Actress Molly Ringwald has written a piece for The New Yorker detailing instances of sexual harassment and assault she has experienced throughout her career, including at the age of 13.

She claims to have had “plenty of Harveys of my own,” referring to Harvey Weinstein, whom she never worked with again after suing him and his brother for lost wages.

She says that while she was warned about Weinstein before working with him, she was sexually harassed by “other Harveys.” She writes:

“At a time when I was trying to figure out what it meant to become a sexually viable young woman, at every turn some older guy tried to help speed up the process.

And all this went on despite my having very protective parents who did their best to shield me.”

When Ringwald was 13, a 50-year-old crew member on one of her projects “pushed against me with an erection,” telling her he would “teach me to dance”.

A year later, she claims, a married film director “stuck his tongue in my mouth on set”. Ringwald says she has also felt “demeaned or exploited” on multiple occasions.

At an audition in her 20s, she says she was asked to wear a dog collar around her neck:

“I sobbed in the parking lot, and when I got home and called my agent to tell him what happened, he laughed.”

Ringwald believes that stories of harassment and abuse by women “have never been taken seriously” and that women are “told they are uptight, nasty, bitter, can’t take a joke, are too sensitive”.

She argues that men, on the other hand, are “lucky” if they “might get elected President”.

Ringwald’s hope is that her piece will inspire change in Hollywood.

“I hope that young women will one day no longer feel that they have to work twice as hard for less money and recognition, backward and in heels,” she concludes.

“It’s time. Women have resounded their cri de coeur. Listen.”

Ringwald also shares her experience of working with Harvey Weinstein, who is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence for rape and sexual assault.

She was warned about him before working on the movie Strike It Rich when she was 20 years old.

She sued Weinstein and his brother for lost wages and never worked with him again.

While she claims she was never sexually harassed by Weinstein, she suggests there were “other Harveys” in her life.

Ringwald’s piece also discusses the broader cultural issues around harassment and assault.

She states: “I could go on about other instances in which I have felt demeaned or exploited, but I fear it would get very repetitive.

Then again, that’s part of the point.” Ringwald writes that her experiences have left her with “a sickening shock of recognition” and that she hopes Hollywood “decides to enact real change”.

Ringwald says that the #MeToo movement, which began in late 2017, gave her the courage to speak out about her own experiences.

She notes that women have been subjected to harassment and assault in Hollywood for decades and that it is only now that people are starting to listen and take action.

Ringwald also acknowledges that the issue extends far beyond Hollywood, saying that women in all industries and walks of life have been affected.

The actress says that she never spoke publicly about her experiences before because it felt like “talking about the weather”.

She was afraid that she would be dismissed or not believed. However, she now believes that it is essential to speak out in order to effect change.

“Women are shamed, told they are uptight, nasty, bitter, can’t take a joke, are too sensitive,” she writes. “And the men? Well, if they’re lucky, they might get elected President.”