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Mayim Bialik from âThe Big Bang Theoryâ wrote an op-ed for the âNew York Timesâ called âBeing a Feminist in Harvey Weinsteinâs World,â and a lot of people have accused her of victim-shaming, and itâs easy to see why. She talks about how showbiz rewards, âphysical beauty and sex appeal above all elseâ and neither has ever been her specialty.
She thinks thatâs why she doesnât get sexually harassed, âAs a proud feminist with little desire to diet, get plastic surgery or hire a personal trainer, I have almost no personal experience with men asking me to meetings in their hotel rooms.
âThose of us in Hollywood who donât represent an impossible standard of beauty have the âluxuryâ of being overlooked and, in many cases, ignored by men in power unless we can make them money.â
She added, âI still make choices every day as a 41-year-old actress that I think of as self-protecting and wise. I have decided that my sexual self is best reserved for private situations with those I am most intimate with.
âI dress modestly. I donât act flirtatiously with men as a policy.â
And while she acknowledged that itâs not fair for women to have to police their own behavior to avoid being harassed, she seems to be telling women that they just have to do itâĻfor now, anyway.
She said, âIn a perfect world, women should be free to act however they want. But our world isnât perfect. NothingâĻabsolutely nothingâĻexcuses men for assaulting or abusing women. But we canât be naïve about the culture we live in.â
Mayimâs critics have been pointing out that sexual harassment and assault are often about POWER, not sexual desire and that how attractive you are or how you carry yourself has nothing to do with whether or not youâll be a victim.
Even Patricia Arquette spoke up, tweeting, quote, âI have to say I was dressed non provocatively at 12 walking home from school when men masturbated at me. Itâs not the clothes.
âIt is also not outrageous for anyone to expect to be treated in a professional manner by anyone in a professional relationship.â
Well, Mayim posted a response, saying that she was in no way blaming the victims, and people were taking some of her words out of context. She said sheâs doing a Facebook Live chat with the âTimesâ today, and sheâll discuss it then.