America Ferrera Reveals She Was Sexually Assaulted When She Was 9-Years Old
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As thousands of women have shared their stories of sexual harassment and assault on social media using the #MeToo hashtag, actress America Ferrera took to Instagram on Monday night to share her own heartbreaking story of sexual assault—an incident that occurred when she was just a young girl.
“First time I can remember being sexually assaulted I was 9-years-old,” Ferrera wrote. “I told no one and lived with the shame and guilt thinking all along that I, a 9-year-old child, was somehow responsible for the actions of a grown man.”
She continued, saying: “I had to see this man on a daily basis for years to come. He would smile at me and wave, and I would hurry past him, my blood running cold, my guts carrying the burden of what only he and I knew—that he expected me to shut my mouth and smile back.”
Ferrera's post came shortly after she tweeted a simple "#MeToo" as part of the social media campaign to highlight just how often women experience sexual harassment and assault. Celebrities like Alyssa Milano, Anna Paquin, and Gabrielle Union were among the thousands of women who shared their stories on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
The social media campaign follows numerous reports detailing years of alleged sexual harassment and assault by producer Harvey Weinstein. Since the story first broke earlier this month, dozens of women—including Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, and Rose McGowan—have come forward with their own stories.
Concluding her post, Ferrera encouraged more women to be public about their experiences, saying, "Ladies, let’s break the silence so the next generation of girls won’t have to live with this bullsh-t.”
This story originally appeared on Glamour.
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