In the last few months,Hannah Brownhas undergone painful breakups and a broken engagement, but the 24-year-old star ofThe Bachelorettesays the criticism she faced over her decision to have sex on the show was just as painful.
“It’s been really tough,” says Brown of the “slut shaming” she’s dealt with sincespeaking publicly about having sexwhile on a date with suitorPeter Weber. The admission came after contestantLuke Parkerquestioned the possibility that she would or had been intimate, initially telling her that it would affect his ability to stay in the relationship.
“I believe a lot of the same things Luke does” says Brown. “Physical intimacy is emotionally binding. But there are lots of different sins. And for Luke, [sex] was the thing that made me not worthy to be his wife. And as he continued to talk to me, it just made me more angry.”
“I was not trying to say that it’s okay to live a life of sin and just call out to the name of Jesus,” she continues. “But I’m a human being and Jesus still loves me.”
Hannah Brown.Peter Yang
John Fleenor/ ABC
But the former pageant queen says she never intended for her physical intimacy to be a talked about subject.
“Did I really think that everyone was going to know about my sex life?” she asks. “No. Was it a jab at Luke? Yes. Did I speak in a moment of anger? Yes.”
Brown says she was devastated whenthe criticism continued off-camera, namely on social media.
“I have been told that I misrepresent being a Christian,” she says. “And that has been soul-crushing. My faith is very important to me.”
Peter Yang
Now, Brown is using her platform as an opportunity to break down stereotypes and judgments when it comes to sex.
source: people.com
