Let’s talk about hypocrisy and the #MeToo movement. The latter is meant to hold abusers and harassers accountable for their unacceptable behavior towards women and sometimes men. The hypocrisy comes in when a person says they support victims, but also continues giving abusers a platform.
Today, we’re directing our focus on Kim Kardashian and Scarlett Johansson.
Kardashian was recently accused of “kimpocrisy” for posting a photo shot by Mario Testino. The acclaimed photographer was accused of sexual harassment by multiple male models last year. The allegations included posing nude to get a shoot with him and inappropriate touching.
This goes against Kardashian’s statement last July when she spoke out about the inappropriate behavior of photographer Marcus Hyde. “My own experiences have always been professional, and I am deeply shocked, saddened and disappointed to learn that other women have had very different experiences. I stand in full support of every woman’s right to not be harassed, asked or pressured to do anything they are not comfortable with,” she wrote on Instagram Stories.
If that’s the case, then why did she do a shoot with Mario Testino? As of writing, Kardashian hasn’t addressed the criticism and the photo is still up on her Instagram feed.
Next: Scarlett Johansson and her everlasting support of director Woody Allen. We already know that she believes he’s innocent despite several accusations that he molested his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow when she was seven years old. Johansson drove the point home in a recent Vanity Fair interview, saying, “I do understand how that is triggering for some people. But just because I believe my friend, does not mean that I don’t support women, believe women. I think you have to take it on a case-by-case basis. You can’t have this blanket statement—I don’t believe that. But that’s my personal belief. That’s how I feel.”
Johansson added that she’d want to continue this conversation with the people who’ve accused Allen of sexual misconduct and rather than giving a statement on Vanity Fair. Which is weird because she already gave multiple statements of the director’s innocence beforehand.
These situations are similar to when Justin Timberlake was criticized for working with Woody Allen despite being a Time’s Up advocate. A person can’t say one thing then do the total opposite of what they’re standing for.
However, it’s also understandable to feel torn when a friend or a person who was kind to you is being accused of inappropriate behavior. Lena Dunham probably felt that way when she defended a male friend and called his alleged rape victim a liar. (Dunham has since apologized.) But people also have to consider that powerful men like Mario Testino and Woody Allen continue to skirt accountability because they are constantly being given a platform and their famous colleagues defend them. Because of this, victims would feel intimidated to speak out against them.
Why do you think it took so long before women could finally fight against Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby?
We’re hoping that Kim Kardashian and Scarlett Johansson can learn from this and change their views on the situations they’re in—especially if they want to advocate for women empowerment and the #MeToo movement.
Photo courtesy of Kim Kardashian’s Instagram account
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