Miley Cyrus Has A Message For People Who Think She Deserved To Be Groped

By Lauren Rearick


Right after a fan in Barcelona, Spain, grabbed Miley Cyrus without her consent, the singer addressed the incident on social media.


A video captured by fans on Sunday, June 2, showed someone reaching for Miley as she walked through an audience on her way out of a hotel, ABC News reported. In the seconds-long interaction, someone grabbed the singer by the hair and pulled her in for a kiss by someone. Security then stepped in and pushed the person away. Her hubby, Liam Hemsworth, was also present at the time.


Miley addressed the incident and the subsequent victim-blaming that occurred on social media. Using a screenshotted image of the person who assaulted her, Miley addressed a regular misconception about assault: that she was “asking for it” based on external factors. “She can be wearing what she wants. She can be sleeping with 5 different people. She can be with her hubby. She can be with her girlfriend. She can be naked. She CAN’T be grabbed without her consent,” the Black Reflect star wrote.


As Erinn Robinson, press secretary for RAINN, explained, "It is unacceptable for someone to be touched without their consent. Consent is an agreement between two people. There really are several different things that someone can do in this situation, ranging from forcibly telling the other person that the action was unacceptable and to never do it again to reporting the action to authorities.”


What happened to Miley comes immediately after Ariana Grande reminded concertgoers to not touch her companions or photographers attending Sweetener World Tour shows. "Friendly reminder," Ariana wrote. "Grabbing/touching people without their consent is harassment. Please don't put your hands on my photographers or companions or anyone you don't know for that matter as soon as you're in the pit at my shows. It's never okay or funny. Thank you. (I can't believe this has to be said...But unfortunately it happens often...Thanks for listening.)"


Other celebrities including Khalid, Daniel Portman, Billie Eilish, and Harry Styles previously shared experiences with unwarranted touching, too.


Consent is never based on what you’re wearing, who you are, or what you have done in the past, Proposed Parenthood says. The act of consent goes behind just sexual activity, and encompoasses any physical interaction between people. Consent is expressly given, and can also be taken away at once while in an interaction. In Miley’s case, those that live their life in a public eye are “#stillnotaskingforit,” either.