EXCLUSIVE
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Buster Douglas Khabib Could Beat Mayweather Boxing ... "Anything Can Happen"
Showing posts with label Douglas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Douglas. Show all posts
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Buster Douglas Khabib Could Beat Mayweather Boxing ... "Anything Can Happen"
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Stoneman Douglas Shooter Nikolas Cruz Confession Tapes Released, He Says "Kill Me"
Nikolas Cruz — who cops say confessed to murdering 17 people in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School this year — is finally being seen on camera moments after the massacre … and it’s disturbing. You see 19-year-old Cruz…
Saturday, August 4, 2018
Joanna Krupa Gets Married to Douglas Nunes in Poland
Joanna Krupa is officially off the market … getting hitched to her businessman fiance in her native Poland. The “Real Housewives of Miami” star tied the knot with Douglas Nunes Saturday in an intimate ceremony just months after the two announced…
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
"Coward" Deputy Sued by Stoneman Douglas High School Parents & Students
The Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy who bolted from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as a gunman sprayed the building with bullets has just been sued by a group of parents and students … claiming the deputy’s inaction caused the carnage. …
"Coward" Deputy Sued by Stoneman Douglas High School Parents & Students
The Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy who bolted from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as a gunman sprayed the building with bullets has just been sued by a group of parents and students … claiming the deputy’s inaction caused the carnage. …
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Jimmy Fallon Gives Commencement Speech for Marjory Stoneman Douglas Graduation
Jimmy Fallon gave a heartfelt commencement speech to the graduating glass at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School — which paid tribute to the trauma they endured this year. The ‘Tonight Show’ host made a surprise appearance Sunday at MSDHS’s…
Monday, May 21, 2018
Shawn Mendes Performs "Youth" With Marjory Stoneman Douglas Choir
The Billboard Music Awards were Sunday night, and the evening was riddled with powerful performances. Ariana Grande"s evocative opening act set the tone for the evening.
But Shawn Mendes put on "Youth" as a tribute to the victims and survivors of tragic school shootings.
As you can see in the video that we have included, he had help — from fellow singer Khalid, and from surviving students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Shawn Mendes is 19 years old, so he doesn"t just have to relate to teenagers — he is one.
Though he also performed "In My Blood," which was much more upbeat and designed to please the crowd, when he and Khalid got up and sang "Youth," it was a clear tribute to both survivors and victims of school shootings.
And many read it as an indictment of the numerous politicians and special interests who are fighting gun reform efforts that could save countless innocent lives.
But in case it was not perfectly clear, Mendes had survivors of the Parkland shooting up on stage with him.
They weren"t there as props — they were singing.
These were Marjory Stoneman Douglas choir students.
Though surely this particular performance had been planned for a while, the timing was tragically appropriate.
Just last week, the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas claimed even more innocent lives.
Once again, the murderer was a disaffected young male with a lot of anger … and with access to an AK-47.
Some are tentatively hopeful that November"s midterm elections will see new politicians in office who are willing to actually take action, as so many countries have done, to prevent these tragedies.
Mendes" music isn"t going to make that happen, but it can be a rallying cry for the voters who can make that dream a reality.
Shawn Mendes has plenty of stans who were in attendance in the audience.
Kpop fans were delighted to spot Jungkook bobbing his head and dancing along with "In My Blood."
There was actually a hilarious moment in the audience during that song.
Notably, Taylor Swift and Camila Cabello were standing and dancing in the crowd during "in My Blood."
Seated just a couple of rows behind them, Darren Criss used his phone to record himself entertained and pretending to be frustrated by Taylor and Camila obstructing his view.
The stars are "just like us" in many ways — they can be moved by each other"s music.
But they can also get annoyed with each other over it.
As you"ll see in the video, Hailey Baldwin was also in the audience.
Last November, rumors began to swirl that Shawn Mendes and Hailey Baldwin were dating.
Reports claimed that they were intensely cozy, and they"ve gone out and about together. They even attended the MET Gala together.
However, Hailey has claimed that the two are merely very good friends.
That claim of friendship has done nothing to help Shawn dodge the persistent gay rumors that have followed him for years.
Believing that someone is gay or bi and closeted is fine, whether you"re correct or not. Calling them out as such on social media is unkind.
Sexuality is about as personal as it gets.
It was so good of Shawn Mendes to use his platform and the Billboard Music Awards for such a good message.
It was also good of Khalid, who is a newer name in the music world and whose name seems to be forgotten by many talking about this performance, to lend his voice and talents to the song.
We all hope to see a better tomorrow in which children are safe from death and horror.
Friday, March 30, 2018
Marjory Stoneman Douglas Parents Freaked Out Over New Gun Threat
A student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School made threats with a gun and ammunition against another student, and parents want to know if more danger lurks on campus … yet the school has gone radio silent. A student at the school posted these…
Monday, March 26, 2018
Joanna Krupa: Engaged to Douglas Nunes!
Great news for Joanna Krupa fans: she’s engaged!
Technically, Joanna did not say the words … but she instead showed off her new ring (in the very conspicuous photo that you’ll see below) and tagged her new fiance in the photo.
She let fans but two and two together.
The photo that you’re about to see shows Joanna Krupa’s hand and Douglas Nunes’ hand, alongside some wonderful dogs.
Joanna tagged Douglas. She also tagged Winston, the large white dog, who has his own Instagram account.
On the ring finger of her left hand, fans and followers can clearly see what looks like a large, beautiful engagement band.
Her caption, however, belies the signficance of the photo. She writes:
“Just another weekend in the Krupa-Nunes household.”
But look:at the anything-but-ordinary picture.
We had to take a moment to admire the beautiful, precious, sleepy dogs for a moment before we noticed the ring. Take your time.
Joanna hasn’t exactly been outspoken about her relationship with fiance Douglas Nunes.
(Note: this is Douglas Nunes, not to be confused with the politician, Devin Nunes, of “Nunes Memo” fame)
In fact, she’s even playing coy in this photo announcement.
The whole relationship has been pretty hush-hush, and it seems like Douglas is a fairly private person.
Though a factor in the couple’s apparent shyness might be how recently Joanna ended her last relationship.
Here we see Joanna with her last husband, Romain Zago.
The two of them finalized their divorce just 8 months ago.
It was, however, an amicable split.
So amicable, in fact, that Romain Zago testified that her vagina smells great during the most absurd lawsuit in recent memory.
Plenty of women can’t get their ex to agree to a visitation schedule during a divorce, and Joanna had Romain sit at the witness stand and sing the praises of her genital odor.
That whole story was bonkers and amazing.
But, as you may recall, Joanna Krupa won her lawsuit against Brandi Glanville, who was forced to apologize for ever questioning the olfactory qualities of Joanna’s nether bits.
We can’t help but imagine the hours of law school and the courtroom experiences that led everyone involved to one day take a case involving a vagina odor lawsuit.
In general, though, Joanna leads an amazing life as a beautiful celebrity.
She endorses products on Instagram, she reminds the world that she is shockingly gorgeous, and she also promotes animal rights causes and shares stories related to that with fans.
Joanna’s fans are of course very happy for her and filled her comments with congratulations.
There were, unfortunately, some snide comments about how recently she divorced Romain.
But … remember, just because the divorce was finalized 8 months ago doesn’t mean that her relationship with Douglas is some sort of rebound.
Divorces, even the nice ones, take time. She and Douglas have had plenty of time to get to know one another.
We wish the two of them the best!
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Nikolas Cruz"s Brother Arrested for Trespassing at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High
The younger sibling of alleged Florida shooter Nikolas Cruz got busted by cops for venturing onto the school grounds where his brother is accused of going on a killing rampage. Zachary Cruz was arrested Monday by Broward County Sheriff’s…
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Dwyane Wade Visits Stoneman Douglas H.S., "I"m Inspired By All of You"
Dwyane Wade personally greeted the students at Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday as they returned to the school for the first full day of classes since the shooting. Wade posed for photos and hung out with the kids kids as they…
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Kirk Cousins Should Make the Jets Beg For Him, Says Ex-Jet Hugh Douglas
The Jets are desperate for Kirk Cousins, and everyone knows it … so the QB should make ‘em get on their hands and knees — so says former Jets LB Hugh Douglas. “If I’m Kirk Cousins, I’m gonna ask them to show me how bad do you really…
Friday, February 2, 2018
Gabby Douglas & Mom Condemn Nassar Attacker, "Never Evil with Evil"
Violence is not the answer … even when it comes to Dr. Larry Nassar — this according to Gabby Douglas and her mom who are strongly condemning the father who attacked Nassar in court. Natalie Hawkins was at LAX with Gabby where she…
Friday, January 19, 2018
Michael Douglas: Sexual Harassment Allegation Details Published
Earlier this month, a sexual harassment allegation story was pre-empted when Michael Douglas publicly denied masturbating in front of a woman who was once in his employ.
He made a very convincing statement, but … since he spoke out before the accusations were even published, we only got to hear his version of events and of the woman’s story itself.
Now, the woman’s allegations have been published.
The Hollywood Reporter has come out with an account of accusations against Michael Douglas by Susan Braudy. They first summarize her situation.
“In the late ’80s, when Braudy was in her 40s, she was hired to run the New York office of Stonebridge Productions, the production company launched by actor and producer Michael Douglas, then one of the biggest and most powerful stars in Hollywood.”
She apparently kept detailed records at the time, including evidence of her employment and evidence that she once sought — but ultimately did not pursue — a remedy for the sexual harassment that she claims that she experienced.
“She claimed she was subjected to sexual harassment by Douglas that included near-constant profane and sexually charged dialogue, demeaning comments about her appearance, graphic discussions regarding his mistresses and more.”
In addition to written records, Braudy was able to put The Hollywood Reporter in touch with multiple people who could confirm that she’s been describing these events for decades, including at least one well-known journalist and author.
“The most traumatizing experience, she said, took place during a one-on-one script meeting in his apartment, during which Douglas masturbated in her presence, prompting her to run home crying.”
But let’s hear her words.
In Susan Braudy’s own writing, she describes her job at the time as being to “read scripts, hire and supervise screenwriters, and perhaps most important, to babysit Michael in his apartment.”
As The Hollywood Reporter notes, the entertainment industry is full of odd jobs where personal lives and professional lives overlap.
At first, she says that she “did my best to shrug off the cloud of sexual aggression that Michael reflexively emitted.”
“I knew something was off but had no name for it,” she says in her writings. “I’d never heard there was a phenomenon called sexual harassment and didn’t know the term until the Anita Hill hearings in 1991.”
And she has an anecdote that both harmless and sure to turn stomachs:
“One screenwriter I hired asked if he could bring his daughter to meet Michael. She asked Michael for a banana. Michael strode to me and said so that only I could hear, ‘Yes. And then you can tell your friends you licked Michael Douglas’ banana.’ I was appalled.”
She claims that Michael Douglas used a crude term for a woman’s genitalia when they first met, and that she eventually took steps to deter him from commenting about her body:
“I began wearing long, loose layers of black. He asked a producer, ‘Why does Susan dress like a pregnant nun?"”
“Another time I laughed loudly and he shouted to a group of agents, ‘Oh yeah, she’s a screamer! I bet she screams in the sack."”
In no way is that an acceptable way to talk to or about your coworker.
“I protested, ‘Please, don’t talk like that. It’s inappropriate.’ This made him laugh until he got pink splotches on his cheeks.”
That sure sounds inappropriate.
“Michael was usually barefoot, his blue oxford shirt unbuttoned to his navel. I sat across the room on the yellow silk couch taking notes.”
This was in 1989. That outfit itself sounds fine. What she says happened next during this one instance … does not.
“Michael unzipped his chinos and I registered something amiss. Still complimenting my additions to our E.T. imitation, his voice lowered at least half an octave.”
And then. …
“I peered at him and saw he’d inserted both hands into his unzipped pants. I realized to my horror that he was rubbing his private parts. Within seconds his voice cracked and it appeared to me he’d had an orgasm.”
“I said nothing. I was surprised I wasn’t falling to pieces even though I was humiliated. I realized he thought he could do anything he wanted because he was so much more powerful than I was.”
We struggle to think of what a person might say in that situation. That sounds so creepy and gross, especially at what was — though at his house — a work meeting.
“Michael ran barefoot after me to the elevator, zipping his fly and buckling his belt. ‘Hey, thank you, you’re good. You helped me, thank you, thank you."”
Braudy says that she was soon after asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement and that, after stalling on her lawyer’s advice for six months, she was let go towards the end of 1989.
Michael Douglas has famously strongly denied these allegations of sexual harassment and general creepiness.
We can consider the fact that either Susan Braudy is lying, though it’s hard to conceive of a reason for her to do so. And the idea of someone confiding a lie in 1989 as part of some decades-long scheme to come out with it in 2018 … is truly bizarre.
We can also consider that Michael Douglas is lying, as his motive for doing so would be to preserve his reputation.
But can we talk about another possibility?
It was the ’80s, and Michael Douglas’ career was pretty much at its peak.
Some have openly wondered if Douglas was abusing any substances at the time (which we are not accusing him of) that might have lowered his impulse-control and perhaps also prevented him from remembering or even realizing his actions.
Even without the involvement of illicit substances, it sounds like both Michael Douglas and Susan Braudy could be describing events as they remember them. Susan might have her memory locked in because of trauma, while Michael Douglas might have thought nothing of events.
It’s even possible that one or both of them misinterpreted the other during that time period.
The only thing that we know with absolute certainty is that no one should have to face the kind of workplace harassment that Braudy describes.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Michael Douglas: I Did Not Masturbate in Front of That Woman!
Michael Douglas would like to make something very clear.
In an interview with Deadline, the veteran actor has responded to accusations of sexual harassment with a definitive statement that can best be summed up with these words:
No. Not me too.
The 73-year old The Oscar winner decided to come forward preemptively after being contacted by The Hollywood Reporter and Variety regarding allegations of misconduct made by an employee who worked for him more 32 years ago.
This employee claims Douglas once dropped his pants and masturbated in front of her.
The woman worked for Douglas’ production company in New York, the actor says, adding:
“I don’t know where to begin. This is a complete lie, fabrication, no truth to it whatsoever.”
Having been in the entertainment industry for over 50 years, both as an actor and producer, the two-time Academy Award winner went into further detail about why he’s speaking out.
“I felt the need to get ahead of this,” Douglas explains, adding:
“It pertains to me but I’m also getting a sense of how it reflects in our culture, and what is going on today. I see it as a cautionary tale.”
Douglas says he remembers the woman in question and says he fired her based on her work.
He also denies her claims that he proceeded to blackball her from Hollywood.
“I support the #metoo movement with all my heart,” Douglas continued.
“I have always supported women, along the way. This is the kind of step that can set that movement back….
“I’m just happy to be able to present my story. I’m grateful to have the support of my wife and my kids who’ve had to share this with me.
“It has been a complete nightmare.”
The actor is married to Catherine Zeta-Jones.
As readers are likely well aware, Hollywood continues to reel from accusations against a variety of men of sexual harassment and misconduct.
The issue took on a new life of its own last year after producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of some horrible acts against the opposite sex.
Since then, victims have been empowered to go public, with accusations taking down the careers of such major stars as Kevin Spacey, Matt Lauer and Louis C.K.
The latter was also accused of jerking off in front of women, but he actually confessed to these misdeeds.
The Hollywood Reporter, meanwhile, has not yet commented on Douglas’ statement and/or the article he says the publication called him about in December.
As of late Tuesday, there were no stories containing allegations against Douglas on its website.
To conclude his chat with Deadline, Douglas said the following:
I’m upset… I’m having a hard time understanding it. I’m very grateful to my family and business associates around me.
I’m fearful, I have jobs going with studios who all seem to be supportive at this time.
I’m hurt, really hurt and offended and I wonder if people realize when you do something like this, it hurts a lot more than just one person.
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Cameron Douglas & Vivian Thibes Welcome First Child!
It’s only been a little more than a year since Michael Douglas’ son, Cameron Douglas, was released from prison after nearly 7 years behind bars on drug charges.
That’s enough time to ruin a life, but Cameron’s been moving forward with his life with a new approach to life and with his very pregnant girlfriend, Vivian Thibes.
But Vivian isn’t pregnant anymore, which Cameron announced with a precious post to Instagram.
Cameron Douglas’ girlfriend, yoga instructor Vivian Thibes, was way preggo in this photo … but that’s no longer the case, as Douglas excitedly shared on Instagram.
His caption reads:
“Today my appreciation for Mothers all over the world has reached new heights…”
We’re sure that Mike Pence’s wife will appreciate that. (Sorry!)
“Today I took part in a miracle as my baby girl was introduced to the world through a beautiful Amazon warrior…”
Awwww!
We’re touched by how excited he is to become a father but we just love how he describes his beautiful wife.
“I’m so proud of you @vivianethibes.“
He follows that with a white bird emoji, and then a very simple tag:
“#iloveyou”
They’re so precious.
Not long ago, Vivian shared her own pregnant yoga photo, this time standing in tree pose (which, depending on your balance, is either way harder or way easier than it looks, and I can only imagine how pregnancy complicates it).
In her own captions, Vivian wrote:
“As I come to the end of my pregnancy filled with gratitude for the love and support of my friends and family.”
That’s sweet!
“I reflect on the importance of regular yoga practice.”
That makes sense. Doing yoga is a popular choice during pregnancy. Also, you know, she’s a yoga instructor. it’s clearly her thing.
“Through my practice I was able to find balance and serenity during challenging times.”
Pregnancy can be a wild ride, folks.
“Like a tree, we want to have strong roots in order to stay grounded.”
See, and she’s doing tree pose. Cute.
“So whatever is your source of strength, nourish it because you will need it when things get out of your control.”
It’s good that she’s acknowledging that not everyone’s on the same path or draws strength from the same things.
Michael Douglas has previously expressed his excitement about becoming a grandfather.
We’re sure that his happiness is only compounded by how thrilled he is that his son is, for a little over a year not, finally out of prison.
While in prison for nearly seven years for drug charges (and as outrageous as that is, and it absolutely is, remember that men of color often have sentences several times that long for, again, nothing more than drug charges), Cameron did not have an easy time.
Cameron Douglas was beaten in prison.
In fact, he even had his leg broken by another inmate.
What it says about our society that nonviolent offenders are caged with vicious, violent offenders and spend years living in fear … well, it’s an indictment of our legal system, really.
That Cameron Douglas is in a mental and emotional place to move on with his life after surviving the horror show that is prison is a good sign.
We don’t know the name of Cameron and Vivian’s little girl, yet.
But we’re so excited that she’s been born and that it sounds like everyone involved is alright.
Congratulations to that entire family, honestly.
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Gabby Douglas: Dr. Nassar Molested Me, Too
A couple of weeks ago, Aly Raisman accused Dr. Nassar of sexual abuse, joining more than 100 other gymnasts.
Aly responded to some truly despicable victim-blaming, only for her former teammate, Gabby Douglas, to seemingly victim-blame Aly for “immodesty.” Gabby apologized after the backlash, but … yikes.
Now Gabby’s come forward. Not only to apologize again, but to say that she, too, is a survivor of Dr. Nassar’s sex abuse.
After Aly Raisman gave a similar account to McKayla Maroney’s molestation accusations against Dr. Larry Nassar, their former team doctor, Aly posted about how dressing a certain way before or after being a victim of sexual abuse doesn’t in any way negate what happened.
(As we mentioned at the time, if haters see assault survivors living their lives, they dismiss what happened as “not that bad.” If they see survivors as nervous shut-ins, they tell them to “get over it.” It’s vile)
Gabby Douglas jumped in with a truly awful take: a reminder that women have a “responsibility” to dress modestly, or they might invite the wrong kind of attention.
That’s awful, and the backlash was intense. Which, we imagine, is why Gabby Douglas apologized at the time and has now posted this lengthy apology:
“First, I want to reiterate my apology for responding the way that I did to a comment that one of my teammates posted.”
That’s good. A personal desire for modesty is every bit as valid as any other personal outfit choice, from niqabs to nudity. Saying that others have a “responsibility” to feel as you do … is unacceptable.
“I know that some of you may take what I am about to say as insincere, but I still wanted to provide context.”
Context is always good.
“The day before I commented, I was at an event where hundreds of children and young adults came to spend an evening with me.”
That’s not really a surprise. She’s still a household name and she’s an athletic superstar.
“It’s very humbling when many people look up to you as an example.”
Most people would assume that it’s the opposite of humbling, but we can see that.
“I take my job as a role model very seriously and I always want to do my best to represent all the best qualities that a role model should embody. I admit there are times that I fall short.”
“I didn’t view my comments as victim-shaming because I know that no matter what you wear, it NEVER gives anyone the right to harass or abuse you.”
That’s true. You can pass out naked in somebody’s house, and they still don’t have the right to touch you without your consent. No one does.
“It would be like saying because of the leotards we wore, it was our fault that we were abused by Larry Nassar.”
Note that she says we, following up her use of the #MeToo hashtag in her first apology by confirming that she is a fellow survivor.
(Going through awful stuff doesn’t negate the problematic things that you might say or do later in life, but they can put things into context)
“I didn’t publicly share my experiences as well as many other things because for years we were conditioned to stay silent and honestly some things were extremely painful.”
We can only imagine how painful it would be to hold onto that secret, to be burdened by it.
“I wholeheartedly support my teammates for coming forward with what happened to them.”
And that’s good.
Gabby’s message continues:
“I understand that many of you didn’t know what I was dealing with, but it is important to me that you at least know this.”
We’re listening.
“I do not advocate victim shaming/blaming in any way, shape, or form!”
It sure sounded like that was what she was doing in her now-deleted “modesty” post.
“I will also never support attacking or bullying anyone on social media or anywhere else.”
That’s good … but almost sounds like she’s talking about the backlash that she received.
“Please forgive me for not being more responsible with how I handled the situation.”
Responsible is exactly the right word.
“To every other individual that commented to or about me hatefully, I apologize that I let you down too.”
That’s a very mature way to respond to your haters.
“I will never stop promoting unity, positivity, strength, being courageous, and doing good instead of evil.”
That’s good … though some of those are vague and could mean very different things from very different people.
“I have learned from this and I’m determined to be even better.”
That’s good.
She sends it with:
“All my love, Gabby.”
Whatever you may think of Gabby Douglas before or after this second apology, she did not deserve to be one of Dr. Larry Nassar’s countless alleged victims.
Dr. Nassar, who has been in jail while awaiting sentencing for child porn charges, pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to sexual assault.
He is being sued by over 125 women, most of whom are gymnasts.
This story is ongoing, in that Nassar still awaits sentencing. And we may have not yet heard from all of the victims.
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Gabby Douglas Says U.S. Team Doctor Larry Nassar Abused Her, Too
Gabby Douglas just announced that she, too, was abused by her former team doctor, Larry Nassar … this after 2 other U.S. gymnasts claimed the same thing. Gabby issued a statement Tuesday which started out by apologizing for her perceived…
Monday, November 20, 2017
Gabby Douglas Victim-Blames Aly Raisman, Apologizes
Recently, Aly Raisman revealed that she was sexually abused by her team doctor, starting when she was a young teenager. The world responded with horror, sympathy, and support.
Except for Aly’s former teammate, Gabby Douglas.
For whatever reason, she decided to respond by appearing to victim-blame Aly. And that did not go over well.
Aly Raisman joins over 130 women in accusing Dr. Larry Nassar of sexual abuse.
Coming forward about sexual assault is never easy, for a whole host of reasons. From society’s judgmental attitude to the legal system forcing survivors to relive their trauma to internalized feelings of shame and confusion … it’s tough.
Coming forward as a celebrity, where the spotlight magnifies so many of those deterrents, is even harder.
(Among those accusers is former teammate McKayla Maroney, who also showed extraordinary bravery in sharing her #MeToo story as a celebrity)
Aly Raisman revealed details of her sex abuse, in a story that is tragically familiar, alleging that Dr. Nassar began molesting her when she was just 15.
Larry Nassar, who is currently in jail and awaiting sentencing for some gross but unsurprising child pornography charges, allegedly passed off his molestation as “therapeutic massage.”
(It’s not uncommon for gymnasts of this caliber to require a number of therapies, including massage, because what they do can be tremendously hard on their bodies)
Dr. Nassar’s alleged abuse of these girls went on for years.
On Friday, Aly Raisman posted a follow-up, responding to some of the responses that
“Just because a woman does a sexy photoshoot or wears a sexy outfit does not give a man the right to shame her or not believe her when she comes forward about sexual abuse.”
Absolutely true. Some victim-blamers try to say that if a survivor of childhood sexual abuse goes on to enjoy sex as an adult or flaunt her body, then she must not have suffered enough as a child. That is wrong and also vile.
(Some of those same people will look to a woman who grows up to be a sex-repulsed shut-in and say that she needs to “get over it,” which is not better)
“What is wrong with some of you? AND when a woman dresses sexy it does not give a man the right to sexually abuse her EVER.”
Women may dress however they like. And literally nothing could give one human being the right to sexually assault or abuse another.
“Women are allowed to feel sexy and comfortable in their own skin; in fact I encourage you all to wear what you feel good in.”
Note that she’s not saying that all woman need to dress sexily. Some women will feel good in a crop top. Others in a turtleneck. Others in a niqab.
“I will not put up with any woman being shamed for wanting to wear a skirt, dress, etc. I do not tolerate it. Are we clear?”
Yes ma’am. Very clear.
“Oh, and one more thing. STOP VICTIM SHAMING. It is because of you that so many survivors live in fear.”
Everything that Aly Raisman said was true and also well-said. It’s sad that she had to defend herself and others like that.
Gabby Douglas, however, saw things a little differently.
Quoting her former teammate’s post, Gabby added her own words:
“However, it is our responsibility as woman to dress modestly and be classy. Dressing in a provocative/sexual way entices the wrong crowd.”
WOW.
Rather than pointing out that there are various photos and videos of Gabby Douglas dressed in manners that, in her universe, might “entice the wrong crowd,” let’s instead say this:
It is not a woman’s responsibility, or anyone’s responsibility, to dress modestly. You can fall asleep naked at a party and no one is entitled to touch you.
Also, and this is almost beside the point, but plenty of good people are “enticed” by sexiness. Gabby Douglas appears to believe that men who like modesty aren’t sex abusers and that others are.
Again, folks, sexual predation doesn’t have a stake in how you dress or what side of the political aisle you sit on. Predators exist in every social circle, and there are those who delight in using their “family values” image to allay suspicion.
Well, apparently Gabby was known for her questionable views.
Fellow Olympic gymnast Simone Biles shared a screencap of Gabby’s truly awful take, and wrote:
“Shocks me that I’m seeing this but it doesn’t surprise me… honestly seeing this brings me to tears bc as your teammate I expected more from you & to support her. I support you Aly [hearts emoji] & all the other women out there! STAY STRONG”
That is the correct view. It must be heartbreaking to hear that from someone who rose to fame by your side, with whom you shared such a unique experience.
Gabby responded to the backlash by deleting her original message and tweeting again:
“i didn’t correctly word my reply & i am deeply sorry for coming off like i don’t stand alongside my teammates. regardless of what you wear, abuse under any circumstance is never acceptable. i am WITH you. #metoo“
It’s good that she apologizes. We’re not sure how her message could be the result of poor phrasing.
However, she’s using the #MeToo hashtag, which implies that she’s had her own awful experiences. It may be that she’s still processing something … and potentially blames herself.
Saturday, November 18, 2017
Simone Biles Blasts Gabby Douglas: Don"t Victim Shame Aly Raisman!
Simone Biles is publicly attacking her former Team USA gymnastics teammate Gabby Douglas — and it’s all over comments Gabby made insinuating some women invite sexual abuse by the way they dress. It all started with Aly Raisman … their 2016…
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