Monica Lewinsky just changed her Twitter handle to the worst name she’s ever been called
Don’t worry—Monica Lewinsky’s Twitter account has not been hacked. She changed her own Twitter display name to “Monica Chunky Slut Stalker That Woman Lewinsky” as part of an anti-bullying campaign called #DefyTheName. By sharing some of the names she’s been called, she hopes to help start a meaningful conversation about name-calling and bullying.
"I had a long list of things from which to chose," Lewinsky told People on October 5th. "Where I landed, given the 50 characters you could have for your display name, is ‘Monica Chunky Slut Stalker That Woman Lewinsky.’ And that just scratches the surface."
Lewinsky is leading the #DefyTheName campaign, a National Bullying Prevention Month movement that reminds those who have been called names to not let those names define us. Other celebrities—including Alan Cumming, John Oliver, Olivia Munn, and Lena Dunham—also joined the anti-bullying movement by sharing the cruel names that have stuck with them via a #DefyTheName PSA released today, October 5th.
"Name-calling is one of the most common instances of bullying behavior," Lewinsky continued. "The core message is, don’t let the names that other people choose to call you, define you. And don’t let being bullied define your future either."
it’s (f*cking) early + i’m on my way to @GMA to talk the new #BullyingPreventionMonth campaign we’re launching today… hope it helps! @BBDONY @dvmcpr (plz send good vibes. live interviews terrify me!)
— Monica Lewinsky (she/her) (@MonicaLewinsky) October 5, 2018
At first, the idea of attempting to reclaim a negative name was scary, Lewinsky admitted. But the more she thought about it, the easier it was to connect to the idea.
“I started to think about my names, and I tried to laugh about them, to make myself feel better,” she said, “but when I actually had to say them out loud, on the record, and own them in a different way, even though it’s about empowering, there was still a small echo of hurt. There’s still a pain that’s there.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eykBgEtuYmg?feature=oembed
Lewinsky and those involved in the #DefyTheName campaign hope others take inspiration and change their names on social media throughout the month of October. She hopes that if enough people join the movement, victims of name-calling will realize that negative names have affected almost everyone, and they’re absolutely not alone.
