What do you think of Blake Lively?

[NameChangeChic]

From what I’ve heard with the current drama surrounding her I’m shocked. Did anyone’s opinions of her change?

ps this isn’t a bashing thread

Odd. There are hundreds of pages of court documents and evidence. Literal proof. Not bullshit stories. Sorry if the truth hurts

If you read my original comment I made it clear that I had very little in way of knowledge or opinion on both BL & JB, it was only after several days of internet diving I formed my option on either which I have made clear.

I also feel it’s fascinating that some women will just believe another woman just so they have a another reason to hate another man. Just because I share the same sex as someone dose not mean I’m blindly going to go on a man hating march. I share the same sex as Myra Hindley, Rosemary West, Emma Tustin, Mangdalena Luczak and many other child killers, should I just blindly support them because they are women?

So far there has been absolutely no proof of any inappropriate behaviour on the film set, yes a PR firm has been engaged AFTER RR & BL engaged their own unscrupulous firm.

There has also been no proof of any attempt at a smear campaign against BL despite her representatives using unscrupulous and possibly illegal tactics against JBs agent to obtain proof.

However, there is plenty of evidence backing JBs version of events.

The thing that's odd to me is the sexual abuse part seems less of an issue to BL & RR than the PR smear because I don't get why RR would make a joke about it.

This is how it's been spun, that he's minimised it.
However, the "joke" itself - and I use that term ill advisedly as it wasn't particularly funny - Hey Ryan, how are you? <cue knowinglook> Why? What you heard? - is meant to be funny as it's addressing the elephant in the room, namely that their names have been in the press/on social media non-stop.
It wasn't a joke about sexual harassment.
Cue card guy insists it was Ryan's line. Everyone else says it was written for him.
Either way, I do agree it backfired spectacularly.

No proof of a smear campaign?
Ahem. The texts where he is quoted as saying he wants to feel as though she could be buried?
Then the text acknowledging they can destroy her but obviously can't say that!

What are you talking about?

Blake Lively has Gossip Girl, Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. Age of Adeline, The Town, A Simple Favor.

She’s also pretty much the main attraction at the Met Gala each year.

What you wrote is so misogynistic. She had a very full career before Ryan Reynolds.

JB has far more evidence supporting his claims, but it’s absurd to say no one thought about her.

She has millions of followers on Instagram.

I watched it ends with us on a Saudia flight and when it finished I realised they’d cut an awful lot out of it 🤣

As for Lively, no opinion really, I’ve never met her.

@WhyDidPunxutawneyPhilHaveToSeeHisShadow

Why? What you heard? - is meant to be funny as it's addressing the elephant in the room, namely that their names have been in the press/on social media non-stop.

That bit is crystal clear but their names are in the press because of a sexual harassment allegation. Not something to be glib about.

This is how it's been spun, that he's minimised it.

Spun by who? I saw the clip & that was my own conclusion.

It wasn't a joke about sexual harassment.

No, it was a joke about being under an intense media storm due to sexual harassment hence why it backfired spectacularly.

Stupid thing to do.

The texts where he is quoted as saying he wants to feel as though she could be buried?

Then the text acknowledging they can destroy her but obviously can't say that!

None of the above prove they did actually bury her though & as I said upthread they also discussed her "downfall" despite not doing anything.

I can't work out if you're being naive or deliberately obtuse.
"Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, and the Collapse of the Hollywood #MeToo Era | The New Yorker" https://www.newyorker.com/culture/critics-notebook/blake-lively-justin-baldoni-and-the-collapse-of-the-hollywood-metoo-era

Absolutely, JB and his team sunk everything into this movie, they had been working on it for years, BL could have walked away with barely a dent in her purse or reputation. I fully believe she saw this as her power play moment.

Why? Because I think the joke was stupid? And because I think there is a lot of grey around the whole situation?

and nothing in that article proves that they did wage a PR campaign. Maybe they did, maybe they didn't, we will shall see.

The article is also disingenuous, fame has always been fickle hence why image is so important & PRs are ruthless in protecting their clients brand. You don't need to be a victim of a PR campaign to receive bad press, over-saturation is a thing & of course social media heightens it.

I’ve seen an interview where she said she doesn’t understand the word no

and one where she said she poisoned the cast against a male co worker

one where she says being an actress isn’t enough so she lies to get the part then starts to take over

her. Own. Words.

but oh….. must be the smear campaign.

So many posters on here saying how beautiful she is. That doesn’t make someone any better and she bought her looks anyway. Don’t use bought looks to see someone in a positive light.

LOL

Agreed. Someones looks don’t make them more or less worthy of victim status.

In any case, not that it’s relevant to the case, but for the benefit of those who keep bringing up her looks, yes her looks were bought. Does this influence the opinion of those who say she is defo a victim because she is beautiful?

Yeah they did ask for it.
The Baldoni team sent their documents to the judge asking to quash the subpoena because Team Lively’s scope was too broad.
ie 2.5 years and ALL the communications.
Team Lively went to the NY times and published the messages they thought were evidence back in December.
Then Team Baldoni shot back publishing online, the full messages including emoji’s. Which gave a fuller context.
Basically stating…it wasn’t them.
Thats where they are so far.
If I have to declare a team…um.
…I’m team nosy Parker 🤭

Dear Lord.

This was an interesting article. Thanks for sharing.

It got me thinking…
I thought the me too movement had collapsed before this case.
I’m not sure we have ever been in a position where everyone automatically believed everything a woman has said?
Regarding SH or SA.
If so, only briefly.
From what I’ve seen, the whole process for reporting assault, abuse, harassment etc can be a trauma in itself.
It’s not a simple thing.
That has not changed.

I feel…
Protections for women and girls complaining of harassment or abuse are nowhere near strong enough.

I know I feel quite strongly about this for a lot of personal reasons and more pertinently because I knew a woman who died at the hands of their harasser. In the street…yards from her home.
Her children’s message of helplessness and frustration about the lack of support from the police is often in my mind.

Misogyny can be a matter of life and death.
I know that for sure now, experientially, beyond the disgusting statistics.

That does not mean we should take “other” forms of harassment as not serious enough…if you know what I mean?

That being said…
What this article does not do is provide evidence of what either of these individuals are accusing the other of. Not SH, not SA, slurring, smearing etc.
None at all.

What I do take from this piece of journalism is the cautionary tale about being drawn into narratives without…facts.

About prejudging people and their motives because of preconceived (political, cultural etc) notions about how men and women “should” behave and what standards they “should” be held up to.

About deep, disturbing misogyny online and in our culture.

And the danger of jumping to conclusions about the veracity of accusations because of what we expect an appropriate victim to look like.

I do wish there to be discussion in our culture about giving women the things they really need to navigate this world, at work, at home, on the street and online, safely and without fear.

And a plan to make things better, like, decades ago!

In more complicated conundrums, I try with all my might to move beyond dualistic thinking.

So
Blake Lively may have done all kinds of underhand and unpleasant things onset AND been harassed.

Blake lively may have done everything with good intentions AND not been harassed.

Blake Lively may believe she can be underhand with good intentions AND feel harassed when she wasn’t.

Oooof!
What a tasty soup!

I wasn’t there so 🤷🏽‍♀️

It is so damaging that we can be so easily polarised by…opinions.

Thanks again for the article.
It gave me much food for thought which is always a good thing in my book ☺️

@DeeDeeFuzzbot

What I do take from this piece of journalism is the cautionary tale about being drawn into narratives without…facts.

but there are some facts and evidence available…

I agree with you! There definitely is evidence available!
Just not in this article.

I think another thing I take from the article is a fear that has been bobbing around my brain.

In the culture we are in…IF this one high profile woman is proven to have intentionally misled or lied about these allegations to protect her brand and reputation, what the hell will that mean for all the other (mostly anonymous) women who struggle to be taken seriously and are in real danger.

It really worries me.
In my mind the stakes are really high!

But, I don’t know if Blake Lively has irrefutable evidence that she was harassed and smeared which she hasn’t shared with the public yet.
I think that may be unlikely considering I feel a lot of this is about PR.
But what do I know?!

What kind of “irrefutable” evidence do you require? When you’ve been sexually harassed what kind of evidence did you have?

Are you saying that if you’re a high profile woman you can’t accuse anyone of sexual harassment unless you have cast iron “proof” what does that proof look like? It’s just words and behaviour isn’t it?

I don't believe in a smear campaign. I felt sorry for her when I heard she'd brought the suit and I read about the slimy things she said he'd said and done during the dance scene. Then his team released the audio with the footage and it seemed she (or rather perhaps her lawyers, husband, whoever is behind all this) misrepresented a lot of things

Then those weird texts she'd sent him about "her love language" came out ( which he appeared to deflect by talking about his wife and kids) and it was suddenly much harder to say who was harassing whom.

I had vaguely positive feelings about her based on her funny online persona, not on her films (which I haven't seen). Now I'm on the fence.

I have no particular opinion of Baldoni, either. Suing for $400,000,000? I'd respect him more if he sued for $1.

Erm yes. If she felt she was being sexually harassed (bear in Mind BL knows the score here since she had already accused another man of this before) then yes, I would expect her to document things, and file complaints etc etc. Hell yes, I would. I would expect her to keep track of anything, save videos, texts, complaints, evidence of meetings, walk off set ffs (she is NOT a fucking vulnerable wallflower she's ballsy as fuck and she would have had representatives for her on set, or the SAG AFTRA she could contact) But.... she didn't. Wonder why.

Erm so you missed the fact she filed a list of complaints at the time and got agreement that things would change? And you missed the points documented in the NY Times article indicating she has saved and documented a significant amount and subpoenaed even more. And you apparently think that you, a member of the public would be notified of all with this when she’s about to fight a court case?

And can you explain why so many Hollywood actresses say they didn’t complain, walk off set etc?