Jane Fonda Speaks Out About Being Raped and Sexually Abused as a Child

In a new Net-a-Porter interview with Brie Larson, Jane Fonda reveals that she was sexually abused and raped as a child. “To show you the extent to which a patriarchy takes a toll on females,” she tells her fellow Oscar winner, “I’ve been raped, I’ve been sexually abused as a child, and I’ve been fired because I wouldn’t sleep with my boss.”

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Larson, who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of a sexual-abuse survivor in “Room,” is an advocate for victims of sexual assault. Fonda is similarly active, including her involvement with the V-Day movement and her own Jane Fonda Center for Adolescent Reproductive Health. “I always thought it was my fault; that I didn’t do or say the right thing,” she says of her experiences.

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“I know young girls who’ve been raped and didn’t even know it was rape,” Fonda adds. “They think, It must have been because I said ‘no’ the wrong way. One of the great things the women’s movement has done is to make us realize that [rape and abuse is] not our fault. We were violated and it’s not right.” Read the full interview here.

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