Monica Lewinsky has been at the center of one of the most scandalous political stories in America for years. She started working at the White House at just 22 years old, and she soon found herself involved in an affair with then-President Bill Clinton.
When the affair became public, it turned into a media circus, and she was turned into a subject of extreme scrutiny that changed her life forever. The consequences were swift and brutal, but Clinton remained in power, while she was relentlessly vilified in the public eye. In hindsight, Lewinsky believes there was a different way she could have handled the situation.
Monica Lewinsky believes the scandal should have been handled differently
Lewinsky recently discussed her views on how the crisis might have been handled. In a podcast interview with Alex Cooper for Call Her Daddy, she said Clinton had two clear choices. She admitted that the most virtuous thing to have done was to either sweep the affair under the carpet as a personal issue or resign rather than deflect blame upon a working young woman.
She acknowledged that while she knew that the situation was complicated, she could not pretend that the enduring impact it created was not a long-term influence on her only, but also upon other women who witnessed her undergoing global shame. Lewinsky reflected on how the scandal set a precedent for the way women, especially young women, were handled by the public.
Monica Lewinsky commemorates the anniversary of the life-changing exposure
Despite the terror of those years, Lewinsky has taken back her own narrative. She and her family now celebrate January 16 — the day that she was arrested by the FBI — as “Survivor’s Day,” turning an unpleasant memory into one of resilience.
She referred to the day as the worst of her life, yet rather than dwell on the hurt, she has learned to reclaim it. She celebrates annually how far she has come, at times rewarding herself with a gift or receiving one from her mother.