If It Can Happen to Her, What About Us?

Watching what happened in the legal case between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni just makes me frustrated. And kind of scared, to be honest. Not just about what happened in that specific situation, but because of what it says about the bigger picture at hand.

Blake Lively, a famous actress starring in It Ends With Us, had accused Justin Baldoni, the other star of It Ends With Us, of thirteen different allegations. She sued him in December of 2024, accusing him of misconduct and a retaliatory smear campaign. The judge dismissed the sexual harassment, defamation, and conspiracy claims, leaving Lively devastated.

It hurts to watch it because Blake Lively is someone with a huge platform. She has money, influence, and people who constantly pay attention to her story. And even with all of that, most of her claims got dismissed. It’s wrong on so many counts. So, it makes me wonder, if that could happen to her, what chance does a normal girl on the street have?

This is the part that sticks to me most of all: As a teenage girl, I grew up constantly being told to “be careful”, to “watch your back”, to “protect yourself”. But I was also told that if, on the chance something does actually happen to me, that I should speak up. I should report it. That I should just put all my trust in the legal system. But this case made all of those things seem… fake.

I personally think that a lot of people forget how scary it is to begin with and to come forward about something as serious as sexual assault. It's not just “telling your story”, it’s having to re-live it all over again, being constantly questioned, maybe not being believed, and even as much as being blamed for it all. All of those things alone make people scared to speak up. And when a high-profile case ends up with most of the claims being dismissed, it just adds to that fear. It almost starts to feel like “What’s the point?”

And that’s very dangerous. Because it sets this quiet precedent that speaking up might not lead to anything except more pain. It tells other girls that even if you are strong enough to come forward, it still won’t matter.

I’m not saying the legal system shouldn’t require proof or that every accusation should automatically lead to a conviction. Obviously, things do have to be fair in the end. But there is a clear difference between fairness and making it feel almost impossible for actual victims to be heard in an actual, meaningful way.

I think what’s most upsetting is that it feels like we’re going backwards. After everything like #MeToo, it felt like things were really changing – really changing – and that women were finally being listened to. But now, situations like this make it seem like the progress we worked toward isn’t as solid as we all thought.

Another thing that bothers me is how fast people online turn and pick sides to turn it into entertainment. People make edits, jokes, and hot takes like it’s just some trending topic. But this is someone’s real-life experience. When serious situations get twisted into this web of drama and gossip, it makes it just that much harder for victims to feel like they’ll be taken seriously.

It makes me think about girls my age, myself, and my friends. If something bad did ever happen to us, would we feel safe enough to report it? Or would we just keep it to ourselves because it seems easier that way?

At the same time, I think it's also highly important that we don't just accept fate, accept the situation as ‘the way things are.’ Conversations like this matter. Paying attention matters. Supporting people who come forward matters. Because if the system isn’t fully working for victims yet, then society should at least try to do better in the way we respond.

At the end of the day, this isn’t just about Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. It’s about every single girl watching this happen and quietly thinking, “If something ever happens to me… would anyone actually care? Or listen?”

And yes, I know some people will think, “She’s still getting her court day,” and other things alike. But I argue that the most important, the most impactful charges were the ones that got dismissed.

And right now, at this very moment, it doesn't feel like there’s any reassuring answer to that question.