Chrissie Hynde Continues To Draw Fire For Controversial Rape Comments

Chrissie Hynde is continuing to draw fire for controversial remarks she made regarding rape, days after they were published.

In a weekend interview with the Sunday Times, the 63-year-old Hynde, lead singer of The Pretenders, suggested that women bear some of the blame for rape in certain instances — if they’re drunk, for example, or dressed provocatively, or if they make poor decisions. To illustrate her point, Hynde spoke of a sexual assault she experienced at age 21, when she accepted a ride with a biker gang member who promised to take her to a party. Instead, the biker took Chrissie to an abandoned house, where she was forced to perform sex acts on several members of the biker gang.

“Technically speaking, however you want to look at it, this was all my doing and I take full responsibility.”

Hynde then went on to suggest that women who dress provocatively and are raped bear some of the responsibility for the rape.

“If I’m walking around and I’m very modestly dressed and I’m keeping to myself and someone attacks me, then I’d say that’s his fault. But if I’m being very lairy and putting it about and being provocative, then you are enticing someone who’s already unhinged – don’t do that. Come on! That’s just common sense.”

Hynde’s remarks drew sharp criticism from anti-rape advocacy groups, according to MSN. Lucy Hastings, spokesperson for Victim Support, strongly disagreed with Chrissie’s suggestion that women play any role in rape besides that of the victim.

“Victims of sexual violence should never feel or be made to feel that they were responsible for the appalling crime they suffered — regardless of circumstances or factors which may have made them particularly vulnerable. They should not blame themselves or be blamed for failing to prevent an attack — often they will have been targeted by predatory offenders who are responsible for their actions.”

Twitter users have also taken exception to Hynde’s comments.

For the rape apologists emboldened by Chrissie Hynde’s daft comments, here’s a handy pie chart for you. pic.twitter.com/g6QgzHT3Qe

— Fiona Sturges (@FionaSturges) August 31, 2015

Chrissie Hynde is wrong. 100% of rapes have in fact been caused by rapists, not clothes.

— Bessemer (@Bessemerband) August 30, 2015

Chrissie Hynde…just no. It is no-one’s fault but the rapist’s if a woman is raped. Even if she is in her fecking underwear. Jesus.

— Billy Lunn (@billysubway) August 30, 2015

Hey, Chrissie Hynde should I wear a burqa today so I’m not a feminist who ‘asks’ for it? I’m just asking.

— Jade Helm Commander (@Anomaly100) August 30, 2015

As of this post, Chrissie Hynde has not publicly responded to the criticism about her remarks on rape.

[Image courtesy of: Getty Images / Michael Loccisano]