story altogether: “I never heard any stories like this — I never heard anything specific…” Meaning, of course she heard *some* stories. Of course she heard that he believes in transactional relationships. Of course she heard that you should not go to his hotel room under any circumstance. But it seems like a wide swath of Hollywood was just like “Oh, that’s just Harvey being Harvey.” I also like what she says about women not even being able to process assault and harassment when it happens. That’s very true. There are so many instances where I look back days and weeks and even years later and I think, “Sh-t, what that guy did was so inappropriate” or “why did he feel he had the right to touch me?”
Also: in a separate interview, Blake talked about an experience she had making a film, and experiencing some really scary harassment from a male makeup artist. She repeatedly went to producers to ask them to intervene and they did nothing. The guy even filmed her as she slept. YIKES.
PS… Is it possible that she just, like, genuinely thought Marchesa gowns were pretty and stylish?? *mind blown*
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Sorry but I dont believe her nor all the other actresses/actors who have claimed they never heard/didnt know anything. Wenstein’s ‘fame’ was well known, even out of the movie world.
P.S. Georgina even designed her wedding gown, so she probably liked her stuff.
Just shows me that Blake and JLaw are still stockholmed. I’m sorry I don’t believe either of them.
I’m still flabbergasted that people are still posting here and cheerfully admitting to assuming that someone like Lawrence must have slept around to have got where she did, because she’s ‘mediocre’. It’s basically a public declaration that you’re a misogynist.
Same. Given HW’s complete and utter lack of discipline and self-awareness and the sheer number and shared characteristics of his victims, it’s practically impossible that Blake wasn’t one of his targets. She doesn’t have to admit it… but if she thinks this vague, carefully worded statement is just a “little white lie” that allows her to remain neutral she’s just wrong.
Hopefully both of you lovely ‘progressive’ ladies will remember that you said these things if or when any former boss, coworker, teacher, friend, partner, or relative of yours gets exposed as a sex offender or woman-beater, and won’t cry to other liberals and feminists about not getting any of the things you weren’t willing to show other women who were in your situation. You knew, he did it to you, and if your lips are moving to say otherwise then clearly you’re lying, because you have vaginas. You have Stockholm syndrome.
Cosby didn’t drug and rape every woman he worked with. Woody Allen didn’t sexually assault all of his children.
Just as I believe her when she described the creepy behavior of the makeup artist who did harass her, I believe her when she said she wasn’t harassed by Harvey. I am not saying you are implying this, but people who insist on not believing her or others seem to imply that there is not way she would have gotten whatever success without sleeping with him.
Agree.
I’ve said this from the very beginning in the first days of this scandal: I do not believe Clooney, Lawrence, Affleck, or Damon. I don’t even believe Streep, but she’s old enough and so established as the Queen Bee of Hollywood, that I believe she wasn’t a victim and turned a blind eye to the nastiness that she did not have to deal with.
There are some actors I believe may have not known very much or simply heard vague rumors, those who might not be as entrenched in daily Hollywood business such as Colin Firth or Judi Dench. But yeah, Blake Lively? I’m going to add her name along with Clooney, Lawrence, Affleck, and Damon of actors I believe had knowledge of what was going on with Weinstein, and are lying to distance themselves as much as possible and cover their tracks.
It’s even more unbelievable when you have so many more A-list and award winning actresses coming forward saying they were harassed or assaulted by Weinstein – actresses that were born into powerful families in the business such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, and Léa Seydoux. If they were assaulted or said that everyone around Weinstein saw and knew what he was doing, I don’t believe for a second when I read a statement like Lively’s stating that she never heard any stories. Even if she wasn’t assaulted by Weinstein, I believe she heard stories.
She has the right to state whatever she wants and deny, just as any other actor or actress. That doesn’t mean I have to believe them.
Also, going to add this: I agree with all of you who are bringing up Woody Allen. It is very telling that many of the actors and actresses who work with and support Allen and Polanski are the same people stating they knew nothing about Weinstein. Maybe they only hear what they want to hear and block out the reality as much as possible in order to justify working with these rapists and pedophiles.
Kibbles, have you read what Gretchen Mol said? That might make you change your mind about how ‘everyone knew’.
Kibble
A little louder for the people in the back.
Unfortunately, there is complicity going on and that has to stop. The lesson from here out has to be courage to stop the other Harveys and support the victims before all else.
Wren
Just to make a personal distinction, I 100% believe anyone who says he or she was or was not abused but I take it on a case by case basis as to whether or not to believe knowledge of Weinstein’s seriel abuse.
I think that part is tripping some people up and I wish they would leave that part out sometimes. Meryl Streep probably didn’t know much, but I think it is when someone says I knew nothing that is where the side eyes come. Not about the victims or IF someone was assaulted but not knowing anything is hard. Not blaming or even accusing them of being complicit or anything that dramatic.
It seems people have two different arguments and the reactions are mixing them up. One is the complicit crowd, and the other is just simply they had to know but goes no further.
Magnolia
You win everything. Seriously, reading comprehension is everything. You’ve restored my faith in humanity yet again.
@Enough Already
My views keep evolving, and I had to get the opinions of my homegirls on this issue, and one of them said she wouldn’t accept lying about knowing anything, and she is ticking some people off her “support their projects” list. She is a feminist, but she has no time for mealy answers, and she is that way about everything, a bit like Charlize in her ways. Another said it is no different from saying BS nothings after mass shootings. No one said blame the victim or that anyone has to give a personal account but to say they heard nothing is siding with the predator and minimizing the scope of his damage. Then another said it would be better just to applaud the brave ones, but we shouldn’t leave them to do all the heavy lifting. Another was telling all sorts of stuff about Harvey and feels they should rip the whole lid off and put skeeves on notice. As long as there is no victim shaming, then it is not reasonable that we would all think alike.
I am coming to terms that I have been sexually harassed by men in power positions far more than I ever admitted to myself. Every woman I know is recalling buried things.
Anyway, I am glad I could hear you. I mean being Russian cousins and all. 😉
Magnoliarose
What you’re saying is so important. I’ve been thinking about all of this nearly non-stop all week and talking to friends, family and acquaintances about it. Weinstein and others like him are the abusers and the only ones to blame for the abuse. Their victims need our unconditional sympathy and support. Everything and everything else deserves and will get my scrutiny because it is so so important that we not only nail the abuser but that we change the culture that alliws him to repeatedly sexually assault and harass others. It’s easy to focus on *just* the Weinstein’s and Rose McGowans of the world. Everyone gives their condemnation and/or support and eventually life goes on. And more women are assaulted. I’d rather ask much harder questions about the see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil environment that breeds a Weinstein or a Cosby. I want to know why we’re not supposed to examine Blake Lively’s barometer when she praises Woody Allen for empowering women. I want to look at ways in which Hollywood let this monster thrive for the sake of box office gold and Oscar nominations, leaving a trail of broken women in its wake. I don’t care if it’s a man or a woman – this is too important a topic for me to play feminist footsy and let the little things slide in the bigger conversation. And I’m tired of being told that unless I just focus on the main issue I’m a misogynist. I’m wearing my big girl pants and I have no problem multitasking. I draw the line at refusing to believe someone when she says she was not a victim but denying knowledge of Weinstein’s abuse is just too much for me to
It is heartbreaking that all of this was a trigger for you and so many others. In my heart I wonder where it all end – when will women ever be safe and fully, truly equal…
I don’t know but I’ll keep fighting. i’ve spoken with my sisters and we’re going to request a meeting with the guidance counselor at my niece’s school to see if an anonymous message delivery system can be added to the school website. No student should let fear of reprisal/discovery prevent him/her from sharing any information they may have about on-campus harrassment or abuse. Shalom.
Thank you for your sentiment. 🙂 My husband has been just the sweetest man, and he organized a Mama Appreciation day lol. The rules are I can’t do anything for anyone, and they take care of everything like cooking and the pets and bath time, naps, getting the school kids ready for the week, grocery shopping, etc. My kids are taking it very seriously. Lol, My toddler will come in “time for hug” and then 2 minutes later “time for hug.”
But it is hard not to take over and keep reminding them not to run, be careful on the stairs and now I am anxious because they are prepping dinner to grill. A part of me wishes I could tuck them away and protect them forever.
The scandal has been triggering, but it is long overdue to face the truth about our society. I am not satisfied with just considering the lechers I want to dismantle the collusion in our culture that allows this infection to fester. Watching my children all day with their innocence just makes me more determined to do something. I want the world to be better for them and their generation.
I was lucky that I escaped much of the worst things that happen to women and some men in my field, but it is everywhere. At least I had options and choices some people don’t. But I wasn’t just feeling bad for me, for all the women who are going through this now and whose dreams were crushed just like their spirits.
Asia is someone I follow on Twitter, and she posted a photo of her younger self with the caption about that was her before Harvey. She also posted that two other men who were abusive to her must be going crazy right now.
I don’t know why so many people are calling any woman who says they weren’t victimized liars. It’s disturbing. Predators don’t go after ever single person they meet. Also nobody knows know what people knew. Rumors they heard could have been he tries to date actresses, make passes at them. That’s completely different than sexual assault and rape.
This. Me too. I find it incredible that they have the audacity to say they’ve never heard of the stories or they’re not aware of the stories. The devil in me says, they haven’t ‘heard’ because they were part of the stories in terms of wilful blindness and/or complicity. But that’s just the skeptical devil/bitch in me that thinks that.
This just shows how even more insidious behavior like Weinstein’s is: in addition to the actual assaults and the repercussions for the women directly involved, it feeds the disgusting narrative that even women who weren’t involved are somehow guilty or hiding something, or were somehow complicit in his schemes. It misses the larger point of how to address the abuses of power and protect actual victims.
that marchesa gown is one of the ugliest things i’ve ever seen ever. the dress in the second pic is a chanel, and in fact much prettier.
as for what blake says, i said it before, i’m sure some of these actresses who do not know might in fact know and also have been harassed themselves. nevertheless, they do not owe it anybody to talk about it if they do not feel comfortable with it. i’m happy to support those women who are speaking, and have lots of sympathy for those who do not. i’m not lively’s biggest fan, but in her statement she’s highlighting how important it is to believe these women, and that’s good enough for me.
Exactly, She choose to speak out in support of his victims and that’s all that counts.
Thank you, ell, ITA.
And with that I think this will be the first and last HW thread I click on today, for my own mental and emotional health.
@Kitten
Just to say I ❤💗 your comments in that cluster**** of a JLaw/Weinstein thread, where all Jennifer’s ‘sins’ were whipped out, to ‘confirm’ she was lying.
You, Erinn and I-Choose-Me are always on point. On that note I’m following you outta here.👍
Oh thank you, Amide!
I’m flattered to be included in the same company as Erinn and I Choose Me, who are also two of my favorites around here. 🙂
The comments on here are quite measured compared to some other sites, so I understand your frustration Kitten.
For those of you here but burned out on bad Hollywood news, there’s an amazing story in the latimes of an older couple who survived the north bay fires in their neighbors pool. And it’s a love story. ❤️
@Kitten
I -against my better judgement- read the thread about Ben when I got home from work. I wanted to puke. I was only on my phone so I didn’t bother jumping into the comments but holy shitballs, man. Thanks to you, paranormalgirl and others for attempting to put some good out there. Long live common sense, and death to the internalized and ‘unintentional’ misogyny that was coming out of a site that I normally see as very progressive. I think I’m going to have to take a bit of a step back for a while, but knowing me, I’ll be commenting anyway while banging my head against my keyboard. I get why some people don’t see how they might not be part of the solution. I was in my first year of university about 9 years ago – and it was the first time that I’ve ever really started to grasp just how important feminism was and how much work we still needed to do. Even in the last couple years I’ve had to make a continued effort to rewire the way I say certain things and think about certain things because it can absolutely be problematic without even realizing it. Working in tech in a male dominated office of substandard workers and a good handful of jerks has continued to show me how much of a mess the world is. I had a conversation with my dad last weekend about how there’s so much in the world that sets women up to fail, and that no matter how hard I work, and how good I am at my job – there are a bunch of dudes who put in minimal effort and cheat company hours who will be getting paid the same (in some cases more) and be getting the same kind of opportunities that I am. I also had a conversation with my husband (who works construction – in a lot of ways the guys in my tech office are worse than construction workers) and explained to him that as one of the ‘good ones’ he needs to start taking a look at certain things that are said or done by guys he has a personal relationship with and call it out. I’m not expecting him to throw down over it – he’s incredibly sweet and good natured and has a MUCH more mellow temperament than I (who HAS challenged full grown men to duke it out if they wanted to act like women are weaker) do – but I do expect him to at least call out when things are inappropriate, or if he sees something happen involving a woman to check on her/be ready to diffuse things/support her with any necessary HR or police type things. And he’s always been aware that the world is a mess for women – but the more and more we talk about things like HW the more he’s realizing that just because he has good intentions there’s a lot of people who don’t, and he has to look at things with a slightly different perspective. He’s never felt unsafe when a strange man shows up somewhere where he’s isolated, or unfamiliar with – he’s never had to hold keys in his fists just to walk back from class at night. ‘Little things’ that he’s never had to think about are things that women have always had to worry about. Anyway, ramblings aside, I adore your presence here, lady. I feel like I’ve genuinely grown as a person in the last 6 years or so that I’ve been kicking around by reading your take on issues that I don’t have a direct personal experience with because I’ve grown up in small town Canada. You da best <3
@Amide – thank you 😀 I appreciate hearing(reading) that! I try to do what I can to separate emotion from facts/laws as much as I can – eveeeennnn when I can't stand a specific celebrity. Hell, I just went on a rant this morning while getting ready for work to my husband about how Jake Paul (youtuber most people hate -sometimes for good reason, sometimes for sport) isn't nearly as bad as some of the people who are ripping on him. There's a lot of mob mentality (that I fall into occasionally, we're all human) that happens, and I find I'm often on a differing opinion than a lot of posters because of all the gray areas that need to be considered. Not sure if you'll see this because you said you're taking off from this cluster—- but if you do, keep on fighting the good fight <3
Agreed. I want to remind everyone that there is a ‘report this comment as spam or abuse’ button that can deal with the most disgusting of the comments. We’re going to be needing it.
Yeah, gonna see my last patient and head off to the Islands for a few days away from this. It’s all so mean and nasty and I thank the goddess for my sisters-in-support. You guys know who you are.
You guys on this thread have been on fire through this Weinstein mess. Please accept all the awe and support from this humble longtime lurker.
As long as women aren’t pulling a Donna Karan (I won’t even include Lindsay Lohan who is not all there) and blaming women for this or defending Harvey and calling his accusers liars, I’m ok with them saying he didn’t abuse them or they didn’t know.
What really bugged me about Donna Karan was that sick grin she kept flashing. It was scary and exhibited inappropriate affect for the situation,
surely she and Woody Allen discussed it over dinner at least once, right? Disgusting.
And Rose Mcgowan must have discussed Victor Salva’s crimes before she defended him passionately in print, right, before she rightly called out Weinstein.
Unless McGowan says she did not know about Salva this is a false equivalency. I don’t believe Lively.
My thoughts exactly. See no, speak no, hear no evil. Much like Kellyanne Conway, she appears to live in a world of alternate facts. Dumb vanilla cupcake.
I simply have a problem with this sentence:
“I do believe in humanity enough to think that this wouldn’t have just continued.”
GIRL! THAT’S THE ACTUAL SCANDAL HERE. Blake consistently misses the mark when there’s something important to say.
To be fair, Blake is as dumb as a box of hair.
I didn’t like that sentence either, to tell you the truth. It does sound as if she is saying “well if things were really that bad, I can’t believe people would allow them to go on as long as they did.” That’s just MY interpretation of that line, though.
@Moon beam – I don’t think that’s how she meant it to come off. I think she was trying to add a dose of positivity, but as I said, missed the mark.
RIght? Woody and Weinstein…
Maybe she is just too traumatized right now…but I don’t believe her. She has a right to keep her shit to herself, but maybe stop now working with predators?
All of these comments about “not believing them” are making me a bit nauseous. That’s exactly the same response women who have been assaulted often face.
I am quite sure there is some serious *ss covering strategies being formulated in Hollywood right now. And there will be people who lie, for whatever their reasons might be. But I think it’s worth taking a step back and considering that having a knee-jerk blanket “oh, he/she is lying” response comes from the exact same place as the people who don’t believe victims.
Yea, I get that. It’s just my opinion that Blake and Jennifer are recent actresses in the HW web. Maybe it’s just too fresh for them, too painful. Women who are coming out have had years to process this stuff. Blake and Jennifer are peak now. Maybe they feel it would ruin their careers? I don’t know, it just doesn’t ring true after all we have heard…
Yet Blake Lively has never worked for Weinstein…
Again, no one alleging abuse should be doubted. Ever. But I’ll side-eye the hell out of anyone in the Hollywood A list club who claims ignorance of Weinstein’s abuse over the years. And I’ll do it without feeling bad about it. When an A lster says “Oh gee, I never heard a thing.” It makes the victims look delusional. That’s not okay.
It’s not painting victims as delusional. (although, ironically, a victim being painted as delusional is always perfectly fine with some if she either says she wasn’t a victim of one particular thing, or if it’s a starlet whose personal choices as an adult are disagreed with). A person can start off unaware about a sex offender (or woman-beater) and admit that they didn’t know about it but still support victims when they come forward without portraying them as crazy or lying.
@Felicia: Yeah, it’s disgusting and hypocritical, because you know none of the commenters trying to force that narrative on Jennifer Lawrence, Gretchen Mol, Blake Lively, or anyone else would be ok with someone doing this to them if any of these ladies commenting were ever to, god forbid, later on find out that a past or present employer, coworker, partner, friend, teacher, or relative was a sex offender.
Otaku
Are you even listening? You are so invested in your own narrative that you’re denying the dynamics of abuse allegations. When high profile men are accused of misconduct, assault or rape the first thing reporters do is question the most powerful people in his circle. The more those people say they weren’t aware or worse, that the abuser is actually a great guy, the more quickly the victim is condemned in the court of popular opinion. It’s wrong and unfair and it doesn’t mean the friends and acquaintances are lying but this is what happens. Every. Single. Time.
@Enough Already: I agree that saying anything like “He’s a great guy” is a harmful response any time someone comes forward about someone else abusing them. So far, only one celebrity has said anything along the lines of that and it was Lindsay Lohan- someone who shouldn’t, and most likely won’t be taken seriously as a valid character reference for Harvey Weinstein. I even agree that those who did know shouldn’t be lying and saying they didn’t. (Rose McGowan has called out the ones she knows to be lying already). But are those who didn’t know supposed to say that they did? There are misogynists who could see a thousand women come forward and still accuse them all of lying.
Otaku
There’s no way they’re all lying. I believe Blake is lying about knowing. She’s pronlematic for me in this regard. With all of the Weinstein/Lively rumors that have been swirling the one little bright spot is to have it confirmed that she was never his victim. But her Hollywood status, support of Woody Allen, her rumored determination to never be near or work with Weinstein after word got back to her that he wanted her, friendship with Cara Delevigne and close, professional relationship to other A-listers working on anti-sexual assault campaigns for children all leave me with the opinion that she absolutely knew.
When did she that his victims are delusional? She said she hadn’t heard those rumors and then proceeded to side with his victims and talk about how this sort of behavior is rampant. She believes them, she never said otherwise.
Blake didn’t. Blake didn’t work with Harvey & said didn’t hear that about him. I’m not sure why were dragging every woman who makes this statement. People can be problematic, she’s worked with Woody Allen, but also not had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein.🤦🤦 It’s unreal. What’s important is she’s supporting the victims of Harvey. I think we need to focus on that.
Oh shut up, Blake.
Dunno what to make if this either, whilst I do find it appalling that some of us seem to be so much harsher on the women than on the true villain here Weinstein and the power complex that allowed his abuse to go unchecked for decades. I also know that predators often choose thier victims for various reasons known only to them do yes it is possible that not everyone in thier path is subject to thier behavior so I wil give actresses the benefit of the doubt when they say they never experienced any harassment
That being said whilst I can believe that those like Lively who say they were never harassed, and I believe the celebs who said they heard vague rumors weinstein was a dog etc but didn’t know the extent of his behavior what I find it really hard to believe is people like Lively who said she has NEVER heard any stories. That doesn’t make one a misogynist or whatever cuz frankly I don’t believe men like Matt Damon and Affleck who feigned ignorance either
I agree that there is a lot of victim shaming and internalized misogyny on these threads but the thinking that women can’t be criticized or doubted or held under the same microscope as men isn’t feminism either
Except that’s not what she said. She said she never heard anything specific. Specific being the key word in her statement.
And considering the fact that she’s never directly worked with Harvey, I have zero reason to assume she’s lying.
@miles
From the article verbatim ” I never heard any stories like this ” she then goes on to say “I never heard anything specific — but it’s devastating to hear.”
Like I said I believe celebs who say they weren’t harassed, that they heard Harvey was a philanderer / dog but never knew the extent but to say one has NEVER heard any stories ? I really don’t know what to make of it when I don’t even live in the USA and is as far removed from that world as one can imagine and I have heard /read whispers about Harvey for quite some time
Why is it ok to doubt the men as feigning ignorance but not a woman ?
With all due respect, you are making the assumption that Blake Lively knew or heard about stories that Harvey was raping/assaulting women. That’s the question she was asked. She wasn’t asked about the gossip that has surrounded Harvey. That’s why she says I never heard stories like this aka she’s never heard stories about him raping someone. That’s the situation that these people are being asked about. They’re not being asked about whether they knew harvey was a dog or not because that’s not where the situation has gone. It’s escalated to rape, assault, harassment etc
There’s no reason for me not to believe that she didn’t know about him assaulting and raping women. Even the majority of us, who follow this gossip closely didn’t know it was this bad.
And I think the same way about George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence etc Hearing rumors that Harvey was acting like a dog isn’t the same as hearing “Harvey raped a women.”
Exactly where does it say she was ” specifically ” asked ONLY about rape and assault ? The article says that she was asked about the scandal which includes all of weinsteins inappropriate behavior not just the extremes .Verbatim from the article “Lively agreed to discuss the Weinstein scandal. While she says that she did not hear any rumors regarding his alleged patterns of misconduct, she hopes people know this story isn’t unique to Hollywood. ”
Believe she wasn’t assaulted, believe she didn’t know the extent of it but the NEVER is a stretch for me.
There are several threads here Of posters lambasting men that they knew , why is it wrong to at least doubt her on that part
Agree. She’s a rare mix of calculating and dumb. If there was an envelope opening she would make a public comment just to involve herself and get press and attention.
Stupid woman. Her husband is the same imo. That’s why they’re perfect for each other.
I don’t know why it matters if she’s believed or not. She not powerful enough to have called him out on it. I’ve been a lowly employee in a very large organisation that had awful treatment of women. I could do nothing about it except leave. Sometimes you really are too powerless to make changes, even if she did know.
Cos she was considered Harvey’s girl. There has been so many rumours about her and him… It’s weird. Maybe she only heard that women sleep with him. Like it’s a normal thing. Dunno but i never liked her. There’s sth wrong and my instincts are pretty accurate.
But what if the rumours were wrong? Surely in the shit storm of all of this rumours can be wrong? I worked for a serial harrasser once and he never laid a finger on me. Doesn’t mean I wasn’t the subject of rumours. I honestly am surprised anyone thinks she can any ability to call him out or stop it if she was aware.
So a woman says she was assaulted. We have to believe her. A woman makes a different statement about assaults. We call her a liar. I must go and try and absorb that double standard.
Yet she never actually did a film for Weinstein, according to this article.
Well, if some random people said she banged Harvey, it must be true!! You clearly very much want to believe she’s his side piece/enabler so there’s really nothing she could say that would make you happy. My question is why are so many people obsessed with blaming every woman in Hollywood for Harvey’s predatory behavior? When are we going to stop demanding that women babysit adult men?
I have more of an issue with her website trying to make the slavery era look cool. She is more than complicit there and cannot plead ignorance on that.
Oh Blake. Yes. You just keep claiming to not know about Weinstein & defending Woody Allen at your antebellum parties in your Marchesa outfits. Sit down. The grown ups are talking.
Sit down Blake. Fake eat a cupcake and hush
@mostlymegan – ha! Funny!
@pedro45 – please don’t assume I’m “infantizing women I don’t like”. I say that to men whose views offend me too.
@marny – one of the things I like about this site is most people can have debates without name- calling. You may wish to refrain from calling people rude and instead stick to your point – it may be taken more seriously.
Where does she defend Weinstein?
It’s incredibly rude (and also ironic, in this context) to tell a woman to sit down and stop talking.
Can we not infantilize women we don’t like by literally calling them children and telling them to shut up?
I often saw her name mentioned in rumors about him, and am shocked to learn she never did a film with his company. Insane that someone who never even worked with him was talked about in that way.
Every young blonde actress with “lack of talent” had to sleep with Weinstein according to internet rumours. Especially if she was dating internet boyfriends. – Internalised misogyny at its worst. – Same with Lawrence (made only one movie with him after she already was famous), Vikander, and whoever else rubbs people (women) the wrong way.
@Anatha
Yup. Include Vikander on that list.
She has been dissed with no proof. And u just know the carnage and slurs – err ‘facts’ – that will ensue if Vikander says anything.
Yep. Only it’s not just young blonde actresses. Unfortunately, just about every famous woman and teenage girl who’s an actress, singer, rapper, or model seems to get the “fucked/ was “passed around” her way to the top” rumors at some point in her career. There’s almost no woman who’s been famous in my short lifetime who hasn’t been accused of that. These famous women and girls are so damn used to seeing themselves and other women and girls in the industry being accused of this.
Feel free to use the report button when you see people doing that, because it’s part of the problem.
@ Otaku Fairy – Your comment is correct and depressing.
It’s exhausting to see so many men and women claim it was somehow women like Blake’s responsibility to supervise every man in Hollywood. Which of course means that Harvey is not 100% to blame for what he did, because his babysitters dropped the ball.
She does pull off marchesa without looking cheesy honestly. I would love to see her wedding gown.
She makes some good points here. The only industry i didn’t deal with this was banking, but I did see it happening to others there. You don’t even need to go to work though it happens in the home it’s all the same intention from the abusers no matter the setting. It is very nice to see all the high profile A list men plus Obama and Hilary speaking out about it, (even if hypocritical) because that’s an important part of changing society. But no directors yet, right?
I definitely saw it in investment banking, it was just…more sly and aware at the same time. Plus when you work 80+ hours a week and have no life outside of work, things happen that are extremely abusive. I think that is true whether hollywood or medicine or banking.
Private equity and hedge funds also absolutely have awful harassment, people take it because the pay is insane and yup, you sign ironclad NDAs at the start of employment.
Yep. Finance world has some of the worst but it’s well hidden which makes it more damaging. At least in Hollywood it was discussed, people could talk to a colleague etc. In finance or any similar industry, you can’t do that, you’re alone on an island of torment.
@ Lee, i was responding to Mannori, didn’t read your comment yet when i made mine.
blake possibly sending nudes to BA is completely irrelevant to any of this, the fact she defended allen otoh, IS relevant and it’s something we can discuss.
And again, by post #2 the woman is slammed.
I have issues, big issues, with Blake being supportive of Woody Allen. But the Affleck stuff is just rumors, and haven’t we learned that those aren’t always true?
Exactly. Even to speak up and say she didn’t know but that she is supportive of the victims and wants to use it to start a larger discussion. If that’s not ok to say, what is? (See comments: shut up Blake, have a seat Blake, MORE speculation of Blake’s sexual history.. its victim bisming 101.)
how is the affleck stuff just rumor? he’s apologized for groping at least one woman.
I think she meant the rumors that Lively and Affleck had an affair during “The Town” and/or Lively’s nudes possibly being found and leaked by Garner.
Lol, seriously I never expected anything different from Blake.
Exactly. She supports Woody. Enough said.
Yes, it isn’t surprising at all. I guess we can leave it at that. Lol.
@Miles
You can practically see the salivation already. You know this is is going to go EXACTLY like the JLaw thread.🙊
I don’t see anything wrong with what she’s saying here. At all. Guess that makes me a Weinstein apologist or something?
I agree. She’s saying it didn’t happen to her, but we have a responsibility to believe and support these women.
At this point, it’s becoming difficult for us to believe the women who say it didn’t happen, because there are SO many that experienced the assault or harassment. That doesn’t mean these women are lying about their experience, and we need to trust them. We can’t just trust the words of the women that fit the narrative. Trusting women in situations like this means trusting all of them-those who were assaulted, those who were harassed, and those who thought Harvey was just kind of a handsy douche who wouldn’t actually DO anything.
but even if they’re lying because they don’t feel comfortable sharing with the whole world, that shouldn’t matter. this is a point i wish more people would get. let’s support those women who are talking, while understanding that not everyone feels like sharing. it’s important.
Yes absolutely, LizLemon and ell.
@ell
Thank you for saying that. That is what I keep saying. Some of these women are forced to lie because their silence won’t be accepted and they have to say something. But it isn’t their fault that they have to do that to save their reputations and careers.
The risk for them is that they must know some jerk is going to dig, but they are brave enough to take that chance. It IS difficult sometimes when these statements conflict with things they have said previously to reputable outlets or other contrary evidence that exists, but I refuse to get into that and start down the deflection road, and I don’t want to add fodder to attempts to make the women at fault.
I won’t lie and deny a part of me cringes and wishes wording is sometimes better but at the end that doesn’t matter much either.
Harvey is to blame. Period
ell- Absolutely. Even if they aren’t coming out with stories of being harassed/assaulted by Harvey, I’m still not going to come after them for it. Maybe they think their career will be questioned and invalidated. Maybe they are embarrassed or ashamed. You never know. As long as they are supporting his victims not defending him, I’m not judging. Plus maybe there were mitigating circumstances as to why Harvey didn’t target certain women. We just don’t know.
Well said, Liz.
Yup, what ell (and fortunately others) said. As long as people believe the victims, acknowledge the larger problem and weren’t part of the problem themselves (Affleck, Damon etc.) I’m good.
Blake Lively’s defense of Woody Allen is problematic to me, but this is a pretty good statement.
I agree. I think it’s a good statement. I like what she says about harassment not even registering as harassment sometimes because we’re so used to it. I think that’s true.
Sadly, you you didn’t have to wait long. I’m really sick of this. Stop blaming women for Harvey Weinstein. It’s not Georgina’s fault or Hillary’s fault or Blake’s fault — it’s his. We’re not going to change rape culture like this.
It’s the same commenters too that literally refuse to believe any of these women. It’s super f*cked-up.
Seriously. I’m so disappointed in some of the people here. Some of whom I used to really appreciate.
CB can close the comments section as far as I’m concerned.
Thanks Pedro, Kitten, + Diana. Keep speaking up, it’s not right and they deserve to be called out. Put your blame where it belongs: Harvey Weinstein and those in power around him.
You have to look at who the commenters are Kitten. Somehow they think questioning these women isn’t misogynistic, that it’s okay, that it isn’t an attack on women. I’m not sure how they reconcile it with themselves but okay. I don’t see it. No one is responsible for Harvey but Harvey. He wielded a lot of power, to ignore it and argue that the actors & actresses were complicit is very naive. He could destroy your career. No one but the board knew about the assaults and even they weren’t supposed to fire him. They are going to be sued because as long as Harvey reimbursed him for every settlement they paid, they couldn’t fire him. How messed up is that? He had that much power. Everyone needs to take a seat & SHUT up with this complicit argument especially against Georgina, Jennifer Garner…it’s deeply troubling.
Indeed.
They call it “internalized” misogyny for a reason–these women don’t see that they are being misogynistic so their reaction is to double down. Sad to see.
I also wonder how many of these commenters claiming *everyone knew and these women did too and how could they continue to work with and support this dude etc* actually boycotted Weinstein’s films and tv shows. I mean, these commenters *KNEW* about Weinstein “for decades” so obviously they never watched South Paw, MacBeth, Silver Linings Playbook, Project Runway, Django, The Fighter and on and on…
I think that’s a valid question to pose because if every actress who supported Weinstein while “knowing” the rumors is somehow “complicit” then isn’t every person who paid money to watch a Weinstein film while knowing what he did also complicit? I mean, if we’re being fair here surely we can admit that Weinstein wouldn’t have kept his job if he wasn’t bringing people to the theater so….
Please, I was “schooled” on what misogyny was. Like I, as a women who have lived 52 years on this planet, more than half of which were spent in the psychiatry field (having had my fair share of abuse, harassing, and downright insulting experiences while in med school and during my residency), would have no idea what it meant and would need it explained to me by someone who is engaging in their own internal misogynistic behavior. Yes, that sentence kind of sprinted out of control.
I don’t see any posters defending Harvey, and not sure where you see posters claiming a woman is responsible for his horrible behavior. That’s not at all the same as being skeptical that someone like Blake Lively hadn’t heard the rumors. Surely we’re allowed to believe a myriad of things-he raped women, he coerced women, he is a horrible person. And surely there are women out there who are scared/embarrassed/private and don’t want to announce that this happened to them. There could even be women who “benefited” from his abuse and say that they never saw/heard anything. I feel sorry for any woman in his orbit-and they don’t owe it to any of us to come forward.
Well said. The same commenters keep insisting that any criticism of anyone other than Weinstein us misogyny. Literally no one has blamed anyone other than Weinstein for Weinstein’s abuse.
Definition of complicit : helping to commit a crime or do wrong in some way.
Some of the commenters here have said multiple times that J Law, Georgina Chapman, Blake Lively and other actresses are COMPLICIT in Harvey’s sexual assaults. They have also said that Jen Garner is complicit in her husband’s behavior; that she attempted to cover it up or spin Affleck’s public image to create the veneer of a good family man.
That is quite literally saying that they helped Harvey to commit his assaults and yes, that is 100% BLAMING a woman for Weinstein’s behavior–no two ways about it.
@Kitten: okay, let me rephrase: any RATIONAL posters saying that other women are complicit in Harvey’s actions. Really, arguing with people who think Jennifer Garner/Georgina Chapman are to blame for him are like arguing with people who believe Obama was born in Kenya.
Oh that’s rich enough already…you argued for hours about what Georgina Chapman had to know the other day because 8 settlements were paid out and how she’s not doing the right thing. Those 8 settlements had NDAs attached to them, meaning no one but the board knew about them. No one. Oh and Rose McGowan breaking the NDA, while very brave, will cost her and probably ruin her career going forward. So yes…you did accuse Georgina Chapman of something & hold her accountable of knowing about Weinstein being a predator because of these settlements. Again when they’re attached to NDA’s no one outside of the company would know about them. The only thing Georgina could have possibly known about was her husband was a cheater. I’m so tired of this nonsense. She is not responsible for Weinstein. I do not care what her reasons were for marrying him, I don’t care if she married him for money or if she married him to get access to the stars. This doesn’t mean squat to me. When you make thin, silly arguments that she had to know based on settlements I’m going to hit back every time. Unless you show me evidence she saw something she didn’t report, shut up & sit down. And we need to stop holding Jennifer Garner responsible for Ben Affleck, too. He’s been trouble from day one. She fell in love and had kids with a drug addict, she tried to make a partnership out of that and I doubt she would ignore harassment and assault. She is not responsible for him, nor is she complicit.
@Purplehazeforever: you have me confused with another poster. I never argued anything about Georgina Chapman.
Despite your rudeness I will not “shut up and sit down”. Weinstein gets my hatred, the victims get my support and everything else gets my scrutiny. I will form my opinions based on what I hear and read. If you don’t like opinions different from your own or freedom of expression then you are on the wrong site. I also think it’s time you stop addressing me personally. You are becoming vitriolic and there are rules against that.
@Enough Already-huh? I think your post is in the wrong spot.
@Cynical
My comment is for Purple ^
“I never heard and if people knew this would not have continued due to humanity…” Its a very naive statement in general.
People knew, look at all the people with power coming out: Angelina, Brad, Gwenyth, etc. In their early career they didn’t have power, but they sure as hell do now… and they still couldn’t stop it. Very naive.
That comment struck me as well. Lots of people did know and it did continue. I don’t fault her for her statement and am not here to attack her, but just in general that sentiment is not very helpful.
I didn’t like that statement either. I mean look at the Catholic church for starters. Lots of cover ups occur in all different kinds of places. It doesn’t mean people didn’t speak up or talk about it, it just means they were quickly hushed up.
She seems naive in general (glamorizing Southern antebellum lifestyle, for example, and not realizing that seems out of touch and pro-slavery rather than *just* as she thought, pro Scarlett o’Hara)
I think defending Woody Allen is relevant here – an example of ignoring “rumours” of sexual predation when it is convenient for your career is how HW was able to get away with these crimes for so long.
However sending nude pictures to a consenting adult does not equate complicity or knowledge of completely separate acts of harassment or assault.
EDIT: the original post I responded to, about rumours of sending photos to BA was taken down. Hopefully the poster learned the error of that thinking!
I agree. Also her ignorance on her crappy website promoting anti bellum things as if it didn’t happen during slavery is hard to ignore as well.
This.
FYI everyone: It is ante bellum and not anti bellum.
I work in a really famous telenovela company here in México, but my work is mostly in an office and I honestly I don’t believe this Hollywood actors never heard about this kind of behavior. It’s hard not to know. People always gossip about things like this.
Sandra Bullock wore a white Marchesa gown the year she won her Oscar and she was stunning.
Kerry Washington, Nicole Kidman are among many with Marchesa red carpet appearances.
So is Behati Prinsloo, who also wore them for her wedding dress.
Marchesa has actually had some beautiful red carpet moments. Blake wore it because she liked it, and probably liked Georgina.
Jessica Alba wore a pretty Marchesa gown when she was pregnant.
At this point, so many people have spoken out that it couldn’t possibly damage Blake if she did too, so I believe her. I think she, like everyone else, probably knew Harvey was a bully who went after young actresses, but didn’t realise the extent of it.
I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts yesterday, the slate culture gabfest, and they asked their film writer (Julia?) to comment on this. She said that she covers film and tv, goes to film festivals etc, but lives on the east coast and had never heard a single thing about Harvey. I believe her, so it really is possible that people who have a lot to do with the industry didn’t know.
I think it’s easy to say ‘Well, we all knew here at Celebitchy, so why didn’t Blake Lively or Meryl Streep?”, but I wouldn’t even know who Harvey was if I didn’t come on Celebitchy. We really get down in the weeds with celeb gossip here, (which I love!) but I think it’s sometimes easy to forget that we are a minority.
When she was hanging with him, there were pap pics of one of the meetings and Penn Badgley was with her. It’s possible she always brought someone when he wanted a one-on-one.
I don’t know why she in particular gets shit for not addressing woody allens past (and I guess his history with his current wife) while literally campaigning for the movie she did for him. No other star has addressed his shit while campaigning for him either and she’s almost the lowest ranked of stars who did his movies (except timberlake 😉 ). Frankly he does have empowering roles for women, maybe not the most empowering ever but probably above Rom coms and soaps and when there were few art films popular and lots of rom coms in the us his female characters were closer to the most interesting even if not as special in today’s climate. Him being a pedo rapist doesn’t mean his roles and directing skills aren’t “empowering for women.”
no.
Yikes.
Nope. I can’t support her on that one. She chose to say some stupid crap, so that is on her.
One of my pet peeves is when people use Jewish causes to score points with us. Not because of empathy but to kiss up to a powerful Jewish person. It is like calling out slavery to score points with powerful black people or bringing up Matthew Sheppard to score points with a powerful gay person. Unless we are discussing those issues or it is relevant our tragedy isn’t yours to use for PR. She did this, and it upset me so much I still have to struggle to be fair to her.
But on this I know I am right regardless.
So your saying you can beat, rape, molest, assault women, but as long as you write empowering roles for women it’s ok??
What the f*ck, I can’t I just can’t with this comment.
Im not saying there’s no value to refusing to work with woody Allen due to him (most likely) being a child rapist. But almost no one refuses to work with him, and those who haven’t worked with him (like I think brad and gwyn for example?) almost none of them have Said “by the way I’ll never work with WA because he’s awful and disgusting.” She worked with him for her own career and was upfront that he empowered her in her career. I don’t see how it’s more noble to be silent while still getting paid, than be clear that he’s a good director. Obviously everyone else working for him also thinks he’s a good director with good roles, thats why they are working for him.
Yup.
yea – lets slut shame her for sending a nude picture! really cool. 2017 sucks.
I find it hard to believe that Gwynneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie had to deal with Weinstein and somehow Blake Lively managed to avoid any sign of even an inappropriate comment. It would have been better if she said nothing because she really didn’t add to the conversation.
She is ok with working with Woody Allen and ok with promoting anti bellum things ignoring the context of slavery from that era. It must take a lot of effort to be so utterly ignorant about all issues all the time.
Maybe because she never worked for Weinstein…
She literally says “that was not my experience with Harvey” so she had some encounters with him even if she never officially got a job from him.
It doesn’t mean she was assaulted by him, but she is claiming she hadn’t even heard of anything, which I don’t believe from her, and is not credible from Clooney or Streep or the others who have said that either. She also has the added issue of claiming ignorance about Woody Allen and being okay with anti bellum pro slavery culture.
I like Blake’s comments. I had heard so much innuendo about her and HW, I was surprised they had never actually worked together. I know Blake (“Antebellum”) Lively is problematic in some (many?) ways, but I really like her statement here. This kind of abuse and harassment IS everywhere, and as women, we DO dismiss it. (I’ve been kicking myself all week for multiple incidents over the past decade… why the heck didn’t I stand up for myself and for what’s right?)
Also, I’m pretty uncomfortable with the way we seem to be holding all the women to a higher standard than the men. So many of these women we’ve been talking about the past few days would have completely effed up their careers if they’d spoken out. If “Hollywood Royalty” like Gwyneth and Angelina felt unsafe speaking out, no wonder others with less of a safety net did too.
As a side note….. You know what I’d love to hear? Ryan Reynold’s thoughts on HW. RR has always struck me as a straight shooter, I would love to hear his take. (Mainly because I think he’d say CREEPY JACKASS!)
….”I never heard any stories like this — I never heard anything specific — ….”
I believe you, I also believe that noone ever has heard anything “specific” and every single victim hoped it’s not going to be her to be the Messenger of Bad News. It’s always easier to join the narrative with your personal story than to start the avalanche.
I also believe that these same people will never ever hear anything “specific” about the next Harvey Weisten who will emerge sooner or later because this is not a species in a danger of extinction.
I’m still committed to believing these women, supporting these women, and not making this into their problem. The problem is Harvey and predatory behavior and toxic masculinity, not Blake or any other woman. That said, my honest reaction here is… I have mixed feelings. If she says she was never assaulted, I believe her. It was great of her to speak out in support of the victims, and she doesn’t owe us anything. At the same time “I never heard any of those stories” is a very different statement than “I was never assaulted by Harvey Weinstein.” It makes me slightly uncomfortable, and stinks slightly of “that sucks for those other women, IF it’s true.” I’ll leave it at that.
True but again and just to play devil’s advocate, maybe she heard rumors that he was a cad or a bit creepy with actresses, but never that he was actually physically assaulting them.
On a personal level, I’ve heard rumors about a guy in a higher-up position at a company I do a lot of business with. I’ve heard he can be gross and flirty with women who work with him, even though he’s married with a family. In fact, in the very micro industry that I work in, he has a fairly well-known reputation for that.
BUT I have never heard of him sexually assaulting a woman and I would be extremely shocked if a string of women came forward saying he assaulted them.
To be clear, being inappropriate in a workplace, particularly when you are in a position of power is unacceptable as f*ck and NOT ok in any way, but it IS different than being a rapist.
But maybe I’m projecting by floating this theory out there because of my own experiences and because I truly did not know the extent of Weinstein’s behavior. I just thought the dude was a creeper who was always hitting on actresses, not that he was a serial sexual assaulter.
Yeah, you’re right. It’s 100% possible that she assumed the quid-pro-quos were consensual or that he was just a creep but not a rapist. Or she just doesn’t want to go any further than she did for her own reasons, and I respect that 100%. I’m prepared to take what she said at face value, for sure, because that’s the side I’m choosing to be on. My honest reaction was just that her wording made me slightly uncomfortable, and I think it’s important to leave room for everything that comes up even while still choosing to believe these women completely.
ITA completely and I get what you’re saying about her carefully-worded response.
Don’t worry Shambs she is a struggle. She has tested my commitment to the limit, and I have had to find a new way to process Blake and a few others, so I can be supportive. Whatever really since it isn’t a witchhunt.
The only thing that has made me think a little is there seems to be some discrepancies between who people want to believe just because they like them. That isn’t the same as understanding why we should support them no matter what the facts are.
It makes me pause because this isn’t like supporting Rose or Asia or the others who went on record. We aren’t really addressing how complicated victimhood is with a man like Harvey. It feels a little like her statement is a bit shaming of the women who have spoken up or those who consented for self preservation. I understand the need to do it, but I struggle with the idea that we are missing an opportunity to expose how powerful men work to exploit their position.
Does this further separate the women who came forward and treat them as exceptions when we know Harvey’s treatment was the rule? Does this give the impression to girls that something is wrong with you if the predator chooses you?
Like Angelina and Charlize two badass bitches who I like put out statements that felt were more empowering to victims in my mind. Like if it could happen to Angelina then I am ok because she’s a powerful woman no matter what.
I am just asking for other thoughts on this idea. Are we missing something here? I am not even discussing the perv, who is totally to blame but more about the victims and women not having to be perfect or their story linear to be sympathetic and supported. Are we still in a way supporting the idea of a girl staying silent about her truth, so she isn’t tainted in our society by praising somewhat problematic statements? Are we mixing up saying we believe someone opposed to saying no matter what it isn’t her fault?
Again HARVEY IS TO BLAME I am just asking a question in general and wondering what other women think. I don’t have the answer, so I am soliciting other opinions, but I am not interested in assigning blame to any of the women.
She defended Woody Allen at Cannes a few years back, & was seemingly annoyed when a reporter asked about her “child pornography advocacy” & how that’s contradictory to supporting & working with Allen.
Give me a break. Most of these people have willingly worked with known predators for that good role & possible Oscar nod & now have all this mock outrage to save face.
Kaiser- that’s not true. Blake was in New York, I Love You. That was a Weinstein picture.
Not according to the company credits:
Vivendi Entertainment (presents)
Ever So Close (co-production)
Visitor Pictures (co-production)
Sherazade Film Development (in association with) (as Sherazade Films)
Also Known As Pictures (in association with)
Benaroya Pictures (in association with)
Plum Pictures (in association with)
2008NY5 (produced in association with) (as 2008NY5, LLC)
Grand Army Entertainment (produced in association with) (as Grand Army Entertainment, LLC)
Grosvenor Park Media (financed in association with)
Rose Pictures
And no Miramax or TWC in the distributor credits, either.
if you believe the women who were harassed by HW, then you should believe the ones that say they weren’t. you either believe women or you don’t.
Wait a minute. Problematic Blake Lively’s stance can’t be examined despite the Woody Allen support but problematic Matt Damon must be lying because he supported Casey Affleck? And she’s friends with Cara Delevigne smh.
Gotta agree with the sentiment that many times it does not immediately sink in that something was drastically inappropriate. I just had that very experience myself when I went to repeat a medical procedure and realized that I was treated very differently by the technicians in the room, to such a degree that I have been privately questioning if I experienced something supremely inappropriate the first time I had the procedure. I also already have prior sexual assault history, so the fact it slipped by me shocks me. I never would have even questioned the first one if I didn’t have the second procedure. I wonder how many statements or silences are because of this very confusion, not knowing if they are really a victim.
Just to say, I am not suggesting that is the case with Blake. Even if it is, that is her truth she must find on her own. She did not attack these women, that scumbag did and we need to stop blaming the every actress for not saying something.
I don’t think many people accepted the idea that others didn’t know when it was so openly done and talked about amongst actresses. I am not believing her on this one.
I’m sad that these women feel they need to make a statement because then their words are pick apart and the Comments Section (us) debates whether or not to believe them. It’s like damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Our outrage should be directed at Weinstein and not other women.
I always liked Blake. She probably heard rumors of rampant infidelity and casting couch stories, but not about actual sexual assault/rape. I think her statement was appropriate and I hope all of this horrible mess has brought the discussion into the open so that it stops happening.
I have always thought that the reason why she stepped back a bit from even pursuing movies right around the time that she got married was because she didn’t want to deal with Harvey. She went from being incredibly aggressive in her pursuit of her career to stepping back entirely. Is it likely that she wore Marchesa just because she liked it? I mean, sure. But it’s also fairly consistently been a sign of someone that wants to get in good with the Weinsteins (though make it clear, I am NOT implying that it means someone was also trading sexual favors). Like a low level grooming.
@bridget
Spot on
I am split with Blake’s statement. I find the chorus of “I never…” coming out of Hollywood at this point disingenuous at best. Everyone “knew”, they just didn’t have proof. Part of the whole insidious nightmare his victims lived. I know they have to say it, because if they knew…. why didn’t thay stop it. Like “they” could have.
I don’t like the thought that every pretty actress of a certain age now has to state their personal experiences with this toad, good or bad. Mostly because I think that it freaking sucks that women are now back on the ropes for HW shitty behavior. Also, because I think that the other power players are watching, and keeping track. I think we are kidding ourselves if we think these women get to “tell their truth” freely. They don’t, and won’t until they are retired, and no longer beholding to any of those pricks for gainful employment. The power differential that allowed this to go on is still in place.
It is important that women tell their stories, that they are heard. I don’t believe that they do so repercussion free. They are being unimaginably brave. I also think demanding they do so is bullsh*t. I just can’t feel good about making every woman that wore Marchesa or stood next to the most powerful producer in Hollywood EXPLAIN HERSELF! I know the answer already.
He was the most powerful man in Hollywood. He could make or break your entire career. He rewared good behavior and absolutely demolished you for bad. It was just that simple.
I believe her and I liked her statement. Blake seems to have a very good team/family around her so I can see her being well ‘protected’ from the Harveys of the world.
However, she does seems very insulated in her own little bubble, which has gotten her into heaps of trouble with her obliviousness with other… issues.
How can *I*- a big fat nobody in the Midwest who doesn’t even work peripherally in entertainment- know about the shit HW was pulling for the past 15 years and then these people who are at the forefront of an industry that not only depends on, but, thrives on word of mouth and gossip not know any of this?
They are lying, they know WE know they are lying, and guys like Clooney et al. are trying come off as such woke, horrified new century sensitive men? A woman like Lively who is in an entertainment family, married to an actor, and is a huge client of Chapmann? She never heard anything?
This is such BS and it is making me hate EVERYTHING.
(I’m going to go climb back under my rock now- just needed to vent)
(Please post some more mind scrubbing pics of Hiddleston’s beard or something before I cry.Thx))
If you knew, definitively, why didn’t YOU speak up? Did YOU go see his movies, support is television shows? Gossip is one thing, proof is another.
Yes there are people who knew, without a doubt, what he was doing. Are you saying that you and the other gossip blog readers, who knew, are no better than these folks? Some of these women heard the gossip and protected themselves. They shouldn’t be attacked for surviving.
All you are doing is shaming women who did their best to avoid potential assault, and making a hostile environment for actual victims to come forward. If women who didn’t even get assaulted are thrown under the bus, imagine what that says to the actual victims who didn’t speak up sooner. Stop shaming these women for surviving.
And yes, she’s wrong in her defense of Woody. No victim of assault has to be perfect. Stop shaming these women.
Yes thank you I made a similar point upthread..
I am in NO WAY shaming women. As it was in a sexual harassment suit that happened at an old job, actual people saying out loud “I heard about this” or “We were starting to hear some bad stuff about him, but we did know what to do” goes a long, long way towards validating claims.
Even after the fact, a little honesty from people would go a long way.
I’m sure Dylan Farrow believed in humanity enough to think that people wouldn’t continue to work with her abuser after she so desperately begged them to stop.
https://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/kristof/2014/02/01/an-open-letter-from-dylan-farrow/?referer=
She and Colin Firth can shove their phony outrage up their hypocritical arses.
Yeah, to me the Harvey Weinstein situation, the Woody Allen one, and the Roman Polanski one are all different. I can believe people about Weinstein, but with Woody, the accusations came from his own daughter, and with Polanski, he was convicted of raping a teenage girl.
Exactly. It is different when there were cases that were brought to the police. Woody Allen makes me sick and so does Polanski who oddly was re-outed by Harvey Weinstein long after the scandal was buried and forgotten.
I think it is important to remember that Woody Allen and Mia Farrow BOTH took polygraphs in NYC regarding Mia’s accusation about Dylan. I am NOT defending Allen, as what he did with Soon Yi is beyond creepy, but Farrow abjectly FAILED the polygraph and Allen abjectly PASSED. Two of her children have accused her of coaching them about Dylan because she was so, justifiably, furious about his relationship with her daughter, who was of age, albeit barely. It is for that reason that the Manhattan DA had to drop all charges against Allen regarding Dylan (who was five, and as such, would have been easily coached; and two child advocates assigned to the case thought she was coached). There was NO evidence. So, when we trash WA, let’s stick to the facts: he seduced his long-term GF’s adopted teenaged daughter. That’s disgusting on its own. Anyone wishing to attack me for his, please do the research. I was in NYC at the time, and bear in mind, EVERYONE was Team Farrow. But, the evidence didn’t exist on any level.
@Honeybee I call bullsh*t & dare you to link your source.
Here’s mine: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2014/02/woody-allen-sex-abuse-10-facts
Actually, given her taste in clothes, I absolutely believe she wore those Marchesa dresses because she thought they were the height of style.
And she’s spoken in support of the victims. Fair play.
She never had a role tied to Weinstein, and yet it was somehow assumed she was one of his “girls”? I don’t understand that. Normally I would find it strange that someone who moved in Hollywood inner circles hadn’t heard the rumors, but Blake L truly does seem to exist in her own happy idealized little world.
Oh I see from PPs it’s because of the Marchesa connection. Idk, does seem like the kind of romantic flow-y slightly dated style she favors.
i just want to say thank you to all the amazing women on here for sharing you stories. It means alot not to be alone. So am gonna share mine. At 11 my older mal cousin molested. I got him off me and ran away. I can’t explain how but i left the room and i never remembered what happened. The next day he slapped me for no reason in front my other cousin according to him he did’t cause I’m disrespectful. I cussed him out and ran home crying. He’s in his 20’s and 6’5. Keep in mind i was in a different country without my mum. I came home crying and told my uncle’s and aunty what happend. His dad my uncle told me he took care of him and he would never touch me again. Like i said i completely blocked out what happened they night before and we pretty much never talken cause i hated him. But in the last 4 years i’ve been having nightmares,depression,anxiety and i’ve just been soooooo angry. I feel like he took my life away from. I always wanted to go to uni become a doctor but i’ve barely been able to leave my bed. These past 2 year have been heartbreaking watching all my friends/peers go to uni while I’m at home. I know I’m still young(20) but i lost of years. But today I’ve decided I’m gonna tell my mom, get help and apply to uni. Thank you everyone!
Thank you for sharing and I am so sorry for what happened to you. I will pray continued growth for you. You are fighting this head on and you are brave and strong because you SURVIVED. I am so glad you are here to share this story. You are not alone. Continue to seek help and healing for yourself.
Go kick ass in Uni!!!
Thank you so much it means a lot. I promise i will 🙂
YAY! Good for you! Keep going forward and don’t let him take your dream.
Yeeees, i won’t let him take more from me!
i’m so sorry. but i’m so proud of you as well for not giving up on your dream, you’re still so young and lots of good, wonderful things can happen <3
Thank you for your kindness. Yes I’m still young and we can all do it 🙂
Wow, as the daughter of a survivor, I am very proud of you for getting help and coming forward, you deserve healing and happiness. I hope you find both! Much love and hugs to you!
You are incredibly tough, daughterofthehorn. Don’t ever let anyone tell you different. Congratulations, go win.
Have you ever been in a really toxic workplace, where some people were treated better than everybody else? You don’t bitch to who I like to call “the Kool-Aid drinkers”. Not saying that’s what happened, but I could totally see how that’s why nobody would tell her.
I have definitely had that experience. It’s like a fascist country where some are prepared to defend whatever the higher ups do even if unethical. And those who try to point out the truth get penalized.
Blake’s statement was more navel gazing and really not a strong statement for the victims. It was to point out that she never knew a thing. Not helpful.
She literally says that we need to trust these women, we need to listen to them and we need to fight on their behalf.
How on earth is that not showing support for the victims?
If the woman didn’t know Harvey was raping and assaulting women, then she didn’t know that’s what he was doing. It’s very disturbing that so many of you are assuming that she knew about the settlements, rape, and assaults.
i dont care for her and her woody allen plantation loving ways
but how did she get a reputation as a “harvey girl” if she hasn’t been in any projects with him? this is wildly unfair. either people just dont like her or HW himself put that out there for some reason? either way, that’s a terrible thing to say about a person, whether that person is sort of basic and light on talent or not.
Not a Blake fan, but a lot of these actresses have been drug through the mud these past years on sites just like this with rumors just because a group of posters don’t like them, I’m about ready to stop coming to this site, there are a bunch of actresses that aren’t my favorites, but to rip them apart because they are speaking out about this animal and their treatment in their business is just unfair. Whether someone wants to admit to his abuse or whether they are just condoning it is fine with me, let’s go after the monster not them.
With the advent of so much tech, I wonder how many poor women who went through this in very recent years are afraid he recorded encounters and would edit them to make it appear they consented. (Not implying Lively was assualted here.) The man is just pure evil.
I agree with the person upthread who said Blake is a struggle. It’s so true. I find her exhausting. And so I have to struggle to put aside my bias against Blake, to give her a fair shake on this. But I do, what she said here is fine. It’s fine.
I love the comment just above mine “I don’t care for and her Woody Allen plantation loving ways”. LOL. Yeah, that’s Blake in a nutshell.
I will never know how this woman became a thing while the incredible Leighton Meester didn’t. So unfair.
If you can believe Gretchen Mol’s side of the story so easily, then why cant you also believe Jennifer Lawrence ot Blake Lively? Oh that’s right, they’re actors you dont like. *Eye roll*.
I’m defending Blake Lively… damn it.
3:00 patient, come soon. I have a date with a hammock on the beach.
Have fun. She’s probably one of the ones he planted a nasty story about otherwise it makes no sense why she is even connected to him.
Makes no sense. Harvey is to blame.
And 3:00 patient bailed on me! Jumping in the car, blasting the Afghan Whigs and heading to Republic Airport. Man, I wish I could bottle the song “Toy Automatic” and pour it over me when the mood strikes.
We’re all jealous 😉 enjoy the sunshine and the disconnect!
I’m just going to put this out there … I’ve been following people’s responses to this story on Twitter and all sorts of things are coming out of the woodwork from Hollywood insiders. A couple of references have been made to Evan Rachel Wood. I’m starting to think the two men who assaulted her that she wasn’t yet ready to publicly name are Clooney and his bff Rande Gerber.
Yes we’ll Blake *would* say that!
The original rumours about Weinstein and Blake (before people ran wild with them and projected their own dislike of her onto them) were never about them having any kind of dealings with each other.
The rumours were that he’d noticed her and wanted her, and that she was keeping her distance (whether she knew he was a creep or she just wasn’t interested in the particular film he was using as bait wasn’t clear). The rumour continued that after getting nowhere, unbeknownst to her he started trying to hurt her career, so she’d be in a position where she felt she couldn’t turn down any offer that came her way.
She never did work with him, nor was she even linked as a contender for any roles he had from then on. I think it’s safe to say she just carried on avoiding him, and she’s telling the truth here. Maybe she’s aware of the rumours and believes he did hurt her career, but unlike the women who were actually victimised then saw their careers suffer, she won’t have anything solid to base that on unless someone’s told her that Harvey smeared her to them, and that seems doubtful. So she can’t really speak to that without purely speculating, and it’s very understandable she doesn’t want to do that publicly.
Most people on here are talking about Harvey and her but I’m more pissed off at the fact that she was sexually harassed on set for months and the production company ignored her.
In regards to what she has to say, I don’t know why people think she’s lying. She’s never worked with Harvey on a film. Her connection to Harvey is because of Georgina Champan so are we supposed to assume that EVERY SINGLE woman who has ever worn Marchesa has a relationship with Harvey? Blake Lively has always been known more as a fashion girl (pushed by Anna Wintour) than an actress so I fail to see where people are getting this Harvey connection and how she’s a liar.
Her statement is fine. She stood by the victims, said we have to fight for them and then also talked about how women are harassed on a daily basis but because it’s the norm women don’t realize it which shouldn’t be the case.
I think it’s all perception. She may have experienced things and didn’t realize they were abusive. And maybe he made advances and she was 100% on board with it. I’ve seen this at work. Some creepy old dude that likes to leer at women and hug up on them. It disgusts me and I shoot him looks so he stays away. But other women find it flattering and love the attention. I know my example isn’t as extreme as what Weinstein was doing, but just throwing it out there. Some women aren’t bothered by this or accept is as part of the game. Doesn’t mean it’s right, but these women don’t see it the way we’re seeing it. I’m sure we’ll hear all about it in their memoirs years from now when Blake and JLaw aren’t able to get roles because they’ve aged out.
You have a point, absolutely.
My teacher made the same point about a man who helps a woman into her coat. Apparently once he offered such help to a feminist and she did decline sharply and called him a mysogynist. I think in such a case it depends if it is a heavy coat or not. And then there is nothing wrong with asking if help is appreciated. This case happened some years ago when both sexes were still discussing what was appropriate and what was paternalistic-chauvinistic-mysogynistic.
Sadly some mysogynists use exactly this point to attack women who complain about their mysogynist behaviour.
When I was 19, I was partying at a friends house and crashed out there. I woke up in the morning with a male friend of mine sitting next to me with his hand down my pants and his fingers inside me. His eyes were closed and so to protect his feelings or some shit I just rolled away and pretended I was still asleep. For years I told no one and didn’t even think of myself as having been assaulted. It’s hard for me to think on it now, because it makes me so angry, especially because I f*cking trusted that person and went on being friends with him for years. He played himself off as one of the good guys and I always wonder now if he did this to other women. It’s hard not to be angry at men these days.
I’m sorry Leigh. And I hear you. It is very hard not to be angry at men these days. I struggle.
Thanks Darla. I’m glad so much attention is being called to these issues!
Oh man I am so sorry.
Thanks, I appreciate the support, I’m glad so many women are speaking out!
I am so incredibly sorry that was done to you.
Thanks for the support.
I was in the Army and had a section sergeant who harassed me on an epic level for years. He even went so far and to have the platoon get in formation just to tell them what a whore I was. His problem was when I first came to the unit he asked me to get drunk with him and I declined because that wasn’t professional and yeah it would have been dumb to put myself in that situation. Anyway when I finally did get to the point where I had had enough and I filed a formal complaint only one person in a platoon of 30 people mostly men had my back. Most said either they didn’t want to rock the boat or they didn’t see anything wrong with his behavior towards me. You see it happened so much in the Military that it became the normal for them.
I think I’ve lost a little faith in humanity this past week.
I don’t believe any of them. They, at least, heard the rumors. I’ve been reading stories about Weinstein and sexual harassment for years and wondering why anyone continued to work with him. People in Hollywood talk and gossip, even if they claim not to. They also read magazines and newspapers like Vanity Fair and the Hollywood Reporter. They all heard the rumors or read about it.
Yeah. There’s a Telegraph article by Ioann Griffiths’s wife, an actress called Alice Evans. She says that she always knew about the stories and assumed she’d be in the clear because she “wasn’t that sort of girl”. She was not in the clear, and both her career and her husband’s were affected when she refused his advances.
She’s explicit about hearing stories concerning him and hotel rooms, massages and hand jobs, and that her agent asked her openly about her dealings with Weinstein, as did her husband’s. And she was no big Hollywood insider, either. Just a young British actress making her way. It’s very, very clear that everyone knew.
Depressingly, she says writing the article is something she’s been warned against, as, again, highlighting this, and how known about it always was, could harm their careers further.
It’s also fairly clear that Weinstein was far from alone, as Emma Thompson has said. He’s just the most famous producer.
Having said that, Lively has been whispered about so unpleasantly that I don’t blame her for a second for wanting distance between herself and the story. She’s got every right and reason to try to create that distance.
Did you read what Colin Firth said? He admitted that his co-star in the advocate said to him that Harvey tried to rape her and sexually harassed her and Colin just said I’m sorry to her.
Ok, but consider someone like Blake. For 8-9 years now there’s been constant rumours about her sleeping with him for career advancement. Repeated like fact, and almost always used to shame and belittle her, not him.
If she didn’t sleep with him, then obviously she knows those particular rumours (which were some of the most widely spread rumours about him) to be false. So why would she then believe the rumours she heard about him and other actresses? Her natural assumption would be that those actresses are just being smeared like she was.
There are so many instances where I look back days and weeks and even years later and I think, “Sh-t, what that guy did was so inappropriate” or “why did he feel he had the right to touch me?”
____________________
I would like to list a few things that help women (students, both male and female) in that respect. Feel free to add more as comment.
I would like to add that even basic sex education (biological-technical details, without the social/psychological side of having an adult relationship) does empower especially girls to realize and understand their bodies and its needs and need-nots (“I don’t want sex right now”). But a teenager without sex education does quickly get into situations where a) teenager doesn’t know that sex might happen in the next 10-30 minutes and b) teenager doesn’t know if it is necessary to leave this situation or how to leave this situation.
More advanced sex education (comprehensive sex education) does cover the biological-technical details as well as social norms about appropriateness of touches by strangers/acquaintances/friends/family and the development (possibilities) of adult relationships and it makes students realize what they don’t want (yet) and how they might want to develop.
Sadly the latter is under attack very harshly as some right-wingers do usually claim this kind of sex education would encourage students to seek sexual relationships. (Statistics prove it doesn’t. Statistics prove that teenagers without any kind of sex education have sex earlier and are more likely to catch STD’s or have unplanned pregnancies.)
Realistically most people are going to have sex in their adult life. So why not prepare them for that at least on a very basic level. Realistically most people are going to drive a car in their adult life. Sensibily there are regulations for driving licenses. And nobody would seriously claim that people who drive are better of without a driving license. Sadly with regards to sex education too many people claim no-sex-education leads to “a better life”.
*exasperated sigh*
On another point:
I am not sure I believe what Lively says. She has very little talent as an actress and she is all about pr and all about cozying up to everbody in power.
Deducting from that somebody like Weinstein would be a god-sent for her. Lively dated Dicaprio for a few monthes and the latter knows Weinstein well.
There are pics of her with Weinstein and of her with Weinstein’s wife Georgina Chapman. Lively has worn Marchesa – there are pics of that as well.
@Mercyforoutcasts,
I agree with you totally–I just read a article that said “if certain ladies were to come forth” they’d have to admit knowingly sleeping w/him to further their careers because its very evident they were NOT worth all of the hoopla they have been given. That fits Blake and Jennifer L.
There is a blind that fits JL’s response. deny it ever happening to her and also speak out and say something…not too much.
Lively really needs to quit telling tales, I’ve never seen anyone as hungry and desperate as she was when she first came out. There are many who will not admit it or even admit that’s the Harvey they knew.
I don’t understand how people can say JLaw is not worth the hoopla.
People on this site seem to hate her…
Not only is she stunningly beautiful, intelligent (listen to her interviews for mother!), funny and confident but she is an astonishing actress. I recently saw mother! and was blown away by how good she was.
I don’t see how people can call Jennifer average in any sense as if she is somehow undeserving of the career that she has and only could have become famous if she had slept around.
Who knows if there is truth to the rumours but it is quite dangerous to throw names into the mix when there is no proof.
She and Meryl are more concerned with their own egos and how they come across than the actual victims. I give j Fonda credit for keeping it real, and btw, if she’s known a year…they all knew.
Harvey Grabbyhands has been kicked out of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts!
I feel like it’s unecessary at this point for people to say they *never* heard anything. Whatever. Hwood is an abusive sh-t show at best. Now the plebs know. What more is there to say?