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.”
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.
