--- description: Find out what Monica Lewinsky told Refinery29 about surviving cyberbullying and her advocacy work on harassment. title: Monica Lewinsky Says She Was ‘the Poster Child for Public Humiliation’ image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt99d8035b01f87ee6/6988bed3ab6d77708f6ad42c/monica-lewinsky-cyberbullying.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [motto](/tag/motto/) ## motto Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Monica Lewinsky Says She Was ‘the Poster Child for Public Humiliation’  by [Samantha Cooney](/author/samantha-cooney/)  ## Samantha Cooney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 17, 2017 3:06 PM CUT  BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 26: (EXCLUSIVE ACCESS, SPECIAL RATES APPLY) (EXCLUSIVE ACCESS, SPECIAL RATES APPLY) Writer Monica Lewinsky attends the 2017 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 26, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Dave M. Benett/VF17/WireImage) BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 26: (EXCLUSIVE ACCESS, SPECIAL RATES APPLY) (EXCLUSIVE ACCESS, SPECIAL RATES APPLY) Writer Monica Lewinsky attends the 2017 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 26, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Dave M. Benett/VF17/WireImage)Dave M. Benett/VF17—WireImage  by [Samantha Cooney](/author/samantha-cooney/)  ## Samantha Cooney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 17, 2017 3:06 PM CUT [Monica Lewinsky](http://time.com/3752821/monica-lewinsky-ted2015-slut-play/ "undefined") is still fighting to stop online bullying. Lewinsky faced [harassment](http://www.vanityfair.com/style/society/2014/06/monica-lewinsky-humiliation-culture "undefined") after it was revealed she had [an affair](http://time.com/92989/monica-lewinsky-slut-shaming-feminists-media-apology/?iid=sr-link2 "undefined") with President Bill Clinton as a[ 22-year old](http://time.com/3936957/monica-lewinsky-speech-cyberbullying/ "undefined") White House intern. In an [interview with Refinery29](http://www.refinery29.com/2017/03/144949/monica-lewinsky-anti-bullying-harassment-exclusive-interview "undefined"), she explained why she’s since made it her mission to end [cyberbullying](https://www.ted.com/talks/monica%5Flewinsky%5Fthe%5Fprice%5Fof%5Fshame "undefined"). “Having been a poster child for public humiliation, I thought sharing my story might give a purpose to my past,” she said. “Being able to let people know that, though it’s painful, you can survive being shamed publicly.” Her advocacy work has included giving [a TED Talk](https://www.ted.com/talks/monica%5Flewinsky%5Fthe%5Fprice%5Fof%5Fshame "undefined") with over 10 million views, partnering with British telecommunications company Vodafone to [develop anti-bullying emojis](http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/02/monica-lewinsky-emoji-safer-internet "undefined") and publicly [standing up](http://people.com/tv/saturday-night-live-writer-katie-rich-suspended-mocking-barron-trump-monica-lewinsky-defends/ "undefined") to online trolls. She told Refinery29 that society has taken steps in the right direction, but we still need to figure out the root of the problem and how to address it once and for all. “The greatest step toward progress we’ve made thus far is that by having public conversations around bullying, public shaming, online harassment, and slut shaming, we are de-stigmatizing the experience. This means less shame, and therefore, it becomes less likely that someone will suffer in silence,” she said. “More people are speaking up when shaming is happening, and I believe as a culture we are wrestling with how we’re defining public shaming.” Read the [full interview at Refinery29](http://www.refinery29.com/2017/03/144949/monica-lewinsky-anti-bullying-harassment-exclusive-interview "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4705065/monica-lewinsky-survivng-cyberbullying/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4705065/monica-lewinsky-survivng-cyberbullying/"},"headline":"Monica Lewinsky Says She Was ‘the Poster Child for Public Humiliation’","datePublished":"2017-03-17T15:06:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:05:12.546Z","description":"She opened up about her advocacy work in a new interview","url":"https://time.com/4705065/monica-lewinsky-survivng-cyberbullying/","keywords":["motto"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt99d8035b01f87ee6/6988bed3ab6d77708f6ad42c/monica-lewinsky-cyberbullying.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Samantha Cooney","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/samantha-cooney/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt99d8035b01f87ee6/6988bed3ab6d77708f6ad42c/monica-lewinsky-cyberbullying.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"2017 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Graydon Carter - Dinner","caption":"2017 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Graydon Carter - Dinner","creditText":"Dave M. 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