A sex scandal involves allegations or information about immoral sexual activities often involving film stars, politicians, famous athletes or other public figures. These scandals attract attention if they involve prominent individuals, if there’s a perception of hypocrisy, if a public figure’s sexuality is non-normative or if non-consensual acts are involved. The scandal may be true, false or a mix of both. Regardless of its basis in fact, a sex scandal can cause a celebrity to disappear from the public eye or lead to the resignation of political figures.
When politicians are involved, sex scandals often turn into political scandals, especially if there are attempts to cover it up or if illegal activities are suspected. Cover-ups can involve payoffs, threats or in extreme cases, even murder.
Some people think sex scandals don’t matter in politics especially if they don’t affect job performance. However, Gene Healy from the Cato Institute believes they are not only entertaining but also a reminder to be cautious about giving too much power to flawed individuals. When there’s a noticeable increase in morally questionable sexual behavior it’s sometimes called a “sexidemic.”
Sex scandals involving politicians and public figures often lead to debates about ethics and morality. Politicians caught in a sex scandal are more likely to resign than other public figures facing similar scandals.
History
Scandals have been part of history often involving major announcements, false agreements and efforts by political or celebrity figures to protect their reputations through payoffs. These scandals can include bribery, immoral actions, shame, slander and other wrongdoings.
One of the first American political sex scandals was the Hamilton–Reynolds affair. Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton had a year-long affair with Maria Reynolds during George Washington’s presidency. Since then, many U.S. political figures have been involved in sex scandals including Newt Gingrich, John Edwards, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.
Both men and women in politics face media scrutiny which often leads to the exposure of scandals that can impact their careers and lives.
Infidelity
Sex scandals often involve sexual affairs, which usually, but not always, include infidelity. Infidelity can mean different things depending on personal experiences or research on those who have been unfaithful. For some, infidelity is a complex issue with many reasons why people cheat on their partners.
A 2018 New York Times article mentioned a national survey by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy which found that 15 percent of married women and 25 percent of married men have had extramarital affairs.
Gender Stereotypes in Scandals
Sex scandals often show bias between men and women especially when it comes to needing evidence to explain their actions. A 2015 study found that gender stereotypes are based on the meanings society attaches to males and females. Juliet Williams from UCLA noted that the 1998 Clinton–Lewinsky scandal changed how the US Congress, media and public view male politicians by making public discussions of sex acts more common.
Men like John Edwards, David Petraeus, Anthony Weiner and Arnold Schwarzenegger who were involved in sex scandals, have made the public more skeptical of male politicians. This shift has led to a more balanced view in evaluating political candidates and has empowered women to challenge stereotypes related to scandals. It has also caused people to scrutinize men more critically in these situations.
A year after the 2017 Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases were first publicized which sparked the viral spread of the #MeToo movement, the New York Times released a list of 201 names of famous men in the United States who have lost their jobs due to public charges of sexual harassment. When juveniles are involved, social attitudes tend to be less forgiving. In France, for example, the scandal involving Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier and former call girl Zahia Dehar – for whom Bouvier allegedly acted as a pimp in the late 2000s, paying her to appear at dinners for entertainment when she was 17 years old – has sparked outrage and opened a debate about powerful men abusing their power. Anthony Weiner’s fall from grace and jail after texting obscene images to a 15-year-old girl is another famous example of the pre-#MeToo period.
