More allegations against the American producer Harvey Weinstein keep coming out to light by women who claim that he sexually abused them in different stages of their lives.
Up until today, thousands of people have pronounced against Weinstein, and around 60 women from different countries have opened with very tragic stories in which the former studio mogul seems to be implicated. But Annabella Sciorra and Daryl Hannah are the most recent cases, who just talked about their experiences this Friday.
Women in America who don’t have any relation with Hollywood at all — any more than the films they might like — and have suffered any sexual harassment or abuse, are expressing themselves after hearing about Harvey Weinstein’s case.
Meanwhile, as far as Weinstein’s attorney has made us known, the former Weinstein Company’ head claims to be innocent. The producer’s spokesperson Sallie Hofmeister said that Weinstein “unequivocally denies any allegations of non-consensual sex.”
Hollywood women keep accusing Harvey Weinstein of rape
When talking about Sciorra and Hannah, they told The New Yorker that Harvey threatened them and other victims to destroy their careers if they ever talked about what he had done to them. Also, they feared that anybody was going to believe they were telling the truth.
Sciorra, on one side of the history, said that Weinstein dropped her off once at her hotel on a 1990s night. But when they arrived, he entered her room “like it was his apartment, like he owned the place.” When he was already in, he started unbuttoning his shirt. Back then, she said she knew right away what the American producer wanted.
Weinstein, according to Sciorra, forced her to have sexual relationships with her. But when he tried to make Sciorra perform oral sex, she started to shake uncontrollably. This made the producer left the actress’ room.
Hannah said that Weinstein tried twice to enter her hotel’s room loudly. The first one, she was able to escape through the back door. The second one, she asked her makeup artist to help her move furniture and make a barricade in front of the door.
Both actresses experienced dips in their careers after the incidents.
“It didn’t matter,” Hannah said. “I think that it doesn’t matter if you’re a well-known actress, it doesn’t matter if you’re twenty or if you’re forty, it doesn’t matter if you report or if you don’t, because we are not believed. We are more than not believed —we are berated and criticized and blamed.”
Although Hannah’s story is different from others, she said that she feels a “moral obligation” to support women who have been in worst situations. According to her, when a woman passes through a similar event, her body “has to adjust to.” It makes her drag into “the gutter of nastiness, and pettiness, and shame,” and more.
To confront this, Hannah said that it sometimes seems better for the woman’s physical and mental health to “just move on” and avoid being “re-victimized.”
Women defending women
At the Opening Day of the Women’s Convention, the actress and activist Rose McGowan gave a speech referring on how bad sometimes Hollywood reacts in front of women being sexually abused. She has criticized the industry since the beginning of this month when she tweeted she was sexually assaulted by a man whose initials were “HW.” She then assured that man was the American mogul.
McGowan said sexual harassment is typical within Hollywood industry, and that anyone can see how many people make fun of it and women’s bodies. She also said that she has offered to give talks to the Writers Guild of America about harmful portrayals.
“Writers in Hollywood use rape as a plot device. They can’t imagine a woman getting strong otherwise,” McGowan said trying to cheer the crowd, according to The Washington Post. “In regards to Hollywood, we have no Title IX. There’s nothing.”
During a panel called “Fighting for Survivors of Sexual Assault in the Age of Betsy DeVos,” panelists talked about sexual harassment in colleges, and how we might start seeing more after the secretary of education was reversed. They also shared experiences of students being sexually assaulted on campuses, and the importance of Title IX — a federal anti-discrimination law.
Along with McGowan, actress Amber Tamblyn also talked about how important is social media in this subject, and how seriously people should take this discussion. There’s the #MeToo running through social media to make people aware of all the similar stories that are across the world.
When talking about the movement against Harvey Weinstein, Tamblyn said she’s “proud to be a part of that.”
America women enforcing themselves after seeing Weinstein’s case
Thanks to the women’s accusations against Weinstein and #MeToo on social media, there are a lot of woman starting to denounce men who they claim have attacked them in the past.
In San Jose, Calif., there’s a woman who’s finally looking for professional help after going through a similar situation. In Washington, a woman opened and said she was sexually assaulted by her boss. Others are just confronting men and telling them they don’t feel comfortable with the treatment they are giving to women.
A group of females in the California legislature publicly declared “Enough.”
Like these cases, there are millions in the word. However, The Times newsroom’s the Reader Center was able to obtain around 200 from different women. It edited and protected everyone’s identity.
Source: The New Yorker