Gabrielle Union Opens Up About Victimhood and Healing
Sitting down with the women of The View on Monday, Gabrielle Union shared her perspective on healing and moving past victimhood after being sexually assaulted at gunpoint when she was 19 years old. The actress previously opened up about the assault in Oprah Magazine, sharing that she was working at a Payless shoe store one Summer when a man robbed the shop and raped her while holding her at gunpoint. On The View, Gabrielle was asked about her healing process, and she responded with her feelings about victimhood:
"I got sick of people letting me off the hook, because being a victim is so comfortable. People give you attention, people are nurturing — they're basically the way you've always wanted them to be your whole life, without something bad happening. So when something catostrophic happens in your life, everyone rallies around you. You're getting all the attention and love and support that you always wanted, but it's not for something positive. And I hated that. I hated feeling like a victim. I hated the cloak of victimhood, and I realized that they were going to allow me to be a victim and not succeed and not achieve any of my goals or not step outside the box. It makes you lazy. And I wanted that cloak of victimhood off. And I was like, I want to embrace being a survivor. Because that's who I am. I wasn't raised to be coddled. I was raised to be an independent woman, standing on my own two feet, and that's the road I opted to take."
Gabrielle's comments about the experience start around 3:30 in the segment above.