Disgraced former ESPN employee Britt McHenry had a hot take for the ages Tuesday, and appeared to be targeting sexual assault survivor Aly Raisman.
Raisman, who says she was sexually abused by her gymnastic doctor Larry Nasser, stripped down for the Sports Illustrated 2018 swimsuit issue and wrote several words on her body. She specifically wrote “survivor” on the top of her chest, leading a New York Post writer to call her “empowered.”
It seems like any rational person would recognize the fact that sexual assault and rape survivors should probably heal from the traumatic event in any way they see fit. If Raisman feels empowered by writing “survivor” on her body, then so be it. That’s her call and her call alone.
Well, nobody seemed to deliver that obvious message to McHenry, who fired off several tweets. She never specifically named Raisman, but the tweets came shortly after the video of the Olympic star hit the web.
One of them reads, “Why does a woman have to pose nude to feel ’empowered’? Isn’t it more empowering to keep your clothes on, go into an office or classroom like everyone else and excel? #SISwimSuit desperately wanting to compete with IG models with gimmicks.”
McHenry, who infamously verbally attacked a parking garage attendant, also had another tweet suggesting that women should cover up if they want respect.
Why does a woman have to pose nude to feel “empowered”? Isn’t it more empowering to keep your clothes on, go into an office or classroom like everyone else and excel? #SISwimSuit desperately wanting to compete with IG models with gimmicks.
— Britt McHenry (@BrittMcHenry) February 13, 2018
For men to respect women more, maybe women shouldn’t take all their clothes off in the guise of pushing #metoo.
— Britt McHenry (@BrittMcHenry) February 13, 2018
And that goes for men too. I’m not going to take a man more seriously because he strips down and writes words on himself. He might be great to look at, and that’s fine, but come on now…it’s not activism.
— Britt McHenry (@BrittMcHenry) February 13, 2018
She also got into it with Paige Spiranac, who posed for SI to promote a body positivity message. Did McHenry get any wiser with that encounter? Nope. She told Spiranac that posing nude “is a way to ascertain empowerment through vanity.”
I agree it’s your body to do what you want. But posing nude is a way to ascertain empowerment through vanity. I don’t think, and this goes for both genders, it’s the best way to receive reciprocal respect or empowerment. Just my opinion though. https://t.co/v5f4AODzkl
— Britt McHenry (@BrittMcHenry) February 13, 2018
I honestly didn’t think these tweets were real when I first saw them. First, she seemed to go after Raisman’s #MeToo message because she posed nude. Then she went after Spiranac, who has done an outstanding job promoting a good message, by dropping a vanity line and calling her an attention-seeker. Complete absurdity.
Ok, but you’ve literally cried at press conferences about how you’re not taken seriously in golf. Anyone can pose naked, and yet this is your response to a civil discussion. You’re both beautiful…and attention-seeking. https://t.co/QWoU37O4XE
— Britt McHenry (@BrittMcHenry) February 13, 2018
I guess this is the world we’re all living in now. Two strong women pose for Sports Illustrated with powerful messages that should be heard, and McHenry responds by telling women cover up. You can’t make this stuff up.
For the record, my team and I fully support the rights of women to pose on Instagram or Sports Illustrated however they want. Not that you needed to be told, but I want it crystal clear that we’re as far opposite of McHenry as you can get.
