Germaine Greer says women 'spread legs' for Weinstein movie roles

She didn't hold back about her opinions on #MeToo

Ilana Kaplan
New York
Monday 22 January 2018 22:34 GMT
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Germaine Greer named as Australian of the Year

Iconic feminist Germain Greer has stunned fans by saying it's too late for women who "spread their legs" for Harvey Weinstein movie roles to start "whingeing."

The 78-year-old spoke out about her distaste for the #MeToo movement, railing at actresses who say Harvey Weinstein assaulted them.

"If you spread your legs because he said 'be nice to me and I'll give you a job in a movie' then I'm afraid that's tantamount to consent, and it's too late now to start whingeing about that," Greer explained, before being honoured as Australian of the Year.

Greer went onto speak against the #MeToo campaign more broadly, saying that she wanted women to react "immediately" to sexual harassment against their attackers.

She then added that "in the old days" women would "slap down" men who were assaulting or harassing them.

However, she did say that accusing Weinstein has been more challenging because of his power.

Greer's comments didn't just stop at Weinstein though - she seemed to brush the allegations from Woody Allen's daughter Dylan Farrow to the side, asking "It was 20 years ago, so you want [Woody Allen] to stop making movies now?"

She then said, "It might be a good idea because he's probably no good any more."

Greer also contentiously asked for authorities to dispose of rape being a crime for a "coherent law of sexual consent."

"I have seen the police working up a rape case trying desperately hard to build it up so it will stand up in court - and wasting their time," she said.

This isn't the first time the feminist thinker's perspective has gotten her in hot water: her beliefs about transgender women have been very controversial.

She first took aim at Caitlyn Jenner when she was appointed one of Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year saying, "Just because you lop off your d**k and then wear a dress doesn't make you a f***ing woman. I've asked my doctor to give me long ears and liver spots and I'm going to wear a brown coat but that won't turn me into a f***ing cocker spaniel."

She then continued to explain that intersex people "deserve support" but "it's not the same thing" as being transgender.

"A man who gets his d*** chopped off is actually inflicting an extraordinary act of violence on himself," she said

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