Twenty-three years ago, a brown-haired, bright-eyed 21-year-old by the name of Monica Lewinsky walked through the doors and into the corridors of one of the most powerful buildings in the world.
It was July 1995 and she had just begun a summer internship in the office of White House chief of staff Leon Panetta. Lewinsky had just completed her Bachelor’s degree in psychology and, with the quiet help of a family friend, had managed to secure an internship just metres from President Bill Clinton.
By November, that internship had paved the way for a paid position which, in turn, paved its own way to one of the most infamous affairs in recent history.
Over the coming months, as we now know, the two engaged in a relationship that demolished the reputation of one, while the other managed to outlast the chaos, the backlash and the bullying.
Monica Lewinsky’s future was all but ruined. Bill Clinton’s was just fine.
In January 1998, 20 years ago to the week, the affair between Lewinsky and Clinton was made public, leading to the President’s now-famous denial.
“I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky,” he said in a nationally televised White House news conference.
Of course, he did. But it took more than seven months for him to formally and publicly admit that.
On August 17, 1998, despite earlier denials, Clinton said he “did have a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate.”
“In fact,” Clinton conceded, “it was wrong,” and it “constituted a critical lapse in judgment and a personal failure on my part for which I am solely and completely responsible.”
In the ferocious fight that was the White House publicity train steam-rolling the narrative that followed, the scandal quickly became known as the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
It was her name, not his, that became the international connotation for forbidden sex, infidelity and poor decisions.
She touched on as much in a 2014 piece for Vanity Fair, 10 years after deliberately retreating from the spotlight.
"Sure, my boss took advantage of me, but I will always remain firm on this point: it was a consensual relationship. Any “abuse” came in the aftermath, when I was made a scapegoat in order to protect his powerful position."
Some 20 years on, and in a period of reckoning post-Weinstein, we're beginning to learn the overlap between sex and power is messy and supremely damaging.
Bill Clinton, the most influential figure in the entire world, held intense social and professional power over a much younger, much less powerful woman.
The relationship was consensual, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was made of equal parties.
And for that reason, some 20 years later, 'the Monica Lewsinky scandal' shouldn't be known as 'the Monica Lewinsky scandal' anymore.
It is, and always should have been known as, 'the Bill Clinton scandal'.
Listen: Does Bill Clinton get a pass in the age of Weinstein?
Top Comments
Im Not sure about all this. I understand about the power imbalance, but I imagine his power made him quite attractive to Monica. Why is she poor Monica? Putting aside the fact it was an affair, does it mean that every time a woman is attracted to a powerful man, and decides to embark on a sexual relationship, the man is to be condemned, even though it’s consensual and the woman actively seeks it?
Also, bill was known for many things before the scandal, his political career and charity work etc. monica was known publicly for one thing, and that’s the affair with the president. I can understand why his reputation was less destroyed.
This is brilliant, I totally agree but unfortunately this is going to take a long time to filter into public consciousness. The problem is that these men have way too much to lose, due to this weakness & fear for them it is easier to deflect the responsibility around their poor judgement & choices towards the weaker party. I believe the solution lies in education, when I went to school there was never any discussion around power it's influence or exercise on those who are least able to deal with it or cope with its effects on their lives at any stage. From what I've seen the internships are common place especially in modern work environments. I believe prior to these young people taking up these much cherished appointments their needs to be discussions around power, it's abuses & how to handle unwanted attention from those that have any type of influence over their daily activities. I also believe parents need to have a discussion with their children prior to these engagements especially if they are moving out of home & are to be living on their own. Unfortunately in my experience too many parents let their children go, with the naive belief that no one's going to hurt or touch their little snowflake because they are so precious & individual, unfortunately the real world doesn't work like that, I would suggest that is part of the reason the whole Bill Clinton saga happened as she was never clued into the long term damage that this type of relationship would have on her life, and the continued focus that has had. I could pretty well guarantee that if Monica Lewinsky in hindsight knew now what was going to happen there's no way that she would have embarked on the affair with Clinton.
The Finns and Dutch have a great approach to this - sex ed (known as Comprehensive Sex Education or “sexuality” education) starts in pre-school but includes discussions around boundaries and consent and pleasure and love and relationships (age appropriate of course). Not just an embarrassing talk about the mechanics when you are in Year 6 and 7, boys in one room and girls in the other, don’t do it because it’s a sin and that’s it.