It seems some women have internalised patriarchy in a way that it is almost impossible for them to differentiate right from wrong. One hundred French female academicians, actors and writers have signed an open letter calling #MeToo a ‘witch-hunt’ and for the right of men to ‘hit on women’. And, one of the signatories of the letter is the Academy Award winner, French actress Catherine Deneuve.
Dozens of *female* French writers, performers and academics sign open letter saying men should be “free to hit on” women, decrying post-Weinstein “witch hunt”. Only in France? @FiachraGibbons https://t.co/bQ7x8NsQtX #MeToo #BalanceTonPorc
— Katy Lee (@kjalee) January 9, 2018
Also read: Missing the point: Why these 3 women ditched black at the Golden Globes
As reported by the BBC, the letter published in the French newspaper, Le Monde, states:
“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…Rape is a crime, but trying to seduce someone, even persistently or clumsily, is not – and nor is men being gentlemanly a chauvinist attack.”
As repulsive as this above statement reads, the absurdity and stupidity of it surely needs to be discussed. By saying ‘…when all they did was touch someone’s knee or try to steal a kiss’ and ‘…trying to seduce someone, even persistently or clumsily, is not – and nor is men being gentlemanly a chauvinist attack’, these so-called warriors of sexual freedom have completely negated concepts like consent and stalking. People like Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Ben Affleck were accused of unwanted and unwarranted sexual advances and women were totally unwilling to be a part of it. Not to forget, they were ‘punished’ long long after they had committed the actual act.
In wake of the post-Harvey Weinstein aftermath, the open letter also denounced social media movements like #MeToo and its French equivalent #BalanceTuPorc (Call out your pig). The letter further states:
“As women we do not recognise ourselves in this feminism, which beyond denouncing the abuse of power, takes on a hatred of men and of sexuality.”
The French women collective, which signed the letter sees movements like #MeToo as a threat to sexual freedom. In fact, last year, while talking about the #MeToo, Catherine Deneuve called it ‘excessive’ and ‘not a right method to change things’, as per The Guardian.
Catherine has starred in some of the finest movies like Belle de jour (1967), Le Dernier Metro ((1980), Indochine (1993) and Potiche (2011). She won an Oscar for Best Actress for Indochine (1993). Others who have signed the letter include French author Catherine Millet, who wrote ‘The Sexual Life of Catherine M’.
