Monica Lewinsky is opening up about the Bill Clinton scandal in ways she has never done so before.
The 41-year-old former White House intern was in attendance at the TED Talk in Vancouver, Canada on Thursday (March 19) where she brought up the infamous affair.
“At the age of 22, I fell in love with my boss,” Monica said. “At the age of 24, I learned the devastating consequences… Who didn’t make a mistake at 22?”
“Not a day goes by that I am not reminded of my mistake, and I regret that mistake deeply,” she continued. “In 1998, after having been swept up in an improbable romance, I was then swept up into the eye of a political, legal, and media maelstrom like we had never seen before.”
“This scandal was brought to you by the digital revolution,” Monica added. “It was the first time traditional news was usurped by the Internet, a click that reverberated around the whole world.”
“Now, I admit I made mistakes—especially wearing that beret. But the attention and judgment that I received—not the story, but that I personally received—was unprecedented. I was branded as a tramp, tart, slut, whore, bimbo and, of course, ‘that woman.’ I was known by many, but actually known by few. I get it. It was easy to forget ‘that woman’ was dimensional and had a soul.”
“In 1998, I lost my reputation and my dignity… I lost my sense of self. When this happened to me, 17 years ago, there was no name for it. Now we call it cyber-bullying.”
“Public humiliation as a blood sport has to stop. We need to return to a long-held value of compassion and empathy… I’ve seen some very dark days in my life. It was empathy and compassion from friends, family, coworkers, even strangers that saved me. Empathy from one person can make a difference. Compassionate comments help abate the negativity.”
“Because it’s time. Time to stop tiptoeing around my past … Time to take back my narrative. Anyone who is suffering from shame and public humiliation needs to know one thing: you can survive it. I know it’s hard. It may not be painless, quick, or easy, but you can insist on a different ending to your story.”
Post a Comment