With the recent sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein, I have realized once again that a majority of society does not understand the dynamics of power and predatory behavior. Multiple women came out against Harvey Weinstein, including Cara Delevingne.

This sparked a conversation about Hollywood culture and what goes on behind the scenes, but I feel like people aren't grasping the realities of sexual assault in these spaces. Many people still believe when victims come out with their sexual assault they are looking for attention or money, but they don't realize that a majority of the time when victims come out they are likely to be subjected to more abuse from those around them or ostracized.

Especially for victims who work in close proximity to powerful executives or well-loved celebrities, coming out can be brutal.

This is mainly because sexual predators/rapists are smart.

I mean this because they only prey on victims that they feel are vulnerable. Victims would come out with their stories a lot more if these sexual predators weren't their bosses, friends, or family members.

Many famous actors, Hollywood producers, and executives know they can get away with their behavior because they are either really charismatic and well-loved or very talented. Every time a celebrity comes out with abuse allegations I hear people objectifying saying that they met them once and they were very nice. They continue on by saying they don't seem like a rapist/pedophile/predator...every time I hear that I roll my eyes.

These people (celebrities) know exactly what they're doing. They know to go for victims who are just getting into the Hollywood scene, or menial workers like assistants or secretaries, because no one will believe them if they say anything. They also use the stereotype that rapists/pedophiles are the creepy people in alleys when in reality victims of sexual assault tend to be very close to their assaulters. This is to absolve them from social ostracization.

I would not be surprised if many more victims came out with allegations towards famous actors and executives; Hollywood breeds predators. Many actors have either been accused or charged with sexual assault, yet they still have jobs. This shows other predators that as long as they achieve a good amount of fame and recognition, people will always be on their side.

A good example of this is Johnny Depp. When his ex-wife Amber Heard came out with spousal abuse and sexual assault many people automatically wrote her off and called her an attention-seeker. Even when pictures of bruises and videos came out, fans still held on to their beliefs.

This showed me that many men in Hollywood are protected by society or by Hollywood itself. In Harvey Weinstein's case, when other celebrities and executives came out saying they stood with the victims and were against Harvey, I was very skeptical. Weinstein has had allegations against him for years. There's no way his coworkers and close friends didn't know what was happening. Ashley Tisdale even came out and said she was told not to be alone in a room with him. This means there were definitely rumors about his predatory behavior and it was a well-known fact he is a danger to women.

Instead of taking care of it, many of his co-workers, friends, and relatives just chose to warn those that had not been affected yet. They chose to turn a blind eye on those who had been assaulted and pretended like nothing was happening behind closed doors. They chose not to hold him accountable because of his wealth and power. This is what Hollywood is. This is Hollywood culture.