Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik has attracted huge criticism after writing an opinion piece for the New York Times.
The actress wrote a piece, with the headline: ‘Being A Feminist In Harvey Weinstein’s World’, where she said that she has been actively protecting herself by wearing the right clothes and not flirting with men.
“I quickly learned even as a preteen actress that young girls with doe eyes and pouty lips who spoke in a high register were favored for roles by the powerful men who made those decisions,” she wrote about being a young actress.
Adding that she feels she has protected herself by how she acts and how she dresses, she wrote:
“I have decided that my sexual self is best reserved for private situations with those I am most intimate with.
“I dress modestly. I don’t act flirtatiously with men as a policy.”
The op-ed drew immediate backlash online, with many tweeting that the piece seemed like “victim blaming”:
This is horrendous victim-blaming bullshit identical to “wear hijab so that men respect you & don’t rape you” https://t.co/qkG9XHllAC
— Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) October 14, 2017
You’re not a feminist if you blame assault on how women look. Rape predates the Wonderbra @missmayim https://t.co/LuRIkfzoZE
— Martha Fright (@marthaknight_) October 14, 2017
.@missmayim ‘s op ed in NYT on Harvey Weinstein is gross victim-blaming misogyny disguised as feminism.
— Ijeoma Oluo (@IjeomaOluo) October 14, 2017
In which @missmayim essentially congratulates herself for not having been sexually assaulted. As though it’s a matter of choice. https://t.co/dTbaHMMoPP
— Lucy (@LSClip) October 14, 2017