Mayim Bialik Clarifies Comments About Sexual Assault After Being Accused of Victim Blaming

"That was absolutely not my intention."

Mayim Bialik insists that it was "absolutely not" her intention in a New York Times op-ed about the Harvey Weinstein scandal to place blame on any woman or man that has been a victim of sexual assault.

The Big Bang Theory star received some backlash after noting that she's careful about her clothing choices and behavior when on set in an effort to avoid unwanted advances. 

“I still make choices every day as a 41-year-old actress that I think of as self-protecting and wise,” she wrote. “I have decided that my sexual self is best reserved for private situations with those I am most intimate with. I dress modestly. I don’t act flirtatiously with men as a policy.”

On Monday, Bialik addressed the criticism in a Facebook Live interview for the Times. "There is no way to avoid being a victim of assault by what you wear or the way you behave," she said, adding that her remarks were only in reference to the "culture of Hollywood" that she's personally experienced. "I was not speaking about assault and rape in general."

Bialik attempted to further clarify her comments, noting that her choice to dress modestly is just that: her choice, and oftentimes goes against "the way women are encouraged to present themselves" in entertainment.

"I feel protected in my industry more when I keep parts of myself private," she said. "It gives a feeling of comfort and a layer of protection, but it does not make you immune to assault."

Bialik also apologized and said she was "deeply, deeply hurt" if any person that is a victim of assault thought she was blaming them in any way.

In addition to receiving harsh criticism from a few fans for her op-ed, some of Bialik's peers slammed her controversial remarks.

"@missmayim229 I have to say I was dressed non provocatively as a 12 year old when men on the street masturbated at me," Patricia Arquette tweeted to the former Blossom star. "It's not clothing."

Gabrielle Union also spoke out, tweeting: "Reminder. I got raped at work at a Payless shoe store. I had on a long tunic and leggings so miss me with 'dress modestly' s**t."

She added, "Though I was raped by a stranger who raped me at gunpoint after robbing the store, I was still asked by a female 'friend' what I had worn."

Prior to her Facebook Live chat, Bialik tweeted that her op-ed comments may have been taken out of context by some readers. 

“I’m being told that my N.Y. Times piece resonated with so many and I am beyond grateful for all the feedback,” she wrote. “I also see a bunch of people have taken my words out of context of the Hollywood machine and twisted them to imply that God forbid I would blame a woman for her assault based on her clothing or behavior.”

“Anyone who knows me and my feminism know that’s absurd and not at all what this piece was about,” she continued. “It’s so sad how vicious people are being when I basically live to make things better for women.”

Recent accusations lodged at Weinstein have sparked a conversation in Hollywood about sexual harassment and assault.

Here's how Kate Beckinsale got her story out about allegedly being harassed by the movie mogul when she was just a teenager:

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