Post Weinstein scandal, what many of us are having to confront is that people we look up to, admire or even love, are capable of doing bad things.
If you are lucky not to have had to confront this earlier in your life, either by watching a scandal unfold on the TV or something sinister happen in your own home, then chances are that now your eyes are open.
The recent revelations surrounding politicians, actors and more, wth regards to sexual misconduct and, in some cases, rape, have forced many of us to address a difficult question.
Namely, how do we reconcile professional respect or personal admiration for a someone with our duty to make sure that victims and survivors are believed and prioritised?
Or, as comedian Sarah Silverman puts it: 'Can you love someone who did bad things?
She addressed this idea in a to-camera advert for her show I Love You, America.
She used the video to explain the position she has found herself in, with regards to long-time friend Louis C. K. and the accusations that have now been levelled against him, which he has since confirmed are true.
She opened the segment:
I've of course been asked to comment, and in full honesty I really, I really really really, don't want to. I wish I could sit this one out. But ... if it's mentionable, it's manageable. So I'm going to address the elephant masturbating in the room.
Though Silverman is always one to use humour to deflect, she continues in a sombre tone explaining her personal sadness, the difficulty of having a relationship with someone you know has done something wrong, and how she needs to make sure we privilege the survivors of sexual assault and not our own feelings:
One of my best friends of over 25 years, Louis CK, masturbated in front of women. He wielded his power with women in fucked up ways, sometimes to the point where they left comedy entirely. I could couch this with heartwarming stories of our friendship and what a great dad he is, but that's totally irrelevant, isn't it? Yes, it is. It's a real mind fuck because I love Louis, but Louis did these things. Both of those statements are true, so I just keep asking myself, can you love someone who did bad things? Can you still love them?
Silverman's speech comes after her own sister Laura Silverman, who briefly dated C.K., took to Twitter to claim that he had masturbated in front of her about 20 times around 25 years ago.
She said she was not a 'victim', did not think it 'criminal', but found it 'compulsive, rude & gross.' She decided to come forward to establish 'a pattern of behaviour' to help 'victims speak up'.
Silverman tellingly said in her speech, 'So I hope it's ok if I am at once very angry for the women he wronged and the culture that enabled it, but also sad, because he's my friend.'
People have taken to Twitter to applaud the 46 year-old for her candid response.
We applaud her honesty, since a lot of us may end up feeling this way at some point.
Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.
