--- title: Isabella Rossellini Sounds Off on Me Too Movement, Assault description: Isabella Rossellini speaks out on the Me Too movement, sexual violence against women, and why she isn;t speaking about her personal trauma. canonical: https://time.com/5243358/isabella-rossellini-on-me-too/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-04-17T21:19:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:17.467Z og:title: Isabella Rossellini Discusses the #MeToo Movement, Assault og:description: "All women have been harassed, but it was never discussed before." og:url: https://time.com/5243358/isabella-rossellini-on-me-too/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3ce53e03e3953ae6/69892dd80a4a2234d89d26c6/isabella-rossellini-me-too-movement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: Celebrities Visit SiriusXM - December 11, 2017 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Isabella Rossellini Discusses the #MeToo Movement, Assault twitter:description: "All women have been harassed, but it was never discussed before." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3ce53e03e3953ae6/69892dd80a4a2234d89d26c6/isabella-rossellini-me-too-movement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Isabella Rossellini on the #MeToo Movement: 'Men Have to See They Can’t Behave in These Ways' > Sponsored content. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=7b90615c-d9d2-4fd1-9654-63e6945c5fe6&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/jbtW5SvJ.m3u8) (5:02)  _Published 2017-12-06. For giving voice to open secrets, for moving whisper networks onto social networks, for pushing all of us to stop accepting the unacceptable, the Silence Breakers are the 2017 Person of the Year._  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Apr 17, 2018 9:19 PM UTC  NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 11: Isabella Rossellini visits SiriusXM at SiriusXM Studios on December 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 11: Isabella Rossellini visits SiriusXM at SiriusXM Studios on December 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images) Roy Rochlin—Getty Images  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Apr 17, 2018 9:19 PM UTC [Isabella Rossellini](http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1890157,00.html) is sounding off on the [#MeToo movement](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-silence-breakers/) and sexual violence against women. In an interview with [_Vulture_](http://www.vulture.com/2018/04/isabella-rossellini-in-conversation.html)_,_ the actress, perhaps best known for her role in David Lynch’s [_Blue Velvet_](http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,962355,00.html), a film that garnered controversy when it was released for [its depiction of violent sex — and what some considered, sexual violence](https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/23/movies/isabella-rossellini-assesses-the-role-that-haunted-her.html) — shared her thoughts on sexual harassment and how her coming-of-age in Italy informed her experience with assault. “I remember when I was a little girl in Italy — not so little, a teenager — men on the street would say, ‘I like your t-ts!’” she said. “It was vulgar, it was normal, and it was done for different reasons. Maybe nature is one of those reasons but that’s not an excuse.” Rossellini emphasized the importance of women being able to talk about their experiences with harassment as a tool of change and the importance of holding men accountable for their actions. “I’m happy that we are talking about these issues because all women have been harassed, but it was never discussed before,” she said. “We just lived with it. Even if you didn’t have anything violent happen to you, there was always a way for a man to belittle you. This is changing, I think. Men have to see they can’t behave in these ways.” Although Rossellini has referenced the sexual violence she has experienced in her own life in her memoir, she has no wish to share her personal account now, something that she shared she doesn’t “have the heart for.’ She did, however, discuss the nuance that the conversation around #MeToo is bringing to the table. “For me, the interesting thing is how the #MeToo movement has shown us all the subtle ways women can be diminished,” she said. “Rape is a way of being hurt that everyone can recognize. There are other ways. It could be your boss saying, ‘I like your skirt on you.’ It’s a compliment, but it makes you feel diminished. To hear other women express their stories and to show how devious some men can be — that is what has been so helpful to see…I’m grateful that people who were victimized are speaking up because that is the only way to correct things. The important thing is for people to be healed.” ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] We can't all be ****. We can't all be asking for it. I am here to give you permission to be angry. This reality might not have to be our reality anymore. I felt this crushing sense of powerlessness. This is the time to take my power back. Here's my story. Uber promises. Investigation into sexual harrassment. Fox News cutting its ties with Bill O'Reilley. I felt it was my duty for the women who are silent to be brave. It's okay to stand up for yourself. Taylor Swift appearing in court today. Harvey Weinstein, the New York- People forget a lot that there's a human behind this. Someone who was very hurt and wronged. [ MUSIC ] [ CROSSTALK ] I always thought maybe things could change for my daughter. I never thought things could change for me. [ MUSIC ] Honestly, I was furious. I have had a man grope me in front of multiple collegues and I was tired of wondering if it was something I wore, I was tired of wondering if it was a vibe I was giving off and when I talked to other women they were furious too >> I felt that if I can speak out, may be if I just stand up then someone else would stand up with me >> There wasn't a place For us to report these experiences. But I sure did talk about it a lot over the years. The least I could do was actually tell my own story and validate theirs for them in a way, just as I was hoping someone much bigger than me would help validate my story. And I knew that other women Would continue to apple for jobs there and that made me feel really uncomfortable. I was afraid of the retaliation, I know the power of patriarchy. I know what men can do when their angry. They did everything that they could to prevent me from raising my concerns further. They asked me if there were other girls, maybe that he has done this too and can I go get them. I had to show them that I wasn't lying And it's like they took me for a joke. And if they couldn't stop us from talking, well, they were gonna stop everybody from listening to us. People digging into my Instagram and pulling up sexy photos as if they kind of discredited me. Well, I've seen you in committee. You're really tough. Why didn't you just hit him? Why did you let it go on for so long? I was a smart young woman that had gone to college, that knew how to fight, and I still was manipulated and conned. I felt ashamed that I hadn't spoken out sooner, not having the strength earlier on to make it stop. The feeling of being humiliated as a woman And there's a point you think is it my fault? For so long I went around harboring this ridiculous belief that because I was a non white woman in my 20s, it was expected that I would have to be treated this way. We don't have to just live like this. Few things could change from my daughter I never thought things could change from me. I'm here to give you permission to be angry, people are afraid specially women where conditioned since birth to be polite. To be nice, to be kind, to be liked to not make waves. ****. We can't all be crazy, we can't all be ****, we can't all be asking for it. And I'm telling you that all the people who stand up, all the people who speak out you are teaching people how to treat and you should not be shamed for that. The shame is not ours to hold, the shame is on perpetrator. Me Too can be a conversation starter or it can be the whole conversation. It took away the power from the predator. And placed the power on the victim. And maybe, just maybe we would be able to get a glimpse at the magnitude of this problem. The amount of people sharing the stories with me is so intense. People that were complete strangers reached out to tell very personal stories. It's What they did with this and they did a lot and not only in France in Hong kong japanese. The most months >> I feel like the day that I spoke up and I said you are a sexual harasser I changed >> some of the. Things in the night. [ FOREIGN ]. It's an honor to be the person that hey I spoke up about this. I took on the risk. And I was very humbled and I was very proud. I'm very glad now that the story has been heard. It's a direct response to that arrogance and that show of power and [ UNKNOWN ]. A sense, we won't be silenced. 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