Monica Lewinsky Is Taking Control of the Story That Made Her Infamous
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After over a decade of silence, Monica Lewinsky is taking control of her own story. On Thursday the former White House intern gave a TED talk to tell the story of her affair with Bill Clinton from her point of view. In her talk called "The Price of Shame," Lewinsky spoke of her negative experiences with the press as well as how we as a country can put a stop to cyberbullying. What really resonated with the crowd is how candidly she spoke of her relationship with Clinton.
"Like me, at 22, a few of you may also have taken wrong turns by falling in love with the wrong person. Maybe even your boss. Unlike me, though, your boss probably wasn't the President of the United States of America."
Lewinsky went on to speak about the aftermath of her affair. She explained that there's not a day goes by that she's not reminded of the situation and how deeply she regrets what she did. That being said, the name-calling and accusations that followed her were beyond cruel. She explained that the scandal was brought to the public by a "digital revolution" — it was one of the first times that people were following news on the Internet.
"I was branded as a tramp, tart, slut, whore, bimbo and, of course, 'that woman.' I was known by many, but actually known by few. I get it. It was easy to forget 'that woman' was dimensional and had a soul."
At the time, it was hard for Lewinsky to get a grasp on what was going on. She didn't have a voice in the scandal she was involved in, and that's why she's speaking up today.
"Anyone who is suffering from shame and public humiliation needs to know one thing: you can survive it. I know it's hard. It may not be painless, quick or easy, but you can insist on a different ending to your story."
Lewinsky is doing just that. Take a look at a short clip from "The Price of Shame" TED talk below while we wait for the entire speech to be available for viewing. What do you think of what Lewinsky had to say?
