Justice

Amber Rose Nails Why Powerful Men Get Away With Sexual Abuse for Years

October 28th 2016

In a Friday interview with Yahoo News, Amber Rose addressed the now-infamous 2005 recording of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump boasting about being able to grope women.

amber-roseAP/Peter Kramer - apimages.com

Rose drew comparisons between her own experiences and the behavior Trump describes in the tape.

“I want him to get in trouble for it because I cannot even count how many times a famous guy touched me inappropriately," she said candidly. "Seriously.”

At one point in the recording Trump says, "when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything."

billy-bush-donald-trumpWashington Post - washingtonpost.com

The model explained why women are often hesitant to speak out about sexual assault and harassment.

She did not directly address the avalanche of sexual assault allegations Trump has faced and denied since the tape surfaced. But her comments explain why women may decide not to come forward with allegations.

“Imagine this: Donald Trump comes and touches me inappropriately, right? I’m a regular ass girl. Do I call 911?" Rose asked. "Do I get on Twitter and tweet about it? How should I go about letting people know that this guy did it to me and who’s actually going to believe me, you know what I’m saying?”

amber-roseInstagram/@amberrose - instagram.com

In an October 13 MSNBC appearance, host Joe Scarborough said he was "skeptical" of "the timing" of the allegations, the Hill reports. The comment ignited an outpouring of frustration from journalists and women on social media, who interpreted it as tacitly asking why they didn't come forward sooner. This question was voiced more explicitly by Trump surrogates, allies and Trump-friendly pundits, as CNN reports.

Late Night host Seth Myers featured (and eviscerated) clips from some of these pundits remarks in a clip shared October 13 on YouTube (this begins about 9 minutes into the segment).

Rose's point also brings up the recent sexual assault accusations against Bill Cosby.

NY Mag CoverNew York magazine - nymag.com

In this situation, once one woman accused a powerful man of sexual assault or harassment, other alleged victims began to came forward. As Vox explains, the possible consequences (legal threats, harassment, loss of employment) of speaking up can also discourage women from levying these accusations.

This doesn't just happen to women who work around big name celebrities.

After one woman accused University of Wisconsin-Madison student Alec Cook of violent sexual assault Oct. 12, other women came forward and alleged being abused by Cook. On Thursday, he was charged with "15 counts related to the sexual assault of five women," NBC News reports.

[h/t Jezebel]

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