Revealing Harvey Weinstein’s true colors

Bailee Flanagan, Journalism Student

Harvey Weinstein, an American film producer and former film executive will be facing allegations of over sixty cases of harassment. Who is Weinstein really?

 

Weinstein, to many women, is a repulsing man. As women from all over begin to speak out and tell their stories against their personal encounters with Weinstein himself, he has revealed to the pubic 27 total cases of sexual assault and has admitted that they were inappropriate.

 

1968 was when Weinstein allegedly first raped and assaulted a woman named Hope Exiner d’Amore, an employee of his concert promotion company, in Park Lane Hotel in Manhattan. According to the article titled, “A Complete List of Sexual Assault and Harassment Allegations Against Harvey Weinstein,” his assaults did not stop in the 1900’s. In fact, they continued up until 2017 according to reports.

 

In addition in 2015, according to the same article, Lauren O’Connor was one of the first who reported information of her own sexual abuse by Weinstein. Lauren O’Connor at the age 28 wrote a memo to Weinstein’s company executives about his actions creating a “toxic environment for women” and her own experience of feeling “sexualized and diminished.” With that being said, Weinstein made a settlement with her before the board could hire a lawyer to investigate.This cover up showed that Weinstein was indeed guilty of sexually harassing women. Weinstein was definitely considered a man of sexual abuse and clearly had something to hide.

 

According to Entertainment Weekly, not only did Weinstein admit to some assaults, but he also publicly said he was “sorry” to 16 women for his inappropriate behavior. Weinstein was also accused of asking for inappropriate messages from several of the women he worked with.

 

In one case, Entertainment Weekly said during Ashley Judds production on Kiss the Girls, 20 years ago, she was directed to Weinstein’s suite rather than the restaurant where they were supposed to meet. When she walked in the room she claimed he asked her to give him a massage, and when she refused, he asked again.

 

Along with Ashley Judd, there were 31 other cases of Weinstein asking women to give him massages. With that being said, Weinsteins sexual encounters with women he worked with was not only unprofessional, but also disrespectful to these actresses.

 

Independent News stated that many women felt “ powerless and scared” when they were asked to accompany Weinstein in his suite. Weinstein insisted this action upon about half of the accusations told by women. Due to all these accusation, many women like Gwyneth Paltrow were afraid to speak out because of Weinstein’s family. They were afraid of destroying a family all together, and for that reason, refused to speak out until recently.

 

Who is Harvey Weinstein really? To women all over, he is a man who is sexually abusive, to his spouse he is a cheater and to his children, he is a liar. Harvey Weinstein is now suffering the consequences of his actions for all the women he has affected. It has been proven that Harvey Weinstein is no longer just a well known film producer, he is a well known man who has sexually harassed 60 plus women.