Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde caused an uproar over the weekend with her comments on rape, suggesting that it can be a victim’s fault if she is wearing skimpy clothing. In her first interview since then, she is standing by her comments.
During an interview with The Sunday Times, Hynde said that she has taken “full responsibility” for being sexually assaulted when she was 21. She went on to say that if a woman is “very modestly dressed” but is still attacked, it is the attacker’s fault in that case.
“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,” Hynde told the Sunday Times. “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 f*** me,’ you’d better be good on your feet ... I don’t think I’m saying anything controversial am I?”
“Sounds like common sense,” Hynde said Thursday in an interview with the Washington Post about her comments. “If you don’t want my opinion, don’t ask me for it.”
Hynde told the Post that there are many other more important matters that people should be worried about, like the ongoing migrant crisis in Europe.
“At the moment, we’re in one of the worst humanitarian crises in our lifetime,” the singer said. We see a picture of “a Turkish policeman carrying the body of a 3-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.”
Hynde has been doing interviews to promote Reckless: My Life As A Pretender, her new memoir. It hits stores on Tuesday.
image courtesy of Famous/ACE/INFphoto.com