Phoebe Tonkin may have just split up from her boyfriend of four years, Paul Wesley, but that is the least of her worries RN as the actress has just opened up about being sexually assaulted.
The Australian star opened up via Twitter using the #MeToo hashtag which was started by Alyssa Milano as a way of giving survivors a chance to share their personal experience with sexual abuse.
“Left phoneless and walletless in the dark on the side of a road, picked up by 2 guys, had to fend off the same thing again by them #metoo,” she wrote.
“No one is immune to assault or harassment. No one.”
She goes on to slam the victim shamers who blame sexual assault victims for making themselves a target (a completely BS theory used by the misogynists of Hollywood to provide an excuse for sexual abuse).
“Slut shaming and victim shaming is the same thing. I was a teenager and that type of story was accepted by the girls as normal, and used as a way to ruin my reputation and spread as gossip by the boys. That there is the problem.”
She also calls out societies expectations of women and the objectification of girls day-to-day.
“Also, I think about this at least zero times day. Very rarely over the last 10 years,” she adds.
“But what I do think about daily is the day to day objectification of women’s bodies, of the accusations towards women in regards to their mental health. Who has ever been accused of being too fat, of being pregnant, of trying to steal someone’s boyfriend, of being anorexic, of being a drug addict. All accusations to rob women of their identities and their self worth. Being ashamed of being ourselves and of who we are and what we do, what we’ve done.”
She concludes her rant with an emotional plea to the next generation of girls… we’re lookin’ at you guys.
“I hope the next generation of girls sees that assault, and harassment, sexual or otherwise, is not normal. Should never be normal. And don’t feel weird/guilty/aWkward or ashamed to speak out. Or not even need to speak out but to not feel like they’ve done anything wrong.”
If you, or someone you know, has experienced sexual harassment in any way, speak confidentially to a trained counsellor 24 hours a day:
Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.
Lifeline on 13 11 14.
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