Angela Lansbury clarified her comments on sexual harassment

On November 29th, legendary actress Angela Lansbury clarified her opinions on sexual harassment. Lansbury previously made a controversial statement regarding the nature of sexual misconduct that seemed to imply victims sometimes invite harassment into their lives. In an interview with Radio Times, the award-winning actress said women had to accept some responsibility when sexually harassed — a statement that has since led to much backlash.

However, Lansbury is now saying her words were taken out of context.

Here was her original statement:

“We have to own up to the fact that women, since time immemorial, have gone out of their way to make themselves attractive. And unfortunately it has backfired on us — and this is where we are today. We must sometimes take blame, women. I really do think that. Although it’s awful to say we can’t make ourselves look as attractive as possible without being knocked down and raped."

And here is what she now has to say:

"There is no excuse whatsoever for men to harass women in an abusive sexual manner. And, I am devastated that anyone should deem me capable of thinking otherwise. Those who have known the quality of my work and the many public statements I have made over the course of my life, must know, that I am a strong supporter of Women's Rights." "Lastly, I would like to add that I am troubled by how quickly and brutishly some have taken my comments out of context and attempted to blame my generation, my age, or my mindset, without having read the entirety of what I said."

While we admit we live in an age when words are often taken out of context (and then go viral), we also hope that Lansbury realizes the power and impact words have, especially in the current political climate. Regardless of her intent, her initial phrasing did seem to imply a victim-blaming perspective, and that is never okay.

However, we’re glad she has attempted to clear things up and remind the world that victims are never to blame for the actions of their abusers.