Monica Lewinsky is still decades later known mostly from something that happened when she was 22-23 years old.
And she owns it.
Vice President Mike Pence is known for... other things.
Like calling his wife "mother," refusing to meet with or dine with women other than his "mother" because of his Evangelical Christian faith and trying to strip away as many rights as possible from LGBTQ people and women when he was Governor of Indiana.
The VP doesn't quite own his well-documented past.
Recently the Veep gave an interview to local newspaper The Washington Times. Pence said the secret to his success in the Trump White House was spending more time on his knees than on the internet.
Or something like that.
Anyway, The Washington Times headline for the article drew some attention online.
Mike Pence: 'Spend more time on your knees than on the internet' https://t.co/y1nBa7ol8h— The Washington Times (@The Washington Times) 1565108809.0
Journalist Lauren Duca asked if anyone would volunteer to tell VP Pence that there might be some misunderstandings...
OK, who’s gonna tell him? https://t.co/fc1U9FC6Hw— Lauren Duca (@Lauren Duca) 1565132380.0
...when Ms. Lewinsky stepped in and won the internet for the day.
@laurenduca @RLukeDuBois def not me. 👀— Monica Lewinsky (@Monica Lewinsky) 1565178429.0
People were appreciative of Lewinsky's ability to find humor in owning her past.
@MonicaLewinsky @laurenduca @RLukeDuBois well none of us need to do the internets ever again, its all over, shut it down— Kari Bentley-Quinn (@Kari Bentley-Quinn) 1565189333.0
@MonicaLewinsky @laurenduca @RLukeDuBois Ok everyone. Shut down Twitter and the internet. It's not getting better t… https://t.co/LWf8sstam3— Michael von Qualen (@Michael von Qualen) 1565179124.0
@MonicaLewinsky @TheEricGoldman @laurenduca @RLukeDuBois I love you— The Volatile Mermaid (@The Volatile Mermaid) 1565184536.0
@MonicaLewinsky @TheEricGoldman @laurenduca @RLukeDuBois I showed this to my mom and she said 👏👏👏👏 GOOD FOR HER— The Volatile Mermaid (@The Volatile Mermaid) 1565201954.0
@MonicaLewinsky @laurenduca @RLukeDuBois https://t.co/Gpqn2Hg35q— David Weissman (@David Weissman) 1565185622.0
@MonicaLewinsky @laurenduca @RLukeDuBois Love your sense of humor ❤️ and you— VoteBlueNoMatterWho (@VoteBlueNoMatterWho) 1565178691.0
@MonicaLewinsky @laurenduca @RLukeDuBois https://t.co/05zLJcGO5W— Imani Gandy (@Imani Gandy) 1565188939.0
@MonicaLewinsky @laurenduca @RLukeDuBois Once again, Ms Lewinsky, you knocked it out of the park! If humor is the g… https://t.co/TrmW69354Z— Deeds (@Deeds) 1565179129.0
@MsTreeWoman @MonicaLewinsky @laurenduca @RLukeDuBois It's official: @MonicaLewinsky has the biggest ovaries on the… https://t.co/PTJaPYIDiR— M. Gonzalez-Marquez 👩🏻🔬🏳️🌈 🦄 📖 (@M. Gonzalez-Marquez 👩🏻🔬🏳️🌈 🦄 📖) 1565181714.0
@MonicaLewinsky @Crisopera1 @laurenduca @RLukeDuBois Oh my the girl has a sense of humor about herself Bravo— Jay beilis (@Jay beilis) 1565178609.0
Some had changed their opinions of Ms. Lewinsky since her time in the mid '90s spotlight.
@MonicaLewinsky @laurenduca @RLukeDuBois Madame, I used to misunderstand you. After watching you in interviews, I n… https://t.co/DVwoCieGvj— Tyler Evertsen 🏳️🌈 ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 (@Tyler Evertsen 🏳️🌈 ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜) 1565179015.0
@beilis_jay @MonicaLewinsky @Crisopera1 @laurenduca @RLukeDuBois She's splendid. Search up the interview she had wi… https://t.co/1fW59e2HXJ— Ingeborg Anne 🌺 (@Ingeborg Anne 🌺) 1565179048.0
(see the end of this article for that Last Week Tonight John Oliver interview with Lewinsky if you'd like to watch it)
But one question still remained:
@tylerelives @MonicaLewinsky @laurenduca @RLukeDuBois But... but... really, who is going to explain it to Mike Pence?— possumsareno1 (@possumsareno1) 1565214268.0
Not it!
Monica Lewinsky's story among the public vilification of other prominent women featured in the news and pop culture of the 1990s is discussed in the book 90s Bitch: Media, Culture, and the Failed Promise of Gender Equality, available here.
Last Week Tonight, John Oliver on public shaming with Monica Lewinsky.
Public Shaming: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)youtu.be