French actress Catherine Deneuve joined dozens of women in signing an open letter that calls the #MeToo movement “puritanical” and a “witch hunt.”
The letter, published in France’s Le Monde, says men should be “free to hit on” women and that “rape is a crime but insistent or clumsy flirting is not,” according to a translation in The Local.
Among roughly 100 other French writers, performers and academics who signed the letter was Deneuve along with Catherine Millet — author of the 2002 memoir “The Sexual Life of Catherine M.”
The letter went on to say, “Men have been punished summarily, forced out of their jobs when all they did was touch someone’s knee or try to steal a kiss.” Men have been stigmatized, the letter argued, for “talking about intimate subjects during professional dinners or for sending sexually charged messages to women who did not return their attentions,” according to a translation from The Guardian.
The letter said the #MeToo movement “has led in the press and on social networks a campaign of public denunciations and impeachment of individuals who, without being given the opportunity to respond or defend themselves, were put exactly on the same level as sex offenders.”
“As women, we do not recognize ourselves in this feminism which, beyond the denunciation of abuses of power, takes the face of a hatred of men and sexuality,” the letter said. “We believe that the freedom to say no to a sexual proposal is not without the freedom to bother. And we consider that we must know how to respond to this freedom to annoy other than by shutting ourselves up in the role of the prey.”
Deneuve, 74, made her breakthrough in the film industry with the musical “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” and was nominated for an Oscar in 1993 for her performance in “Indochine.”
She and the other signatories argued for sexual freedom in the letter, which said, “The liberty to seduce and importune was essential,” per The Guardian’s translation.
Golden Globes Red Carpet: Wisest Words on #MeToo Movement From Meryl Streep to Emma Watson (Photos)
Debra Messing
"I am wearing black to thank and honor all the brave whistleblowers who came forward and shared their stories of harassment and discrimination," Messing said on Sunday's Golden Globes red carpet. She added that she's "shocked to to hear E! doesn’t believe in paying their female hosts the same as their male hosts," referring to Catt Sadler's exit from the network after learning she wasn't paid as much as her male counterpart, Jason Kennedy. "Women are just as important as men," she said.
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Laura Dern
The "Big Little Lies" actress said on Instagram that she is "holding our mothers and grandmothers and all brave women who taught us about Voice" by wearing black on the red carpet. On the carpet, she added, "It’s time for us to make a difference, and everyone can make a difference." Dern brought along activist Monica Ramirez, who said, "When we learned about what was happening in Hollywood, our members felt very strongly they wanted to send a message… that they are not alone... Part of our work is to fight for gender parity along all lines."
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Emma Watson
The "Beauty and the Beast" star said on Twitter that she's wearing black on the red carpet "because we are grateful to the many survivors and allies who have spoken out and and forced the conversation about sexual harassment, sexual assault, and gender bias in the spotlight."
Larasi, a women's activist, accompanied Emma Watson on the red carpet. "There’s something about women in Hollywood speaking out," she said of the Me Too movement. "There is a wall of silence that surrounds women and girls [who are harassed or assaulted]. We don’t want to create hierarchies.. But we’re saying women in Hollywood have [an opportunity] to amplify [the message]. It's a fantastic platform."
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Jessica Chastain
The "Molly's Game" star said, "I wear black to stand in solidarity with my sister's and to say it's #TimesUp on this imbalance of power IN ALL INDUSTRIES " on Twitter ahead of the show.
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Meryl Streep
"The Post" star said, "People are aware now of a power imbalance... It's everywhere and we want to fix that."
As for her character in the film, Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, Streep said she thought she would be "heartened" by the movement sweeping Hollywood and beyond for women's rights. "She was a pioneer," Streep said. "I think she’d be over the moon."
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Yvonne Strahovski
"With the women's march and now this, it really feels like a revolution is taking place. Although it's not going to solve all the problems, I'm proud to be here and to be part of it today," said the "Handmaid's Tale" star.
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Kerry Washington
"This is such an awesome night to celebrate women and celebrate all of us coming together and standing with each other and standing in solidarity to say 'Time is Up,'" the "Scandal" star said. "This is not a problem in Hollywood, the abuse of power happens everywhere."
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Billie Jean King
"We’re in solidarity about standing up for people who have been abused and have been harassed, and the industry is all staying together on this," said the tennis star, who accompanied Emma Stone on the red carpet.
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Chrissy Metz
Before the red carpet, Metz said she told her publicist "If I can't be who I am I can't do this." On the carpet, she told Ryan Seacrest "We are all meant for something bigger better greater, but we’re not always taught that."
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Alison Brie
Brie is nominated for her role in Netflix's "GLOW," but also acted alongside Meryl Streep in "The Post." She said, "Meryl Streep playing Katharine Graham was like feminism on feminism."
"It’s important to me to stand with all of the women who have come forward," Brie added, wearing a black ensemble in honor of Time's Up and the #MeToo movement. She added that's she's "so in awe of that bravery" of the women who have come forward with stories of sexual harassment and assault, and said, "It’s important for me to stand with those who don’t feel like they have a voice."
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Sarah Jessica Parker
"I think it’s an enormous show of support tonight," said the "Divorce" star, who wore a black frock in honor of the Time's Up initiative. "This is a conversation that, as complicated as it is, it seems to be very welcome by everybody," she said to E!'s Ryan Seacrest. "I know it’s affected your network," she added in reference to Catt Sadler, who left E! after learning she earned far less than her male colleague. Parker went on to say that parity and gender equality shouldn't be overly complicated. "It’s about women in all industries, and men," she said.
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Eva Longoria
Eva Longoria joined Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman in talking to Ryan Seacrest about the Time's Up initiative. Like Parker and Messing, Longoria called out E! for paying Catt Sadler less than her male colleague Jason Kennedy. "We support gender parity and equal pay, and we hope E! stands with that," she said to Seacrest.
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“A revolution is taking place”
Debra Messing
"I am wearing black to thank and honor all the brave whistleblowers who came forward and shared their stories of harassment and discrimination," Messing said on Sunday's Golden Globes red carpet. She added that she's "shocked to to hear E! doesn’t believe in paying their female hosts the same as their male hosts," referring to Catt Sadler's exit from the network after learning she wasn't paid as much as her male counterpart, Jason Kennedy. "Women are just as important as men," she said.
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