Abigail Breslin is opening up about her experiences with toxic masculinity and how it has affected her, while showing her support for Blake Lively after Lively’s recent sexual harassment complaint against actor Justin Baldoni.
The 28-year-old actress took to Tumblr and Instagram on December 28, sharing her thoughts on the situation and how it ties into her own struggles in the entertainment industry. She started by questioning why women are so often blamed and mistreated. “When did the word woman become synonymous with scapegoat?” Breslin wrote. “In light of what happened to Blake Lively, I felt compelled to speak up, as I have sadly dealt with the same kind of toxic masculinity in my own career.”
Breslin, who has faced challenges in her own professional life, shared that just last year, she had a legal dispute with actor Aaron Eckhart, accusing him of aggressive and unprofessional behavior on set. Although she didn’t name the specific project in her post, Breslin explained that she had raised concerns about a male colleague, only to be told that her fears were nothing more than “figments of my imagination.”
She reflected on the #MeToo movement, recalling how she had hoped for lasting change. “In 2017, it felt like a new wave was rising,” Breslin wrote. “Women were finally being heard after years of silence, and we were loudly claiming our right to be respected. But like fireworks that burn bright for a moment and then fizzle out, the noise faded, and behind closed doors, we were still just women being ignored.”
Breslin pointed out the frustrating shift in attitudes after the #MeToo movement gained momentum, noting how men and those who support abusers seemed irritated by the need to change their behavior. “I remember when it went from ‘Go women!’ to ‘Get over it already, didn’t you have your moment?'” she said. “As if centuries of women being mistreated could be swept away with a few Instagram posts saying, ‘Stay strong.'”
She also talked about her own experience of being sued after speaking out about mistreatment. “I had the naïve hope that when I raised my voice, I would be listened to and protected,” she wrote. “Instead, I was hit with a lawsuit for daring to speak up.”
In her post, Breslin questioned why women are often seen as the problem when they speak out. She noted that when a man is accused of bad behavior, he is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but when a woman speaks up, she is immediately questioned, asked to “prove” her fear, discomfort, or pain.
“This must change,” she urged, adding that men who struggle to believe women need to understand the challenges women face when reporting abuse. “Do you know what happens when a woman reports something? The burden of proof lies solely on us,” she wrote. “And yet, you need us. You can’t even charge your phone without us, but that’s all we’re worth? An outlet for your anger and frustration?”
Breslin wrapped up her post by calling for more listening and less dismissing. She highlighted the ongoing cycle of doubting women who speak out, saying that even when evidence is presented, it’s hard to break the narrative that women must be exaggerating or lying.
She concluded by saying, “To change the narrative, we don’t need more women shouting. We just need more men to shut up and listen.”