Sex And The City fans were left in a state of shock when it was reported that the Mr Big actor Chris Noth had been accused of sexual assault by three different women in claims that span over a decade.
While the actor is not currently under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department, critics online were quick to point out we should 'Believe women (the first time)' as the actor was also accused of abuse by his ex-girlfriend Beverly Johnson in the 90s.
The allegations, which were widely reported by the press at the time, used one troubling word to replace of Noth's name throughout the copy: hunk.
Generally, if someone is an accused sex offender it’s best not to start off a report by highlighting their good looks. Especially when so many other words are so readily available: he, they, the actor, the accused…Noth?
Hunk (a large, strong, sexually attractive man) is not threatening. To immediately acknowledge his pleasing appearance, is to somehow downplay the severity of the alleged crimes. Being handsome has always, inarguably, made men more likeable—both in the public eye and a court of law.
Not that we’re likening Noth to a serial killer, but just look at Ted Bundy. When Zac Efron was cast as the criminal in Joe Berlinger’s film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile, people were apprehensive. But Bundy was a celebrity and had female fans thanks to his good looks – just like Efron - regardless of his crimes.
As we know, it’s often the attractive, charismatic, funny, charming, men that are able to get away with abuses of power and sexual assault for so long because everybody likes them and nobody suspects them. ‘Hunk’ can be a veneer masking substantially problematic behaviour that it’s important to strip back.
Additionally, with hunks, there’s the danger that women are considered ‘lucky’ to sleep with them, regardless of whether they consent to it or not. Predictably, when the recent news of Noth’s alleged crime broke, some Twitter users voiced their disappointment that they hadn’t been fortunate enough to ‘get to sleep with Mr. Big from SATC.’
Let’s make this clear, nobody that is sexually assaulted is lucky. It doesn’t matter whether their attacker is hot, rich, intelligent or an actor in one of the most popular TV shows in recent history. Consent is consent and the need for it doesn’t waver when the accused is easy on the eye.
Going by pseudonyms to keep their identities protected, Zoe, 40, and Lily, 31, told The Hollywood Reporter on separate occasions that the alleged assaults took place in Los Angeles in 2004 and New York in 2015. However, they say they were prompted to come forwards after promo material for And Just Like That stirred up painful memories. After the story broke, A third woman then claimed Noth had also assaulted her in 2010.
The actor has vehemently denied the allegations and said in a statement: 'The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false. These stories could’ve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago — no always means no — that is a line I did not cross.’
He continued: ‘The encounters were consensual. It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.'
We’re not claiming Noth is guilty. We’re also not claiming he’s innocent. But while these women have their accusations heard and their alleged trauma acknowledged, maybe Chris Noth could just be a man… instead of a Hollywood hunk.
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