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ormer allies Asia Argento and Rose McGowan, who’d previously come forth to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault and misconduct in 2017, are now engaged in a public feud that’s damaging their credibility as leading figures of the #MetToo movement. 

In a groundbreaking story by the New York Times, Italian actress and director, Argento, had been accused of sexually assaulting her former co-star, Jimmy Bennett, back in 2013 when she was 37 and he was still a minor. This shocking news clearly showcased Argento in a negative light while simultaneously depicting her as a hypocrite. 

Argento denied all accusations of ever engaging in sexual behavior with Bennett. However, since then Argento had reportedly given Bennett $380,000 to put the discussion to rest and settle the sexual assault case, painting out the entire situation to be rather suspicious on Argentos part, something McGowan and her significant other, Rain Dove, were not about to overlook. 

As Argento scrambled to clear her name, she confided in McGowan and Dove to help her prove her innocence, however, the couple quickly learned that Argento was far from that. Dove later released a statement via Twitter that alerted the public of the truth behind Argentos involvement with Bennett, her reasoning being that “all victims deserve justice. Justice can rarely exist without honesty.”

By this time, Dove, had handed over text messages supporting Argentos sexual involvement with 17 year-old Bennett to TMZ and police authorities. The texts contradicted Argentos previous statements of never having sexual relations with Bennett.

Once the text messages were out for the public to see, McGowan released a statement of her own pleading for Argento to come forward and speak her truth in order to “be the person you wish Harvey could have been.” That’s when Argento took it upon herself to confront McGowan via Twitter on Sept. 17 demanding her to retract her statement of “lies” within 24 hours or face legal consequences. 

McGowan did no such thing. The public is currently waiting to see what steps will be taken to settle the discrepancy. 

Although McGowan is portrayed as the hero in this entire scandal, the record shows that she doesn’t necessarily have a spotless record either. 

Back in 2015, McGowan was accused of transphobic hate speech against Caitlyn Jenner on Facebook as well as on RuPaul’s podcast “What’s the Tee” where she stated about trans women: “They assume, because they felt like a woman on the inside, that’s not developing as a woman, that’s not growing as a woman, that’s not living in this world as a woman.”

Her harsh words clearly wedge a gap between her authenticity as a true feminist and equal opportunist. 

McGowan has also been criticized for commodifying her victimhood, despite being against the Hollywood idea of turning women into products. Since her rise to fame over her involvement with the #MeToo movement, she has spent her time producing a skincare line, personal hashtag, an art show, speaking tour and a memoir rather then spreading awareness about other’s stories and experiences with sexual assault.