Pamela Anderson said she believes that the women who have accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault could have prevented it.
The actress and model appeared on “Megyn Kelly Today” on Thursday to discuss the dozens of allegations against Weinstein and the harassment she says she has faced in Hollywood. Anderson has also said that a female babysitter sexually abused her between the ages of 6 and 10, that an older man raped her when she was 12, and that her then-boyfriend and six of his friends gang raped her when she was in the ninth grade.
In her conversation with Kelly, however, Anderson was quick to pass judgment on the women speaking out against Weinstein. She began by talking about her own experiences with harassment and assault, noting that she’s been able to dodge inappropriate behavior by being careful.
“We naturally blame ourselves. … You somehow think that you are to blame, but I learned to never put myself into those situations again,” Anderson said of her experiences with sexual assault. “When I came to Hollywood, I, of course, had a lot of offers to do private auditions and things that made absolutely no sense. Common sense ― don’t go into a hotel room alone, if someone answers the door in a bathrobe, you know, leave.”
When Kelly asked if Anderson was surprised about all the women coming forward, Anderson responded with a laugh.
“No, I think it was common knowledge that certain producers or certain people in Hollywood are people to avoid. Privately. You know what you’re getting into if you go to a hotel room alone,” Anderson said.
Anderson published an essay on Saturday in which she responded to some of the criticism about her comments. She called Weinstein a “sexist pig and a bully,” but did not apologize for her victim-blaming remarks:
So this is not victim blaming but looking at the issue from the angle of women being aware of certain problems and how to spot them and fight them. It is totally hypocritical to ignore this. And it is not helping anyone to ignore the realities in the society we live in. The causes of the problem and solutions are complex and women who do not live in the utopian bubble must be aware of what is going on. And that is what I have highlighted.
I do NOT wish apologise for what I said.
And will not get coerced into apology.
This exactly what I am saying is a problem with the contemporary “victimhoood feminism”! The people who subscribe to that notion tolerate and actually expect women to talk about the stories of abuse and experiences with creeps.
But they would NOT tolerate a woman with her own opinion. So pathetic.
Head over to Anderson’s personal blog to read her full essay.