Only 19 percent of reported rapes and sexual assaults lead to arrests in the U.S.
Emily Ratajkowski has accused Robin Thicke of groping her breasts while filming the « Blurred Lines » music video in 2013 —and the reaction to her claim online shows a disturbing level of victim-blaming that offers an insight into why sexual assaults are largely under-reported. The model, now 30, revealed details of the incident in an excerpt from her upcoming book, « My Body. » « Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt the coolness and foreignness of a stranger’s hands cupping my bare breasts from behind, » she wrote in the book, per The Sunday Times. « I instinctively moved away, looking back at Robin Thicke. » « He smiled a goofy grin and stumbled backward, his eyes concealed behind his sunglasses. My head turned to the darkness beyond the set. [The director, Diane Martel’s] voice cracked as she yelled out to me, ‘Are you okay?' » she continued. Martel told Newsweek that up until this incident, the cast and crew were all getting along and working well together. « This was the only incident on set. None of the other talent was aware. Up until this incident we were laughing, the guys were very respectful, » she said. « The girls were open and feeling free. » Martel said Thicke’s actions were « impulsive » and that he had been drinking. « He grabbed her breasts with two hands. Once he heard me scream and felt Emily push his hands off of her he was rattled. He realized that what he had done was insane. He sheepishly apologized, » she said, adding « it felt like a terrible and creepy gesture. » Newsweek has reached out to Thicke’s representatives for comment. The controversial video has famously been highly criticized for featuring topless models and fully dressed men with the lyrics of the song itself— »I know you want it »—presenting a worrying dismissal of consent.
