Monica Lewinsky is back in the news.
She just got the glossy treatment with a big feature in Elle magazine, and she is modeling for the clothing brand Reformation as part of a get out the vote campaign. These young people over on TikTok and the like are reacting to it as though she is a hero. They are so incredibly excited about Monica Lewinsky.
For the young people watching The Megyn Kelly Show, Monica Lewinsky is famous – or I do believe the word is ‘infamous’ – for having an affair with a married man who also happened to be the president of the United States. She admitted to aggressively courting then-President Bill Clinton by showing him her thong and bragged about her “presidential kneepads” before they had even met. She was excited to go into the White House and get it on with the all-too-willing leader of the free world.
One thing led to another, and she was outed. Bill Clinton lied about the affair under oath. Similar to Donald Trump, he was impeached but not convicted. And Monica Lewinsky’s name became synonymous with blowjobs, which I am sure was embarrassing for her. But now she is resurfacing as, like, the new heroine to young women today.
I’ll give you a sample of some of these TikTokers. Jessica Weslie Arena posted that she “had zero idea” who Lewinsky was but determined “she’s pretty iconic” because “she is the woman that Bill Clinton had an affair with” and “the woman where Hillary Clinton got cheated on.”
@jessweslie #greenscreen #reformation #monicalewinsky #billclinton #hilaryclinton #fyp ♬ original sound – Jessica Weslie Arena
Aubrey Strobel declared in a separate TikTok post that Lewinsky was “simply born in the wrong generation.” She argued the White House intern would have had “a book deal,” “a podcast,” and “a makeup line” by now if she was part of gen Z.
@aubreystrobel monica lewiksy for reformation #monicalewinsky #reformation #90s #popculture #genz #genx ♬ original sound – Aubrey Strobel
I’m going to be honest, I prefer my female heroes to have actually done something heroic for womankind. Monica Lewinsky is not it. Are we so desperate? Did we run out of actual heroines? There are women out there right now doing great things for America.
I’m glad Monica is back on her feet. I’m glad she took responsibility for her terrible decision making. Yes, every 22 year old makes mistakes. But these were no ordinary mistakes. She had an affair with the sitting president of the United States as his wife – the first lady – was upstairs. She deserved some time on the sidelines. It doesn’t mean she should never work again in her life, but she is not a heroine. This is so werid.
I don’t get it. Young people seem desperate to prop up anybody who has been through anything as a hero because they don’t allow themselves to go through anything anymore. They can’t hear ‘bad’ words in discussions about topics like abortion. They need trigger warnings reading the founding documents. I mean, I could keep going.
In any event, keep looking, ladies.
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 738 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.