Entertainment

Why Lindsay Lohan's #MeToo Comments Are Sparking Backlash On Twitter

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Before Lindsay Lohan shared her opinion on the #MeToo movement in an Aug. 4 interview with British newspaper the Times, she admitted that her statement might not go over well. That seems to be the case, now, Lohan's recent #MeToo comments are causing a backlash on Twitter with many saying she's got the movement all wrong.

In the Times interview, Lohan talked about the #MeToo movement by first saying that she didn't have any negative experiences on any Hollywood sets she has been on in that regard. “So, I don’t really have anything to say. I can’t speak on something I didn’t live, right?" she said. "Look, I am very supportive of women. Everyone goes through their own experiences in their own ways.”

But, Lohan did say in the interview that speaking up years after an alleged assault or instance of harassment didn't feel like the best course of action, in her opinion. “If it happens at that moment, you discuss it at that moment,” she told the paper. “You make it a real thing by making it a police report."

Lohan then continued, saying:

"I’m going to really hate myself for saying this, but I think by women speaking against all these things, it makes them look weak when they are very strong women. You have these girls who come out, who don’t even know who they are, who do it for the attention. That is taking away from the fact that it happened.”

The insinuation that speaking up about alleged sexual harassment or assault was somehow weak and that there are women speaking out for attention understandably rubbed many people the wrong way. "@lindsaylohan your comments on the #MeToo campaign are so unnecessary," Twitter user @touristfuture tweeted. "How can you call people who want to make sure other victims can move on 'weak' and say they’re seeking attention?"

@elia_savvas questioned how Lohan could "slam one of the BIGGEST MOST MEANINGFUL MOVEMENTS IN the History of Women around the world" and call herself an activist. In 2017, Lohan visited The View and talked about her new sense of activism, specifically how she was helping Syrian refugees in Turkey. "I'm in such a different place in my work life and headspace, and I have the time now where I can go and do some good," she said then. "I can get on the ground and see what's happening, and draw attention to it in a positive way to bring people awareness."

The fact that Lohan has been so vocal about helping refugees was why @elia_savvas tweeted they were "disgusted" by her comments that women are weak for speaking up. "WOMEN ARE STRONG INDIVIDUALS WITH POTENTIAL!," they wrote.

While another person on Twitter, @Samantha_1713, wrote, "Maybe stop asking Lindsay Lohan her opinion on things, especially after she defended Weinstein." The user was referencing a now-deleted Instagram video from October 2017, in which Lohan said, “I feel very bad for Harvey Weinstein right now. I don’t think it’s right what’s going on," adding Weinstein had never done anything to her.

Those comments would also lead to criticism from fans who felt Lohan was defending a man who had been accused by over 80 women of sexual misconduct. Weinstein has since been charged with first-degree rape, third-degree rape, a first-degree criminal sexual act and two counts of predatory sexual assault stemming from multiple alleged incidents stretching from 2004 to 2013. He faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted. (Through a spokesperson, Weinstein has previously denied all claims of nonconsensual sex.)

But that wasn't the first time Lohan has expressed this sentiment of women being weak for speaking out about assault and harassment. Back in June, Lohan referred to an alleged filmed violent incident she had with her ex, Russian socialite Egor Tarabasov, on the beach in an interview with the New York Times, saying it was the reason she wanted to adapt Tina Seskis’s 2017 novel The Honeymoon, a psychological thriller that looks at a honeymoon gone wrong.

Lohan said working on the project was cathartic for her. "There was this moment where it was like, 'I don’t really need to be worried about a guy hurting me, I don’t need to live in fear,'" she told the paper. "Because when women show fear, I feel like that makes us powerless."

Lohan again referenced this incident in her interview with the British Times. “I had a fight with my ex on this very beach. What did I do? Nothing," she said. "I just took over the beach. The best revenge is success, right?”

While that might have felt like the best course of action for Lohan, it certainly isn't for everyone. Just as Lohan felt she needed to share her opinions on the #MeToo movement, others will continue to push back on her comments. Not for attention, but to show that speaking up doesn't make you weak, it makes you strong enough to stand up for what you believe in.