Former White House intern MonicaLewinsky speaks at the TED2015 conference in Vancouver, Canada March 19, 2015. (Duncan Davidson/TED/REUTERS)
Monica Lewinsky stepped back into the spotlight on Thursday, delivering a TED talk about a topic that boosters of a possible Hillary Clinton presidential run likely wish would go away: The former White House intern’s scandalous affair with President Clinton and its aftermath.
During her 18-minute speech, Lewinsky asked for a show of hands. “Who didn’t make a mistake at 22?” she asked.
TED2015 was only the second time the former White House intern has spoken publicly. Lewinsky also spoke at Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Summit in October.
Lewinsky talked about the media firestorm that followed the revelations of her 1998 White House dalliance–from being labeled “a tramp, tart, slut, whore, bimbo and, of course, ‘that woman,’” to having the infamous Starr Report released to Congress. The impact was devastating, she said.
“In 1998, I lost my reputation and my dignity. … I lost my sense of self,” Lewinsky said. “When this happened to me, 17 years ago, there was no name for it. Now we call it cyber-bullying.”
Lewinsky says she wants to see a “cultural revolution” on cyber-bullying. Instead of people assuming the role of bystander when they witness public humiliation, she wants them to be an “upstander.”
“With every click we make a choice,” she said. “But online showing empathy to others benefits us all … Just imagine walking a mile in someone else’s headline.”
Read more from Lewinsky’s speech at TEDBlog.
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