Monica Lewinsky, the White House intern at the center of one of the most scandalous political scandals, has openly discussed her previous affair with former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
In an interview with host Alex Cooper on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Lewinsky spoke about the extreme power imbalance in the relationship, which occurred in the 1990s.
Her words set off a broad spectrum of reactions, many saying that the public owes her an apology for what she had to go through at the mere age of 22.
Cooper posted a clip from the interview on Instagram with the caption, "This is a power imbalance at the highest level." On the video, she underlines the inequality, saying, "You were 22 years old. He was 49. You were an intern.". He was the president of the United States. There is a definite power imbalance that they never paid attention to in the media when all of this was unfolding." She then questions Lewinsky, "How aware were you of this power imbalance?
Replying to the question, Lewinsky confesses, "I don't think that was something we discussed. You know, so much back then, in the same way that we didn't have words like slut shaming and fat shaming."
She explains in more detail, saying, "That wasn't something that we discussed a lot. And I think that it was really in the aftermath of Me Too 2.0 that we actually began to address power imbalance under the banner of abuse of power."
Cooper then turns the conversation to Lewinsky's changing outlook, posing the question, "In 2014, you stated the relationship was consensual. In 2018 you stated you were only reconsidering how power dynamics affect consent. Today, where are you?"
Lewinsky makes it clear that although she is "very clear" that it was not sexual assault and there was a "level of consensuality," the power situation put her in a place where she should not have been. She emphasizes that the onus is always with the one who has more power, be it age, status, or financial standing.
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