Catherine Deneuve signs letter defending men’s ‘right’ to seduce
PARIS — Those sexy French are not pleased about the #MeToo crusade.
Nearly 100 French cultural figures, including France’s most revered movie star, Catherine Deneuve, have signed an open letter in Le Monde decrying a “new puritanism” and the tide of “denunciations” that have brought down scores of men following the sexscandal revelations about movie producer Harvey Weinstein.
The letter, signed by writers, entertainers, historians, journalists, curators, academics and intellectuals, was published on Tuesday under the headline, in French: “We defend freedom to importune, indispensable to sexual freedom.”
In essence, that means men should be free to hit on others as part of the ancient human seduction dance — especially valued by the French.
But since the Weinstein scandal broke in October, with blockbuster investigations of the mogul’s alleged sexual predations against more than 80 women dating back decades, the result has been catastrophe, at least according to French stars such as Deneuve, 74.
The letter argues that daily revelations of alleged sexual misconduct by men in multiple industries amount to a “witch hunt” that threatens sexual freedom and promotes hatred of men.
“Rape is a crime. But trying to seduce someone, even persistently or maladroitly, is not — nor is gallantry macho aggression,” opened the letter, translated by the Guardian. “Men have been punished summarily, forced out of their jobs when all they did was touch someone’s knee or try to steal a kiss.”
France is home to famed feminists and its own “me too” movement, and the Deneuve-signed letter drew much criticism.