As we all know since late 2017 the #MeToo movement has become a trending topic. The movement created a ripple effect of many public figures and celebrities coming forward and exposing their sexual assault abusers, usually other well-known public figures. One of these celebrities is a well-known activist, Asia Argento. Argento is one of more than a dozen women who came forward to accuse film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse allegations. However, a debate has sparked after Argento was accused of committing statutory rape against a young American actor named Jimmy Bennett.
Allegedly, when Asia Argento was 37 years old she had sex with Jimmy Bennett when he was a minor at 17 years old, which is considered statutory rape by California law. She then offered him $380,000 to keep it under wraps from the press. To make matters worse, Argento fired back an accusation towards Jimmy Bennett claiming that he instead sexually abused her.
“The horny kid jumped me,” Argento said, “I had sex with him it felt weird.”
I will say that 17-year-old white males can be a very horny species. However, that in no way makes it even the slightest bit okay for a 37-year-old grown woman to have sex with a “horny” teenage boy. She pretty much admits to the fact she raped him by stating that he was “horny” and that they had “sex.” Since the law states that sex with a minor is rape, it’s obvious, that Argento has been making excuses, just as other sexual perpetrators commonly do.
Not only that, but Argento is part of many other celebrities and public faces who “support” popular movements like the #MeToo movement to gain more liking. If Argento really cared for victims of sexual assault she wouldn’t have been a perpetrator herself. However, we all know what really happened, and her disgusting actions took advantage of a 17-year-old boy who didn’t know any better.
Whether they were over those cute One Direction boys or that new hot actor, we all have at some point in our teenage years of high school had celebrity crushes on older men/women.  If we met any of these hot celebrity crushes I’m sure our teenage hormones would have gone overboard. But we can all agree that if those celebrity crushes took advantage of our young adolescent hormones when we didn’t know any better, then that would have most definitely been statutory rape.
It’s safe to say that Argento is part of many other older men and women who don’t understand that a minor saying “yes” is not a means of consent. It is never consent if a minor says yes.
It is time to put a stop to adults like Argento who sexually take advantage of younger kids and get away with it. Argento deserves more than just a slap on the wrist. She deserves prison time, as do many others who are walking free while their sexual abuse victims live day to day feeling scarred.