A few days ago, Pretenders leader Chrissie Hynde stirred up a controversy with comments that seemingly placed the blame for rape partly on the victims, as she said that she took "responsibility" for being sexually assaulted at the age of 21. Now, the songwriter has elaborated on these comments and, for the most part, she is holding her ground.
Following up on recent comments about how women shouldn't "entice" rapists by wearing high heels, she has told the Washington Post, "Sounds like common sense."
She continued:
At the moment, we're in one of the worst humanitarian crises in our lifetime. [You see that picture of] a Turkish policeman carrying the body of a three-year-old boy who got washed up on the shore. These are the heartbreaking images we have and we're talking about millions of displaced persons and people whose families have been destroyed and we're talking about comments that I allegedly made about girls in their underwear.
When talking about the irresponsibility of her behaviour of a young woman, Hynde said:
Most people aren't as stupid as me. I wouldn't expect most people to do some of the stuff I did. But then again, most people don't get to be a rock star, either. We have to walk the plank. I don't think that's a sign of intelligence, I don't know what it is a sign of. I'm not saying I was asking for it. It wasn't the same as walking down a street in the middle of a nice evening and somebody dragging you into a bush with a knife in your throat.
So what response does she have to people who were offended (such as the Runaways' Jackie Fuchs, who criticized Hynde's "dangerous message")? Hynde said, "If you don't want my opinion, don't ask me for it."
This controversy all stems from a passage in Hynde's new memoir, Reckless: My Life as a Pretender, which comes out on on September 8 through Penguin Random House. In it, she writes about being attacked by a member of a motorcycle gang at the age of 21.
She subsequently told the Sunday Times, "If I'm walking around and I'm very modestly dressed and I'm keeping to myself and someone attacks me, then I'd say that's his fault. But if I'm being very lairy and putting it about and being provocative, then you are enticing someone who's already unhinged — don't do that. Come on! That's just common sense. You know, if you don't want to entice a rapist, don't wear high heels so you can't run from him. If you're wearing something that says 'Come and fuck me,' you'd better be good on your feet."
Following up on recent comments about how women shouldn't "entice" rapists by wearing high heels, she has told the Washington Post, "Sounds like common sense."
She continued:
At the moment, we're in one of the worst humanitarian crises in our lifetime. [You see that picture of] a Turkish policeman carrying the body of a three-year-old boy who got washed up on the shore. These are the heartbreaking images we have and we're talking about millions of displaced persons and people whose families have been destroyed and we're talking about comments that I allegedly made about girls in their underwear.
When talking about the irresponsibility of her behaviour of a young woman, Hynde said:
Most people aren't as stupid as me. I wouldn't expect most people to do some of the stuff I did. But then again, most people don't get to be a rock star, either. We have to walk the plank. I don't think that's a sign of intelligence, I don't know what it is a sign of. I'm not saying I was asking for it. It wasn't the same as walking down a street in the middle of a nice evening and somebody dragging you into a bush with a knife in your throat.
So what response does she have to people who were offended (such as the Runaways' Jackie Fuchs, who criticized Hynde's "dangerous message")? Hynde said, "If you don't want my opinion, don't ask me for it."
This controversy all stems from a passage in Hynde's new memoir, Reckless: My Life as a Pretender, which comes out on on September 8 through Penguin Random House. In it, she writes about being attacked by a member of a motorcycle gang at the age of 21.
She subsequently told the Sunday Times, "If I'm walking around and I'm very modestly dressed and I'm keeping to myself and someone attacks me, then I'd say that's his fault. But if I'm being very lairy and putting it about and being provocative, then you are enticing someone who's already unhinged — don't do that. Come on! That's just common sense. You know, if you don't want to entice a rapist, don't wear high heels so you can't run from him. If you're wearing something that says 'Come and fuck me,' you'd better be good on your feet."