While a lot of Affinity readers are too young to remember, there was one name that dominated the news, the Internet and the cultural landscape of the 1990s in a way that no public figure (not even Beyonce) could possibly replicate: Monica Lewinsky.
You’ve probably heard the name in passing (or, as Monica herself said in her fabulous Ted talk, in rap songs), but may not know the (whole reason) for her fame.
Well, back when us 90’s babies were being raised on Biggie and Nirvana, Monica Lewinsky was 22 years old and beginning the opportunity of a lifetime: an internship at the White House. Of course, things turned sour pretty quickly for Monica, and the reason was simple: she “fell in love” with President Bill Clinton.
The story is so scandalous it’s almost impossible not to be intrigued by it: The president having an affair with a young intern. The president denying that oral sex counted as “sexual relations”. The affair being confirmed by a number of recordings between the two of them, as well as a blue dress (I’ll let you kids Google that one for yourself).
Now, affairs happen. Bill Clinton is not even the first president to be accused of having an affair (hello JFK), but this was different. It was everywhere. News stations would dedicate a full hour to the story, even if there was nothing new to share on a daily basis. It was on the cover of every magazine. In fact, Bill Clinton almost lost the presidency over it (but that’s another story for another day).
Now, Hillary and Bill have bounced back. You mention their names and, for better or worse, you think of their politics, their accomplishments and failures.
But for Monica it was different.
Monica became a national laughingstock overnight- and remember this girl was 22 years old. The entire world decided she wasn’t pretty enough or thin enough for the charming, attractive president- she was mocked for her hairstyle and her choice of clothes and most prominently, her weight. It was immediately released that she had spent multiple summers at a fat camp. The media seemed delighted by the fact this girl had clearly struggled with her weight- it made it all the more delicious to rake her over the coals for it.
She was, of course, labelled a slut and a whore. She was called fat. Her name became household and synonymous with a poor life choice and her weight. She was seen as the seductress- as though her barely-adult self was solely responsible for this affair.
This shaming came at a huge personal cost- even with two degrees, she struggled to find work because her name and face were so well-known. She couldn’t avoid the spotlight, a spotlight she never asked for. Her consensual yet stupid mistake was propped up almost as though she had done something criminal. She struggled financially. She struggled in her romantic life. She signed a deal with a weight loss company as a spokesperson- and, when people complained she was a bad “role model”, she got dropped, and never got paid the full amount she had been promised.
Unfortunately, liberal feminists didn’t stick up for her. They didn’t hold Bill Clinton accountable for his own actions. They did not point out the unhealthy power structure between them- one being the most powerful man in the world, the other being an insecure young woman, fresh out of college and working for him for free. They didn’t even condemn her actions but say we still shouldn’t call her a tart- they just let the media drag her over the coals. They let a young woman’s life get ruined, because they liked a pro choice, liberal president who apparently represented “feminist ideals”. They believed that the sacrifice of one woman’s dignity was worth the professional reputation of a man.
One of those alleged feminists was Hillary Clinton.
It is a daunting, yet terrifying shadow to live under. Especially if you are a woman who is as hot-headed and conservative as Hillary Clinton.
The rigid, abstinence is the only birth control-esque persona that Mrs. Clinton has been promoting, well, since the beginning of her career, seems to not really fit in with the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Let’s not all forget that Hillary called Lewinsky an “a narcissistic loony tune”… and she is still married to her husband… the same husband who was accused of various sexual misconducts while in various offices. It seems that Hillary wanted nothing more than to point the finger at the guilty person who isn’t HER partner.
Society, like Clinton, all labeled Lewinsky a slut, whore, scoundrel… and way worse. Hillary never once advised against the name calling, and soon the young, public life of Monica Lewinsky was ruined and shamed. When the truth is, if Monica Lewinsky is a slut, what does that make the vast majority of us?
Following the scandal, it seemed that an aroma of nasty comments and public embarrassments followed Lewinsky wherever she went. Like seeing the “new and improved” charming Bill Clinton dragging her name on every news source wasn’t enough, but now she is faced with her same ghost: the “feminist” who is the hot core of her slut shaming.
Hillary was a little too quick to hop between teams when it comes to the root of the scandal. Working for a man of power, when you are a woman who has received sexist treatment her whole life, it is no surprise that you will “fall in love with your boss.” Madeleine Albright (former secretary of state) built an argument that young women don’t understand the significance of Clinton’s candidacy, because we believe all of the work has been done.
The truth is that the women who were silently misconducted by Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton went discredited. Lewinsky pointed out in 2014 during an interview with Vanity Fair, that “feminists” were absent and mysteriously inexistent back in the 90s. Versus now, being a “feminist” to Clinton is rather a bandwagon than an important social issue. Since, Clinton has stated that her comments from the 90s regarding the issue should stay in the 90s. It may be too late for some to rightfully support Clinton given her once slated views, but if one thing is for sure about the movement of feminism regarding the Lewinsky scandal, it is that the powerful men just keep on smiling at the camera.
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