Charlize Theron Learns That Comparing Things To Rape Is A Bad Idea

There's an epidemic of verbal diarrhea in Hollywood at the moment. Gwyneth Paltrow's comparing her problems with nasty Internet trolls to being in a "bloody, dehumanizing" war has fueled the ire of soldiers and Cindy McCain. Jennifer Lawrence got busted for calling her powerful yell a "rape scream" at Cannes. Now, Charlize Theron is under fire for likening the pressures of fame to, yes, rape.

The star of A Million Ways To Die In The West made the controversial comment in an interview with Sky News. Asked if she ever Googled herself, Theron said, "I don't do that, so that's my saving grace. When you start living in that world, and doing that, you start I guess feeling raped."

"Some people might relish all that stuff but there are certain things in my life that I think of as very sacred and I am very protective over them," the actress added, referring to her young son, Jackson. "I don't always win that war but as long as I don't have to see that stuff or read that stuff or hear that stuff then I can live with my head in a clear space, which is probably a lot healthier than living in that dark room."

That's not to say that Theron is ready to trade Hollywood for a more secluded lifestyle. "My job has made my life incredibly blessed and good and I am very grateful for that, but it does not mean that every aspect of my life all of a sudden becomes fodder for an article," she told Sky.

In this particular case, she doesn't have much choice. The Oscar winner has already been criticized for her poor choice of words, with rape victims calling for an apology. (Sadly, it's not all that rare of a comment: Kristen Stewart received a similar response when she compared looking at media images of herself to "looking at someone being raped" in a 2010 interview. She later apologized for the remarks.)

Whether or not Theron meant to cause offense, it might be a good idea for everyone to start flipping through a thesaurus before interviews. It's okay to complain about living under a microscope. Call it intrusive, a violation of your privacy, or despicable. Just don't call it rape. There's only one thing that's like rape, and that's rape. (Sky News)