“This is me at 14. The age I was raped." Actress Busy Philipps has spoken about rape.

Behind the smiling eyes, sculpted eyebrows and long blonde bob of a 14-year-old Busy Philipps having her school photo taken, we now know was a teenager hiding the ‘shame’ of sexual assault.

The actress best known for roles in Dawson’s Creek and White Chicks posted a throwback picture of herself, sharing her experience of rape in high school.

“This is me at 14. The age I was raped. It’s taken me 25 years to say those words,” the now-39-year-old wrote alongside an old school photo.

“I wrote about it in my book. I finally told my parents and sister about it 4 months ago. Today is the day we are silent no more. All of us. I’m scared to post this.”

#tbt This is me at 14. The age I was raped. It’s taken me 25 years to say those words. I wrote about it in my book. I finally told my parents and sister about it 4 months ago. Today is the day we are silent no more. All of us. I’m scared to post this. I can’t imagine what Dr. Ford is feeling right now.

A post shared by Busy Philipps (@busyphilipps) on Sep 27, 2018 at 8:52am PDT

Philipps has written about her rape in detail in her upcoming memoir This Will Only Hurt a Little.

The Instagram post also referenced Dr Christine Blasey Ford, who is this week testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee to the sexual assault she allegedly experienced at the hands of Trump’s conservative Supreme Court judge candidate Brett Kavanaugh.

“I can’t imagine what Dr. Ford is feeling right now,” Philipps wrote.

Previously speaking to the Washington Post, Ford alleged that Kavanaugh and a friend – both “stumbling drunk” – corralled her into a bedroom during the 1980s.

Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, groped her and attempted to remove her clothing and bathing suit. When she screamed, he covered her mouth with his hand.

She said she was able to escape when his friend, Mark Judge, jumped on top of them and sent them all tumbling. She ran from the room, briefly locked herself in a bathroom and then fled the house.

Ford told no one of the incident until 2012, when she and her husband were in couples therapy.

Philipps is one of several female celebrities who’ve publicly shared their experiences of sexual assault in support of Dr. Ford, many on social media through the hashtag movement #WhyIDidntReport.

The hashtag started after United States President Donald Trump took to his very public diary, Twitter, to question why Dr Ford, the woman who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, took so long to come forward.

“If the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed,” he tweeted.

Alyssa Milano, Ashley Judd, Lili Reinhart, Beth Moore, among others, used the hashtag to protest Kavanaugh’s nomination.

My latest op ed:

“I was sexually assaulted as a teen. Here’s why I didn’t report.”

It took me 30 years to tell anyone. And I’m far from alone.#MeToo #WhyIDidntReport https://t.co/UPP7l914Tb

— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) September 23, 2018

#WhyIDidntReport. The first time it happened, I was 7. I told the first adults I came upon. They said “Oh, he’s a nice old man, that’s not what he meant.” So when I was raped at 15, I only told my diary. When an adult read it, she accused me of having sex with an adult man.

— ashley judd (@AshleyJudd) September 21, 2018

Because I didn’t want to lose my job or make people think I was a drama queen. #WhyIDidntReport

— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) September 21, 2018

He lived in my house.#whyididntreport

— Beth Moore (@BethMooreLPM) September 22, 2018

#WhyIDidntReport

• There are too many of these stories.

• Too many of us have these stories.

• Too many of us have never felt safe to share them.

And men like @realDonaldTrump are why.

— Women’s March (@womensmarch) September 21, 2018

#WhyIDidntReport. I did report. Went straight to the hospital. The police even knew who he was, because he was known to rape. But when asked by the DA if I was “out whoring around” that night, I gave up. That’s why we don’t report.

— Mary Ginder (@GinderMary) September 23, 2018

#WhyIDidntReport The police officer I spoke to said, and I quote, “Are you sure you want to report this? It could ruin his life, you know.” I was diagnosed with PTSD after the attack. Six years later, I still live with it.

— Jessica Estey (@jessieestey) September 23, 2018

I encourage everyone to read the #WhyIDidntReport tweets. It’s brutal, maddening, and heartwrenching, but it’s a necessary task. No woman (or man) is ever at fault when sexually assaulted. Never.

— MK (@MKatThomas) September 23, 2018

If this post brings up any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. It doesn’t matter where you live, they will take your call and, if need be, refer you to a service closer to home.