Monica Lewinsky Reflects on Overcoming Bullying
Monica Lewinsky has opened up about the difficulties she faced due to severe bullying following the scandal that made waves in the White House nearly three decades ago. At 52, she spoke candidly about her remarkable journey during a gathering at the Beverly Hills Hotel, which she described as filled with “positivity and love,” a striking contrast to the years steeped in “extreme negativity.”
She mentioned, “There were some very dark moments, and I don’t want to bring them to the surface,” while sharing insights with Jane Buckingham, as part of her recognition as a 21st Century Woman of the Year by Cedars-Sinai.
Lewinsky recalled her time at the White House, starting as an unpaid intern at 21. It was during this period, in late 1995, that her affair with then-President Bill Clinton began. The whole situation was thrust into the limelight after a friend and colleague, Linda Tripp, recorded their private conversation without her knowledge, which later became entangled in Clinton’s legal battles.
Having experienced what she felt was a betrayal among women in high positions, Lewinsky remarked, “I was very surprised because I thought all the women in senior positions there were there to lift each other up, and it wasn’t. That was very eye-opening for me.”
After Clinton’s infamous denial of the affair in 1998, Lewinsky went into a hiding period marked by public humiliation, a reality she described as “almost unbearable.” She emphasized the toll that a barrage of negativity from countless strangers had on her, recalling that she wasn’t prepared for such a flood of judgment. “My energy field wasn’t ready for that,” she said, adding that she’s spent two decades working through her feelings of resentment.
Reflecting on resilience, she noted that it’s often mischaracterized. “People often think about resilience as linear, but it’s more like a spiral,” she explained. “You go forward, you go back, but I think you have to be patient with yourself.”
Despite ongoing fears of losing everything she has built over the past years, especially reliving past trauma, Lewinsky has recently begun to feel a sense of confidence, in part due to her podcast, “Get Back with Monica Lewinsky.” She mentioned that the journey has been neither straightforward nor without its challenges, revealing that she still grapples with fears about her future.
Ultimately, she’s found herself contemplating the complexities of power and its impact on individuals. “I think about power in two different ways,” she said. “If someone has it and uses it, they can influence the power of others. Then there’s also the inner strength one harnesses.”
