October 11 is International Day of the Girl, an initiative of the United Nations to “EmPOWER girls: Before, during and after conflict.”
After speaking out this week about past conflict of her own, Gwenyth Paltrow took to Instagram in the spirit of International Day of The Girl, posting a beautiful selfie alongside 13-year-old daughter, Apple.
Gwyneth Paltrow
With it she wrote, “Everything I do in my life I do for this girl (and her brother).”
The post comes just one day after Paltrow came forward accusing Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexually harassing her at the age of 22.
Weinstein is under fire this week after a New York Times report put Weinstein front and center as a man who’s used his “power” in Hollywood to sexually harass and even sexually assault women for decades.
Paltrow told the New York Times that the movie mogul made unwanted advances toward her in a hotel room when she was 22.
The encounter came shortly after Weinstein hired Paltrow for the lead role in the 1996 film Emma. He allegedly placed his hands on her and proceeded to suggest a massage.
“I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified,” she said.
Paltrow says she denied his advances, but didn’t keep quiet. She confided in her then-boyfriend, Brad Pitt, about the harassment. Pitt then confronted Weinstein at a Hollywood party later that year.
Following their confrontation, Paltrow tells the Times that Weinstein called her and threatened her not to tell anyone else. “I thought he was going to fire me,” she recalls. “He screamed at me for a long time. It was brutal.”
Paltrow admits she feels “relieved” to have spoken out about Weinstein’s misconduct.
That’s why her International Day of The Girl post comes at an even more pivotal time.
Since 2012, the United Nations has adopted October 11 as a day to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.
Paltrow, along with the dozens of other women who are speaking out in the Harvey Weinstein scandal, are leaders in empowering girls to be bold in using their voice.
They have the basic human right to not be harassed, intimidated, threatened or coerced by an all-too-powerful man.
In an interview for Harper Bazaar‘s November issue, Gwyneth explains that she prides herself in raising a bold daughter who is a risk-taker at heart.
“I actually don’t need to encourage her to take risks. She likes to push herself; she wants to see how far she can get,” said Paltrow. “It’s really inspiring to see that in a young woman.”
When girls have the resources to know their rights as adolescents, they’re equipped to find their voice as women, before another Harvey Weinstein has the chance to cause trouble.
Cheers to International Day of the Girl, and strong women like Gwenyth Paltrow who are using their pasts to empower the futures of today’s generation of daughters.
Click here for more information about International Day of the Girl.
