There's been a lot of talk lately about sexual harassment and assault — what to do when it happens to you, how to deal with large-scale accusations, and who is responsible for preventing it on a large scale. However, the one thing that most of us should be able to agree on is that it isn't the fault of the survivors, yet there are still some who place blame on the way women dress, how much they've had to drink, or other factors. That's exactly what seemed to happen after olympic gymnast Aly Raisman came forward with allegations against USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
Though many folks were supportive in the aftermath, lauding her for her honesty in a post in Instagram, her former teammate Gabby Douglas initially screenshotted the post and tweeted the response, "however it is our responsibility as women to dress modestly and be classy. dressing in a provocative/sexual way entices the wrong crowd." Similar statements are often used to blame survivors of sexual assault and harassment, and many people — including former teammate Simone Biles — were not happy with her response.
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However, Douglas has since apologized for her reaction to Raisman's post and alleged assault, saying, "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."
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She has one thing right — no matter what you're wearing or doing, abuse, harassment, and assault is never okay.
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