Over the weekend, Hilary Duff, who is currently nine months pregnant, told off a paparazzo who had been following her around as she ran errands.
The Younger star filmed a confrontation with the man (and posted it to Instagram), telling him repeatedly that he was making her uncomfortable, and she felt like she was being "hunted down." Never mind the fact that she mentioned being with her son, and wanting to shield him from the photographer's gaze.
To be clear, Duff's language of feeling preyed upon is not untrue, of course, when you think of how often paparazzi's harassment of women in the public eye is basically stalking. (This also applies when you consider how often this kind of harassment occurs in a culture that consistently supports types of male dominance over women).
Duff also calls out the inherent double standard of people who suggest that, as a celebrity, she has essentially "signed up for" such mistreatment due to her visibility. Par for the course, these people often say. No, says Duff: if it weren't due to the fact that she were famous, such actions from her stalker (let's just call it what it is) would be considered illegal and therefore worth legal recourse.
Further, Duff's confrontation is a window to an ongoing problem in Hollywood, and society at large. Only now, on the strength of movements like #MeToo, are men beginning to understand something really basic that should have long been obvious: Women are not prey.
Photo via Getty
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