Let's be honest, every woman has faced sexual harassment in some form or the other. Whether in school, at office or sometimes even at home, we have been privy to sexual predators.
And if you happen to be "the most beautiful woman in the world" you are more vulnerable to such attacks, just as it happened with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
Yes, you read that right!
If you have been following the news, you're probably aware that Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual misconduct allegedly by 32 women, and counting. Their horrifying stories—that are now public—reveal how he harassed them to satisfy his own misogynistic fantasies.
Aishwarya saved from sexual abuse in the nick of time!
And as it turns out, he wanted to do the same to the Bachchan bahu.
A horrifying incident shared by her international talent manager Simone Sheffield reveals how Aishwarya got saved just in the nick of time and ran away from the clutches of Weinstein.
Commenting on a Variety story about Hollywood actor Cara Delevingne's revelation about her own encounter with Weinstein, Sheffield shared how she had to protect Aishwarya from his sexual advances.
"I use to manage Indian actress Aishwarya Rai. While dealing with Harvey I found it comical how hard he tried to get Aishwarya alone. But he was a pig… looked and acted like a “big bully pig”….He asked me to leave the meeting numerous times and I politely declined. When we were leaving his office he cornered me and said “what do I have to do to get her alone?” I told him to “kiss my black ass”. When Ash and I returned to our hotel, I sent Harvey a steel pig trough filled with DIET COKE as a thank you gift for the meeting. Yes, we did do business and Yes, he eventually threatened me. Told me I’d never work in this business, blah blah blah….what I said to him I can’t print. But you can be sure, I never gave him the opportunity to even breathe on my client.
Fox News. Weinstein. The President. Such abuses have gone on way before these creeps and will sadly continue until women feel empowered and protected enough to speak out.
They say there’s strength in numbers…perhaps. BUT it takes only one brave soul to take the first stand. With social media as your platform, that one brave soul will lead an army, in no time.
Brava Ladies….don’t hold back – THE TRUTH. Protect one another. Support one another. Love one another," she commented.
This shocking revelation about Aishwarya has brought out the brutal truth about the glamour industry. We are not surprised then that she did not really pursue a career in Hollywood and refused to oblige such misogynists.
While that was her way of dealing with the issue, sexual harassment at workplace is a serious offense and must immediately be reported.
Sexual harassment at work in India
In India, we have what is called the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, that lays down mandatory set of rules to be followed by companies.
Unfortunately, many companies do not adhere to these guidelines.
As per a 2015 study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and EY, about "36% of Indian companies and 25% of multinational corporations in India were not compliant with this Act," as reported by Livemint.
Since the situation in Indian private firms is so deplorable, it's best to be aware of your rights and immediately report the matter to your human resource department.
Remember that from singing lewd songs or passing lewd comments to trying to touch you or ask for sexual favours or bullying you into fulfilling their advances, all of these fall under the broad umbrella of sexual harassment at work.
Also read: Shocking! Twinkle Khanna on being sexual abused at work
(All images courtesy: Instagram)
