Mayim Bialik apologises for her 'victim blaming' New York Times op-ed on sexual harassment
Mayim Bialik has apologised for her New York Times op-ed on the Harvey Weinstein scandal, which many people felt blamed the victims of sexual assault.
As women stepped forward with accusations of harassment and assault last week, Bialik weighed in with her personal experience of working in Hollywood, and her thoughts on how she chooses to dress and behave around men.
"I still make choices every day as a 41-year-old actress that I think of as self-protecting and wise," Bialik 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."
Bialik also stated that "as a proud feminist" her lack of desire to "diet, get plastic surgery or hire a personal trainer" meant she has no experience of men "asking me to meetings in their hotel rooms." A statement which many felt put the blame on those harassed and assaulted by Weinstein, rather than the perpetrator.
Bialik has now clarified her remarks and apologised for "causing so much pain" in a tweet.
"Let me say clearly and explicitly that I am very sorry," she began.
"What you wear and how you behave does not provide and protection from assault, nor does the way you dress or act in any way make you responsible for being assaulted; you are never responsible for being assaulted," Bialik continued.
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Bialik applauded the "bravery" of women who've come forward with their experiences of harassment and assault.
"I support these women as we seek out and demand accountability from the only ones responsible for assault and rape," she wrote.
Topics Celebrities
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
