By Lauren Rearick
After a fan in Barcelona, Spain, grabbed Miley Cyrus without her consent, the singer addressed the incident on social media.
A video captured by fans on Sunday, June 2, showed someone reaching for Miley as she walked through a crowd on her way out of a hotel, ABC News reported. In the seconds-long interaction, someone grabbed the singer by the hair and pulled her in for a kiss by someone. Security then stepped in and pushed the person away. Her husband, Liam Hemsworth, was also present at the time.
Miley addressed the incident and the subsequent victim-blaming that occurred on social media. Using a screenshotted image of the person who assaulted her, Miley addressed a common misconception about assault: that she was “asking for it” based on external factors. “She can be wearing what she wants. She can be sleeping with 5 different people. She can be with her husband. She can be with her girlfriend. She can be naked. She CAN’T be grabbed without her consent,” the Black Mirror star wrote.
As Erinn Robinson, press secretary for RAINN, explained, “It is unacceptable for someone to be touched without their consent. Consent is an agreement between two people. There are many different things that someone can do in this situation, ranging from forcibly telling the other person that the action was unacceptable and to never do it again to reporting the action to authorities.”
What happened to Miley comes after Ariana Grande reminded concertgoers to not touch her friends or photographers attending Sweetener World Tour shows. “Friendly reminder,” Ariana wrote. “Grabbing/touching people without their consent is harassment. Please do not put your hands on my photographers or friends or anyone you don’t know for that matter when you’re in the pit at my shows. It’s never okay or funny. Thank you. (I can’t believe this has to be said…but unfortunately it happens often…thanks for listening.)”
Other celebrities including Khalid, Daniel Portman, Billie Eilish, and Harry Styles previously shared experiences with unwarranted touching, too.
Consent is never based on what you’re wearing, who you are, or what you have done in the past, Planned Parenthood says. The act of consent goes beyond just sexual activity, and encompoasses any physical interaction between people. Consent is expressly given, and can also be taken away at any time during an interaction. In Miley’s case, those that live their life in a public eye are “#stillnotaskingforit,” either.
