It’s probably not new to anyone anymore how US presidential candidate and business mogul Donald Trump objectifies women. Some examples include telling model Heidi Klum that she was no longer a “10” and telling a female contestant of Celebrity Apprentice that she’d look good on her knees.
If that isn’t convincing enough, there are actual articles that list down the times he’s been disrespectful to women. And probably one of the most telling is the recent exposé on The New York Times which documented his behavior towards more than 50 women he’s encountered throughout his career.
But again, nothing surprising there anymore. What is, however, is how his ex, former model Rowanne Brewer Lane, who is one of the story’s main sources, retracted her statement and defended him.
In an interview, she said that the Times spun her words around and says that she “did not have a negative experience with Donald Trump.”
Now that’s something new. Maybe it is worth noting that there might be moments that Trump can be gallant towards women like Rowanne. That is, if gallant means telling a woman you barely knew to strip and change into a bikini and parading her like a trophy.
However, I have a question: Why did Rowanne speak up for her controversial ex and not the women who felt harassed and were objectified by this man?
They may have dated for almost a year, maybe even had some good times, but that doesn’t discredit what he’s done to 50 other women. Not to mention women who were told upfront that they were overweight, forcibly kissed on the mouth, and whose worth were measured by how hot and attractive they were.
Rowanne had the chance to speak up along with the other women to put Trump in his place. But instead, she chose to fuel his ego (and his stream of angry tweets against the Times) further.
And I don’t know which is sadder: a woman defending a probable misogynist, or a woman not realizing that what’s been done to her was actually demeaning.
However, this shouldn’t stop the other women for speaking out about misogyny and objectification, especially if it involves a man who’s running for president and doesn’t have the best track record.
At this time, women should be allowed to speak against men who’ve harassed them and not get pushed under the rug, regardless of the man’s status.
Photo courtesy of The New York Times