In her recent interview, Amy Schumer got candid about some of her thoughts on the #MeToo movement while admitting that she has been 'flat-out raped'
Hollywood is not holding back in talking about sexual harassment and recently, actress Amy Schummer spoke about the topic during her podcast interview with Katie Couric. During the interview, Amy confessed that she has been “flat-out raped.”
The actress tried to bring attention to how there are different kinds of sexual misconduct and almost everyone in the society has unfortunately fallen prey to that sometime or the other. "There are so many other kinds of sexual misconduct. We’ve all — every woman I know, every woman in this room — we’ve all had these experiences. In this current climate, it brings these things up and you go, 'God, none of that was okay,'" she said.
It is then that Amy wanted people to know how important it is for one to stand up and raise their voice against sexual misconduct. The Trainwreck singer also used the recent instance of sexual assault which involved Aziz Ansari which came to light after the victim came forward about the assault in the article which was titled as "I went on a date with Aziz Ansari. It turned into the worst night of my life."
"If you have a doctor that makes you uncomfortable, or you get a message, or you have a date with someone and they coerce you in a situation like the Aziz [Ansari] one," she said. "I don’t think there’s any sort of criminal charge, but I think that it’s good for everybody to learn that that behavior’s not acceptable."
The actress believes that it is time for the society to change because it is not possible for a woman to keep living like they have been all this while. "It’s not a crime, but it’s not cool. And it can still really mess with a woman… We just can’t let things continue the way they’ve continued because there are so many different levels of it," Amy said. The actress also tried to explain how people need to realize when it is not okay and when one should leave.
"I don’t think anyone wants to see Aziz’s career ruined or his life ruined or anything like that, but that’s where people’s minds go. They go, ‘Does he deserve this?’ And it’s really not about that. I think it’s about expressing and showing women that that behavior is not okay, and not only can you leave, but you need to leave," she said. Amy admitted that despite being a close friend of Aziz, she still relates to the girl who was sadly put in that position.
"The women who come after you — you’re leaving a mark for them too… He’s been my friend and I really feel for the woman. I identify with all the women in these situations. Even if it’s my friend, I don’t go, ‘Oh, but he’s a good guy.’ I think, ‘What would it feel like to have been her?'" she said.
On the podcast, Amy issued a call to women to articulate standards and boundaries.
"We need to be teaching each other the kind of behavior that's acceptable and so when something comes up, to say, 'That makes me really uncomfortable," or just what you're willing to accept," she said. "Those are the hard conversations, but we can’t let things continue the way that they’ve continued because there's so many different levels of it.”
In a previous interview with NPR’s “Fresh Air, Amy said that she believes every woman at some point in her life has “probably been a little bit raped.” “I – most women I know, that I’m close to, have had a sexual experience that they were really uncomfortable with and that if it wasn’t completely rape, it was something very similar to rape,” she said. “And so I say it’s not all black and white. There’s a gray area of rape, and I call it grape."
Previously, in an interview with Marie Claire, had said that her first sexual experience was not a good one. It was also something she spoke in her 2016 memoir, The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo. "I looked down and realized he was inside of me,” she told Marie Claire. “He was saying, ‘I’m so sorry’ and ‘I can’t believe I did this.'" Amy believes it is important for every woman to come forward and not be afraid of talking about sexual assault.
