Evan Rachel Wood quits social media after revealing she was raped
Los Angeles, Nov 30 (IANS) Actress Evan Rachel Wood, who plays Dolores in Sky Atlantic’s sci-fi Western series “Westworld”, temporarily took down her online accounts after she revealed on social media that she was raped on two separate occasions by two people,
Before deleting her account on Tuesday the 29-year-old actress posted: “Will be taking a break from social media for the time being. Thank you for all your support and courageous stories. You are not alone”, reports rollingstone.com.
The actress also shared that the incidents still affect her “to this day”, but says she didn’t want her awful experiences to be a “sob story”.
After revealing the news, Wood tweeted out the whole of her note.
In the tweet, she posted: “Well, since everything is out in the open now, figured I would share the confession letter I wrote to Rolling Stone in its entirety. Not Ok”.
“I started questioning my reasons for staying vague about my experiences as a girl growing up in America. I think, like a lot of women, I had the urge to not make it a sob story, to not make it about me.
“I didn’t have to confirm what happened, what mattered is that s**t happened. Bad. S**t. That still affects me to this day. I think deep down, I also didn’t want to be accused of doing it for attention, or told it wasn’t a big deal, or ‘that’s not really rape’.
“I will not be ashamed. I will also not project some false idea of being completely over it because ‘I am so strong.’ I don’t believe we live in a time where people can stay silent any longer. I certainly can’t. Not given the state our world is in with its blatant bigotry and sexism. It should be talked about because it’s swept under the rug as nothing and I will not accept this as ‘normal’. It’s a serious problem.
‘I am still standing. I am alive. I am happy. I am strong. But I am still not ok. (sic)’
Evan admitted she was ‘scared’ during one of the incidents, but believes victims of sexual assault shouldn’t feel ‘pressure’ to ‘get over’ their experiences,” she added.
The actress also explained that it is important for people to know that “the pressure to just get over it already, should be lifted”.
“It will remind people of the damage that has been done and how the trauma of a few minutes can turn into a lifetime of fighting for yourself. It’s not that you can’t get over it, it’s just that you are never the same, or maybe I just haven’t gotten there yet. So to answer your blunt question bluntly, yes. I have been raped.
“By a significant other while we were together, and on a separate occasion, by the owner of a bar. The first time I was unsure that if it was done by a partner it was still in fact rape, until too late. Also who would believe me.
“And the second time, I thought it was my fault and that I should have fought back more, but I was scared. This was many many years ago and I of course know now neither one was my fault and neither one was ok.
“This was all before I tried to commit suicide and I am sure was one of the many factors. There you have it,” Wood added.
Wood also shared that she realised she was attracted to women when she was aged “four or five” and came out publicly as bisexual in 2011, two years after she attempted to take her own life aged 22.
She can be seen in the TV show “Westworld” on Star World Premiere HD in India.