Lindsay Lohan says #MeToo makes women look 'weak'

Months after being criticized for saying she felt sorry for Harvey Weinstein, Lindsay Lohan is under fire again for controversial comments she made about the #MeToo movement.

In an interview with the U.K.’s the Times, the 32-year-old even acknowledged in advance that her viewpoint would be a little controversial. “I can’t speak on something I don’t live, right? Look, I am very supportive of women. Everyone goes through their own experiences in their own ways,” she said. But then she had this to say: “If it happens at that moment, you discuss it at that moment. You make it a real thing by making it a police report. I’m going to really hate myself for saying this, but I think by women speaking against these things, it makes them look weak when they are very strong women. …”

Logan then cast doubt on some allegations that have surfaced as a result of the movement. “You have these girls who come out, who don’t even know who they are, who do it for the attention,” she said. “That is taking away from the fact that it happened.”

People on Twitter were not impressed about her comments:

Every 98 seconds, someone in America is sexually assaulted, according to data from RAINN (the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network), and only 310 out of every 1,000 rapes are reported to police. “After a sexual assault, it’s hard to know how to react,” Sara McGovern, a spokesperson for RAINN, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “It can be extremely difficult for survivors to share their stories, even with their closest family and friends.”

Survivors often stay silent because it’s difficult for them to process what happened, Donna Polomba, founder of Jane Doe No More, a nonprofit that works to prevent sexual violence and re-victimization, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “Many victims experience misplaced blame and shame, thinking it was somehow their fault,” she says. “They are often embarrassed and humiliated and uncertain about what to do. On top of that, when victims do tell someone, they are met with skepticism and may not receive the support they need.”

And while some people do file police reports in the aftermath of a sexual assault, many don’t. “Going to the police can be extremely difficult,” McGovern says. “Survivors are often reluctant to report sexual violence, so it’s critical for institutions to make them feel comfortable doing so, and help them find support, medical care, and justice.”

Lohan is far from the first person to make comments like these, but this viewpoint is dangerous in that it blames the victim, McGovern says.

“The only person responsible for sexual harassment and assault is the perpetrator who committed the crime,” McGovern says. “Placing blame on the victim is never okay, and runs the risk of discouraging others from speaking out. It’s important to believe and support survivors.”

Lohan has not publicly responded to the backlash.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• Alyssa Milano says having a mental illness and anxiety as an actress is ‘tricky’

• ‘I refused to be demeaned’: Woman hit in the face after telling her catcaller to ‘shut up’

• Tiffany Trump is partying with Lindsay Lohan in Mykonos

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