Women and feminist groups were shocked and infuriated by The Pretenders lead singer Chrissie Hynde's remarks about rape in the new book she penned.
Hynde, 63, believes she was to be blamed for her own rape. The assault on the singer happened when she was 21 and it was done by a motorcycle gang member in Ohio who offered her a ride to a shindig. Instead of taking her to the event, she was brought to an empty house and there the rape happened, as per Time.
Chrissie Hynde said in her latest book "Reckless" that what happened to her "was all my doing."
In her conversation with Sunday Times magazine, she said she did not condem her perpetrator. Hynde said, "Technically speaking, however you want to look at it, this was all my doing and I take full responsibility,"
She added that you have to be accountable for your actions. "You have to take responsibility. I mean, I was naive" and concluded, "If you play with fire, you get burnt. It's not any secret, is it?"
Hynde also took the same viewpoint on other women's sexual attacks when she wrote that if you dress up in revealing clothes, then you are "asking for it."
"If I'm walking around in my underwear and I'm drunk? Who else's fault can it be?" she said. "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. 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."
Chrissie Hynde recalled that she was high on drugs at the time the incident happened.
However, BBC News revealed that Victim Support, a charity group, condemned her remarks and emphasized that rape victims should not wallow in self-pity and "not blame themselves."
Victim Support director Lucy Hastings said: "Victims of sexual violence should never feel or be made to feel that they were responsible for the appalling crime they suffered - regardless of circumstances or factors which may have made them particularly vulnerable."
"They should not blame themselves or be blamed for failing to prevent an attack."
Meanwhile, The Telegraph gave an insight about The Pretenders lead vocalist's comments which made such a big deal to the 'Sisterhood.' According to the report, telling a young lady she has the freedom to wear what she wants, drink booze as much as she desires or take the offer of any stranger she wants, does not triumph modern feminism, but rather it showcases plain irresponsibility.
In fact, Chrissie Hynde has done the world a big favor when she recognized that the world is changing and would not always be as what one wants it to be.
