My favourite TV chef Nigella Lawson has remained silent in the four weeks since those now infamous paparazzi photos of her husband Charles Saatchi ‘grasping’ her neck, pinching her nose and covering her mouth. Charles Saatchi has now announced through a Sunday newspaper that he is filing for divorce as Nigella has not come out to publicly defend his actions.
It is rather odd that we’ve been given such a deeply personal glimpse into the relationship of a celebrity couple – each very high profile in their own right. Is Nigella’s silence empowering or victimising? Charles still seems to be running his own show and whilst public empathy seems decidedly with Nigella, will anything change for him? I doubt he will be shunned by society just as Roman Polanski continues to be living a relatively high profile and normal life despite the sex abuse allegations against him and Julian Assange maintains his status not as an alleged sex abuser but an advocate of free speech.
Abused women, no matter how small or grave the crime, appear to be collateral damage: one is a tragedy, millions are just statistics.
Bunty
The Chatterjis Blog 