When news broke that Blake Lively filed a formal sexual harassment complaint against Justin Baldoni, the online backlash was swift and predictable. These online hate campaigns reveal just how deeply entrenched societal biases against survivors still are.
Yet again, a woman who spoke out about harassment and abuse has been vilified by the internet.
When news broke that Blake Lively filed a formal sexual harassment complaint against Justin Baldoni, the online backlash was swift and predictable. The public’s response mirrors what we saw after Amber Heard spoke publicly about Johnny Depp’s abuse and Megan Thee Stallion was shot by Tory Lanez. Each time, instead of empathy or support, survivors were met with doubt, mockery, and cruelty.
These online hate campaigns reveal just how deeply entrenched societal biases against survivors still are.
The Myth of the Perfect Victim
The “perfect victim” is a dangerous, unrealistic standard that society imposes on survivors of abuse. According to this myth, victims must be likable, virtuous, and irreproachable. The perfect victim is weak and vulnerable. They must be involved in a ‘respectable’ activity at the time of victimization. Their aggressor must be someone they didn’t know, and who society deems guilty. The perfect victim is always white, cisgender, and feminine.
Survivors who deviate from these narrow expectations are treated with suspicion, contempt, or outright hostility. And because nearly no one fits the mold, it becomes all but impossible to be seen as a “legitimate” victim.
While Blake Lively holds the status of a wealthy, feminine, white woman, her claims were still dismissed by the public immediately. Lively’s character was scrutinized, being labeled “annoying” and “disingenuous.” Baldoni’s legal complaint focused on portraying her as “difficult” on set and his team released texts showing a friendly rapport during the early stages of filming — as if any of that disproves her harassment claims.
This is exactly the point: survivors are often disqualified from being believed not because of facts, but because of who they are perceived to be.
DARVO: Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender
Perpetrators of abuse often use a manipulation tactic called DARVO — Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender. Coined by psychologist Jennifer Freyd, DARVO describes what happens when an abuser denies wrongdoing, attacks the survivor’s credibility, and then portrays themselves as the true victim.
In celebrity cases, DARVO plays out on a massive scale. It becomes a public relations strategy. The abuser’s team weaponizes media narratives to disorient and silence the survivor, framing her as vindictive, unstable, or attention-seeking.
Amber Heard’s trial is one of the clearest examples. Despite credible evidence that she experienced domestic violence, the public overwhelmingly rallied around Johnny Depp, convinced he was the real victim. While the legal outcome was mixed, many interpreted it as a full vindication of Depp — and used it to justify relentless attacks on Heard. But the damage didn’t stop at the courtroom. The online backlash was brutal, far-reaching, and deeply discouraging. It sent a clear message to survivors everywhere: if you speak out, you’ll be mocked, maligned, and punished.
Blake Lively has been subjected to a similar pattern. Baldoni’s lawsuit centered on counter-allegations that had little to do with her sexual harassment claims. He framed himself as the victim, alleging that Lively and her husband used their fame to control production and harm his reputation. Almost immediately, a wave of negative coverage followed, portraying Lively as a serial “bully” who targeted costars and controlled the narrative. Whether this was an organic response or a coordinated campaign is unclear, but the timing and tone strongly suggest an attempt to flip the script.
The same happened to Megan Thee Stallion, who was mocked and discredited even after her abuser was convicted. In one of the most glaring examples, Drake rapped: “This b**** lie ’bout getting shots, but she still a stallion.” It’s a stark reminder that Black women’s trauma is too often trivialized, their credibility discounted.
Read more about why Black women are more likely to be victims of sexual assault here and why they are less likely to be believed here.
Why This Matters
DARVO and the myth of the perfect victim prime us to disbelieve survivors. They frame disclosures of abuse as opportunistic, hysterical, or manipulative. They redirect our attention away from the harm done—and onto the supposed flaws of the person who dared to speak out.
These public smear campaigns don’t just harm individual survivors. They send a message to anyone thinking of coming forward: don’t bother. If someone with Blake Lively’s platform and credibility is met with scorn, what hope does an everyday survivor have?
And when friends and family share memes or engage in cruel commentary, the damage deepens. Survivors internalize the backlash. They learn to stay silent.
Moving Forward
In the years since Amber Heard and Megan Thee Stallion’s cases, there has been some public reflection and regret. Hopefully, now that Baldoni’s retaliatory lawsuit has been dismissed in court, there will be similar reconsideration of how we treat survivors in the court of public opinion.
In the meantime, here’s how you can help challenge DARVO and the perfect victim myth:
- Resist the urge to dogpile. Don’t comment on or share content that targets survivors—even celebrities.
- Question the source. Who is sharing this story? Is it coming from someone with a vested interest in discrediting the survivor?
- Believe survivors. This doesn’t mean abandoning due process. It means listening, taking disclosures seriously, and acknowledging the systems that have failed survivors for decades.
We live in a society that has long dismissed, shamed, and silenced victims. “Believe survivors” isn’t about choosing sides — it’s about choosing justice.
—
Julie Tervala is a Staff Attorney on Sanctuary’s Campus Advocates Project. Learn more her team’s work here.
Edited Creative Commons “Blake Lively Cannes 2016 2 (cropped)” by Georges Biard and “AmberHeardTIFFSept10” by gdcgraphics (licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0). Edited Creative Commons “Megan Thee Stallion Adweek pose” (licensed under CC BY 4.0).