News East West
NEW YORK: Woody Allen’s adopted daughter Dylan Marrow, 28, has finally opened up about her sexual molestation as a little child at the hands of the artistic giant.
The writer and artist, who is married and lives in Florida, has spoken about how Allen molested her when she was a seven-year-old child.
In a piece under the headline of `An Open Letter from Dylan Farrow’ in the New York Times on Saturday, the adopted daughter of Woody Allen, who was awarded a Golden Globe for lifetime achievement recently, says the trauma of being sexually victimized two decades ago led to her being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder last year.
She says she just curled up in a ball on her bed and cried hysterically when she heard that Allen was being given the Golden Globe achievement award.
And she says she thought it was the time for her to weigh in on the man who sexually victimized her as a little child.
Writes Dylan, “That he got away with what he did to me haunted me as I grew up. I was stricken with guilt that I had allowed him to be near other little girls. I was terrified of being touched by men. I developed an eating disorder. I began cutting myself.
“That torment was made worse by Hollywood. All but a precious few (my heroes) turned a blind eye. Most found it easier to accept the ambiguity, to say, “who can say what happened,” to pretend that nothing was wrong. Actors praised him at awards shows. Networks put him on TV. Critics put him in magazines. Each time I saw my abuser’s face — on a poster, on a T-shirt, on television — I could only hide my panic until I found a place to be alone and fall apart.’’
To the 1992 allegations of “inappropriate touching’’ against Woody Allen which were later dropped, Dylan says it was far worse than “inappropriate touching.’’ It was a sexual assault on her by Woody Allen, she says.
Dylan tells the NYT that she is speaking out now because she wants to set the record straight and give courage to victims.“I was thinking, if I don’t speak out, I’ll regret it on my death bed.’’
Says Dylan, “This time, I refuse to fall apart. For so long, Woody Allen’s acceptance silenced me. It felt like a personal rebuke, like the awards and accolades were a way to tell me to shut up and go away. But the survivors of sexual abuse who have reached out to me — to support me and to share their fears of coming forward, of being called a liar, of being told their memories aren’t their memories — have given me a reason to not be silent, if only so others know that they don’t have to be silent either.
“Today, I consider myself lucky. I am happily married. I have the support of my amazing brothers and sisters. I have a mother who found within herself a well of fortitude that saved us from the chaos a predator brought into our home.
“But others are still scared, vulnerable, and struggling for the courage to tell the truth. The message that Hollywood sends matters for them.
“That’s something for all of us, even those who aren’t stars, to reflect on.’’
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