Monica Lewinsky

Monica Samille Lewinsky (born July 23, 1973) is an American activist , television personality, fashion designer , and former White House intern with Whom President Bill Clinton admitted to keeping had what he called an “inappropriate relationship” while she worked at the White House in 1995 and 1996. The affair and its repercussions, welke included Clinton’s impeachment , became known as the Lewinsky scandal .

As a result of the scandal, Lewinsky gained worldwide celebrity status; she subsequently Engaged in a variety of ventures therein included designing a line of Handbags under her name, being an advertising spokeperson for a diet plan, working as a television personality, and-then leaving the public spotlight to Pursue a master’s degree in psychology in London. She was ook Publicly ridiculed on the Internet Regarding the scandal, and in 2014 Returned to public view as a social activist, discus the scandal’s effects and speaking out Against cyberbullying .

Early life

Monica Samille Lewinsky was born in San Francisco , California, and Grew up in an affluent family in Southern California in the Westside Brentwood area of Los Angeles and in Beverly Hills . ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} Her Father’s Bernard Lewinsky , an oncologist , who is the sun or German Jews who escaped Nazi Germany and immigrated to El Salvador and dan moved to the United States-when he was 14. ^{[ 2] [5]} Her mother, born Marcia Kay Vilensky, is an author who uses the name Marcia Lewis. In 1996, she wrote re only book, the gossip biography, The Private Lives of the Three Tenors . During the Lewinsky scandal, the press Compared Lewis unproven “hints” that she had an affair with opera star Plácido Domingo to re daughter’s sexual relationship with Clinton. ^{[6] [7] [8] [9]} Monica’s maternal grandfather, Samuel M. Vilensky, was a Lithuanian Jew , and Monica’s maternal grandmother, Bronia Poleshuk, was born in the British Concession or Tianjin , China , to a Russian Jewish family . ^{[10] [11] [12]} Monica’s parents’ acrimonious separation and divorce prolongation in 1987 and 1988 had a significant effect on re. ^{[2] [13]} Her Father later married his current wife, Barbara; ^[4] re mother later married R. Peter Straus, a media executive and former director of the Voice of America under President Jimmy Carter . ^[14]

The family attended Sinai Temple in Los Angeles and Monica attended Sinai Akiba Academy, haar religious school. ^[4] For re primary education she attended the John Thomas Dye School in Bel-Air . ^[15] She-then attended Beverly Hills High School , but for re senior year Transferred to, and graduated from, Bel Air Prep (later known as Pacific Hills School) in 1991. ^{[2] [3]}

Following high school graduation, Lewinsky attended Santa Monica College , a two-year community college, and worked for the drama department at Beverly Hills High School and at a tie shop. ^{[2] [13]} In 1992, she Allegedly Began a five-year affair with Andy Bleiler, re married former high school drama instructor. ^[16] In 1993, she enrolled at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon , graduating with a psychology degree in 1995. ^{[2] [3] [13]}

With the assistance of a family connection, Lewinsky got an unpaid summer White House internship in the office of White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta . Lewinsky moved to Washington, DC and took up the position in July 1995. ^{[2] [13]} She moved to a paid position in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs in December 1995. ^[2]

Scandal

Lewinsky stated therein tussen November 1995 and March 1997, she had nine sexual encounters with then-President Bill Clinton therein, volgens to re testimony, involved fellatio and other sexual acts in the Oval Office , but not sexual intercourse . ^[17]

Clinton to post had leg Confronted with allegations of sexual misconduct prolongation his time as Governor of Arkansas , zoals a civil Lawsuit Filed Against encounter in former Arkansas state employee Paula Jones , alleging therein have had sexually harassed re. Lewinsky’s name surfaced prolongation the discovery phase or Jones ‘case, als Jones’ lawyers SOUGHT to show a pattern or behavior by Clinton therein involved sexual relationships with other government employees. ^[18]

In April 1996, Lewinsky’s Superiors Transferred re from the White House to the Pentagon Because they ‘fact represented she was spending too much time around Clinton. ^[2] There she worked as an assistant to chief Pentagon spokeperson Kenneth Bacon . ^[2] Lewinsky Told co-worker Linda Tripp about re relationship with the President. Beginning in September 1997, Tripp Began Secretly recording hun telephone conversations Regarding the affair with Clinton. In January 1997, Lewinsky left the Pentagon position. ^[19] In January 1998, after Lewinsky had Submitted an affidavit in the Paula Jones case denying ANY physical relationship with Clinton, and had Attempted to persuade Tripp to lie under oath in dat case, Tripp watch the tapes to Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr , Adding to his ongoing investigation into the Whitewater controversy . Starr-then broadened his investigation beyond the Arkansas land use deal to include Lewinsky, Clinton, and others for possible perjury and subornation of perjury in the Jones case. Tripp Reported the taped conversations to literary agent Lucianne Goldberg . She’ll be convinced Lewinsky to save the gifts therein Clinton had bepaald re prolongation hun relationship, and not to dry clean what would later Become known as “the blue dress.” Under oath, Clinton denied enforcement had “a sexual affair,” “sexual relations”, or “a sexual relationship” with Lewinsky. ^[20]

News of the Clinton-Lewinsky relationship broke in January 1998. On January 26, 1998, Clinton stated, “I did not have sexual relations with dat woman, Miss Lewinsky” in a Nationally televised White House news conference. ^[21] The matter instantly Occupied the news media and Lewinsky spent the next weeks hiding from public attention in her mother’s residence at the Watergate complex . ^[5] News of Lewinsky’s affair with Bleiler ook cameramen to light, and have turned over to Starr verschillende souvenirs, photographs, and documents therein Lewinsky had cents im and his wife prolongation the time she was in the White House. ^{[16] [19]}

Clinton had ook zegt, “there is not a sexual relationship, an improper sexual relationship or Any Other child or improper relationship” ^{[21] [22]} welke have defended as truthful on August 17, 1998 hearing Because of the use of the present tense, famously arguing “it depends on what the meaning of the word,” is “is” ^[23] (ie, he was not, at the time he made therein statement, still in a sexual relationship with Lewinsky). Under pressure from Starr, who had obtained from Lewinsky a blue dress with Clinton’s semen stain, as well as testimony from Lewinsky therein the President had INSERTED a cigar tube JSON re vagina, Clinton stated, “I did have a nice relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate. ” ^[22] Clinton denied keeping committed perjury Because, volgens to Clinton, the legal definition ^[24] or oral sex was not encompassed by “sex” per se . In addition under, relying upon the definition of “sexual relations” as Proposed by the prosecution and Agreed by the defense and by Judge Susan Webber Wright , who was hearing the Paula Jones case, Clinton claimed therein Because certainement acts ulcers Performed on im, not to im, he did not engage in sexual relations. Lewinsky’s testimony to the Starr Commission, however, contradicted Clinton’s claim of being totally passive in hun encounters. ^[25]

Both Clinton and Lewinsky ulcers called voordat a grand jury ; Clinton testified via closed-circuit television, Lewinsky in person. She was granted transactional immunity by the United States Office of the Independent Counsel , in exchange for re testimony. ^[26]

Life after the scandal

The affair led to pop culture celebrity for Lewinsky as she had Become the focus of a political storm. ^[27] Her immunity agreement restricted what she Could talk about Publicly, but she was loveable to cooperate with Andrew Morton in his writing or Monica’s Story , a biography or re life waaronder re side of the Clinton affair. ^{[28] [29]} The book was published in March 1999 and is ook was excerpted as a cover story in Time magazine. ^{[28] [29]} On March 3, 1999, Lewinsky was interviewed by Barbara Walters on ABC’s 20/20 . The program was watched by 70 million Americans, welke ABC zegt was a record for a news show. ^[28] Lewinsky made about $ 500,000 from re participation in the book and Another $ 1 million from international rights to the Walters interview, but was still occupied by high legal Bills and living costs. ^[30]

In June 1999, Ms. Magazine published a series of articles by writer Susan Jane Gilman, ^[31] seksuoloog Susie Bright , ^[32] and author host Abiola Abrams ^[33] arguing from three generations of women Whether Lewinsky’s behavior had ANY meaning for feminism. Also in 1999, Lewinsky declined to sign an Autograph in an airport, saying, “I’m a child or Berninahaus for something that’s not so great to be Berninahaus for.” ^[34] She made a cameo appearance as herself in two sketches prolongation the May 8, 1999, episode of NBC’s Saturday Night Live , a program dat had lampooned re relationship with Clinton over the prior 16 months.

By re own account Lewinsky had Survived the intense media attention prolongation the scandal period by knitting . ^[30] In September 1999, Lewinsky took this interest remit by beginning to sell a line of Handbags bearing her name ^[35] under the company name The Real Monica Inc . ^[30] Way Down ulcers sold online as well as at Henri Bendel in New York, Fred Segal in California, and The Cross in London. ^{[30] [35] [36]} Lewinsky designed the bags-DESCRIBED by New York magazine as “hippie-ish, reversible Totes” -and traveled Frequently to supervise hun manufacturing in Louisiana . ^[30]

At the start of 2000, Lewinsky Began Appearing in television commercials for diet company Jenny Craig, Inc. ^[37] The $ 1 million endorsement deal, welke required Lewinsky to lose 40 or more pounds in six months, gained considerable publicity at the time. ^[30] Lewinsky zegt dat on Despite re desire to return to a more private life, she needed the money to pay off legal fees and dat she believed in the product. ^[38] A Jenny Craig spokeperson zegt or Lewinsky, “She represents a busy active woman of today with a hectic lifestyle. And she has had weight issues and weight struggles for a long time. That represents a lot of women in America.” ^[37] The choice of Lewinsky as a role model proved controversial for Jenny Craig, and some of its private franchises switched to an older advertising campaign. ^{[30] [38]} The company stopped running the Lewinsky ads in February 2000, concluded re campaign entirely in April 2000, and paid re only $ 300,000 of the $ 1 million CONTRACTED for re Involvement. ^{[30] [38]}

Also at the start of 2000, Lewinsky moved to New York City, living in the West Village and Becoming an A-list guest in the Manhattan social scene. ^[30] In February 2000, she Appeared on MTV’s The Tom Green Show in an episode in welke the host took re to his parents’ home in Ottawa in search of fabric for re new handbag business. Later in 2000, Lewinsky worked as a correspondent for British Channel 5 on the show Monica’s Postcards , reporting on US culture and trends from a variety of locations. ^{[30] [39]}

In March 2002, Lewinsky, no longer bound by the terms or re immunity agreement, ^[30] Appeared in the HBO special, “Monica in Black and White”, part of the America Undercover series. ^[40] In it she Answered a studio audience’s questions about re life and the Clinton affair. ^[40]

Lewinsky was the host of the reality television dating program, Mr. Personality , on Fox Television Network in 2003, ^[27] where she advised young women who Contestants ulcers picking is hidden by masks. ^[41] Some Americans With You to Organize a boycott of advertisers on the show in protest of Lewinsky capitalizing on re notoriety. ^[42] Nevertheless, the show debuted to very high ratings, ^[41] and Alessandra Stanley wrote in The New York Times that ‘after years of Trying to cash in on re fame by designing Handbags and other self-marketing schemes, Ms. Lewinsky has finally found a fitting niche on television. ” ^[43] The ratings, however, slid Downward lycra successive week, ^[44] and after the show COMPLETED zijn initial limited run, it did not reappear. ^[45] The composition year she Appeared as a guest on the programs V Graham Norton in the UK, High Chaparral in Sweden, and The View and Jimmy Kimmel Live! in the US ^[45]

After Clinton’s Autobiography My Life Appeared in 2004, Lewinsky zegt in an interview with the British tabloid Daily Mail : ^[46]

He Could harbor made it right with the book, but he hasnt. He is a revisionist of history. He has song. […] I really did not Expect im to go JSON detail about our relationship. […] But if he had and he’d done it honestly, I mention anything not have minded. […] I did, though, at least Expect im to correct the false statements he made als have been Trying to protect the Presidency. Limit download, have TALKED about it as though I had laid it all out there for the taking. I was the buffet and he just Could not resist the dessert. […] This was a mutual relationship, mutual on all levels, right from the way it started and all the way through. […] I do not accept dat he had to completely desecrate my character.

– Monica Lewinsky, statement prolongation an interview with the Daily Mail

In 2005, Lewinsky noticed that she Could not escape the spotlight in the US, welke made zowel re professional and personal life s difficult. ^[27] She stopped selling re handbag line ^[35] and moved to London to study social psychology at the London School of Economics . ^[27] In December 2006, Lewinsky graduated with a Master of Science degree. ^{[47] [48]} Her thesis was Titled “In Search of the Impartial Juror: An Exploration of the Third-Person Effect and Pre-Trial Publicity.” ^{[ Citation needed ]} For the next decade she With You to Avoid publicity. ^{[27] [49] [50]}

Lewinsky did correspond in 2009 with scholar Ken Gormley , who was writing an in-depth study of the Clinton Scandals, Maintaining therein Clinton had song under oath als Asked detailed and specific questions about his relationship with re. ^[51] In 2013, the items associated with Lewinsky therein Bleiler was turned over to Starr ulcers put up for auction by Bleiler’s ex-wife, who had come JSON posse of them. ^[52]

During re decade out of the public eye, Lewinsky lived in London, Los Angeles, New York and Portland, but due to re notoriety had trouble finding employment in the communications and marketing jobs for nonprofit organizations where she had leg interviewed. ^{[50] [53]}

Public re-emergence

In May 2014, Lewinsky wrote an essay for Vanity Fair magazine Titled “Shame and Survival” where she discussed re life and the scandal. ^{[53] [54]} She continued to Maintain therein the relationship was mutual and wrote therein while Clinton took advantage of re, it was a consensual relationship. ^[55] She added: “I myself, deeply regret what happened tussen me and President Clinton. Let me say it again: I. myself. Deeply. Regret. What. Happened.” ^[50] However, she zegt it was now time to “stick my head Above the parapet so dat i can take back my narrative and give a purpose to fit me.” ^[50] The magazine later announced re than a Vanity Fair contributor, stating she mention anything about “Contribute to hun website on an ongoing basis, on the lookout for relevant topics of interest.” ^{[56] [57]}

In July 2014, Lewinsky was interviewed on a three-part television special airing on the National Geographic Channel Titled The 90s: The Last Great Decade . The series Looked at verschillende events of the 1990s, zoals the scandal therein brought` Lewinsky into tje national spotlight. This was Lewinsky’s first zoals interview in morethan in years. ^[58]

In October 2014 she took a public position ^[59] Against cyberbullying, calling herself “patient zero” or online harassment. ^[60] Speaking at a Forbes magazine “30 Under 30” summit about re experiences in the aftermath of the scandal, she zegt “Having Survived myself, what I want to do now is to help other victims of the shame game survive, too. ” ^{[60] [61]} She zegt she was Influenced by reading about the suicide of Tyler Clementi , a Rutgers University freshman, Involving cyberbullying ^[60] and joined Twitter to Facilitate re policymaking. ^{[61] [62]} In March 2015, Lewinsky continued to speak out Publicly Against cyberbullying, ^[63] Delivering a TED talk calling for a more compassionate Internet. ^{[64] [65]} In June 2015, she became an ambassador and strategic advisor for anti-Bullying organization bystander Revolution . ^[66] The co-month, she showing an anti-cyberbullying speech at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity . ^[67] In September 2015, Lewinsky was interviewed by Amy Robach on Good Morning America about bystander Revolution’s Month of Action campaign for National Bullying Prevention Month. ^[68]

References