Sophie Monk’s foray into Hollywood is well-documented. From movie roles to her engagement to Benji Madden, the singer seemed to get the full La La Land experience.
Now, she’s weighed in on Hollywood’s newly-exposed sexual harassment epidemic, previously buried by fear and a suffocating power imbalance.
“You definitely get hit on a lot when you shouldn’t,” Monk told The Herald Sun.
WATCH: Hollywood’s apologist attitude to sexual assault has always been a problem.
“You think you are going in for a meeting and the next thing it is a dinner meeting and you go, ‘Oh, I get where this is going’ …
“They can be touchy feely and say inappropriate things.”
So far, so good – a clear affirmation sexual harassment and abuse of power.
But then she goes on to say: “People can get drunk with the power and the money, and a lot of girls will do things to get roles.”
A lot of girls will do things to get roles.
What about the young men? Or is it because they’re not being propositioned for sex with the same ferocity as women?
Her word choice also diminishes the severity and wide variety of allegations. It implies the people targeted by predators are only young, naïve girls who offer themselves willingly despite so many of the accusations not supporting that trope.
It’s also happening to men like Terry Crews, to established professionals, and to women simply scared of being blacklisted and never working again.
Monk also distances herself from the issue and injects even more problematic rhetoric.
“Then there are people like me; like I would not even understand how that would work,” she told the publication.
“Why would you want to employ someone after you have done something with them and then see them the next day?”
“You just have to really respect yourself. If you are strong no one can hurt you.”
If you are strong no one can hurt you.
Does that imply Kate Beckinsale, Rose McGowan, Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow weren’t strong? That calling out Harvey Weinstein publicly is a sign of weakness?
The implication women who are harassed just don’t respect themselves enough is such a huge part of the victim-blaming we’re trying so hard to eradicate.
While we’re sure Monk wasn’t trying to cheapen their harrowing experiences, her attitude and word choice are indicative of an inherently damaging mindset when it comes to sexual assault.
