Today’s post is going to (sadly) focus on domestic violence, a regretful fact of life then and now and here and there.
Domestic violence has been a back-burner topic for Suffragette Kitty, but brought to the forefront by regular reader Nathalie, who strongly suggested we recognize the Nigella Lawson incident of early June.
The domestic British goddess of international fame and her (we hope soon-to-be-former) husband Charles Saatchi, an advertising executive and art dealer worth hundreds of millions of euros, were having dinner in the shade on the patio of “Scott,” a prestigious restaurant in London’s very trendy Mayfair neighborhood.
Other diners, all apparently equipped with Smartphones, spotted the celebs, but left them alone, as classy Brits do when brushed with greatness. That is, until they began hearing less-than-loving voices come from the table for two in the shade. Smartphones were positioned in time to capture video and snapshots of an angry Saatchi grabbing his wife by the throat, not once, but twice. Before Nigella could even get up from the table in tears, the images were already zipping through the global broad widths of social media.
It’s a horrible story to which Shaatchi gave these statements to the press:
“We were just having a playful tiff.”
and, (you’ve heard nothing, yet)
“Even domestic goddesses sometimes have a bit of snot in their nose,” he said. “I was trying to fish it out.”
Frightening statements for sure, but I guess that’s about the best defense we can expect from one who attempts to choke their spouse.
(Note to Charles Saatchi: You may want to see if former food goddess Paula Deen is in need of a pretentious art dealer.)
To date, the ever classy Nigella has only made one public tweet and that was yesterday with a pic of the birthday cake she made for her son.
She’s not ignoring the situation. News sources indicate that moving vans have been seen at the home she lived in with Saatchi. Apparently Nigella wants to move forward with her professional life and deal with this serious situation in private. We’re going to honor that after this post.
But first, a huge misunderstanding on domestic violence. It is as prevalent in what society would deem as successful, accomplished families as it is in dysfunctional neighborhoods. It knows no boundaries.
Before my publicist became the esteemed internet sensation blogger that she is, she worked as a journalist, a writing position that actually came with a paycheck (however miniscule.) Monetary issues aside, the position exposed her to some harsh realities, domestic violence being one.
The chief of police in one of Boston’s most tony suburbs told her that more women in his jurisdiction were victims of domestic violence, per capita, than women who lived in public housing projects with paperthin walls.
The chief said of the victims who lived in affluent homes, “Their cries go unheard.”
If a tree falls in the forest …
That sounded a little hard to believe. Aren’t educated, confident people less likely to find themselves the victims of controlling partners? Wouldn’t Nigella’s credentials have protected her?
Her father is a baron and member of Parliament, her mother a successful business owner. She is well educated and wealthy enough to never have to shop for the ingredients for the nine bestselling cookbooks she has written. She is a host of a popular television show. The mother of two children with late husband Mike Diamond. She is well respected around the world.
News reports indicate that Nigella had said she and Saatchi sometimes had stormy arguments. What couple does not have a difference of opinion sometime? but when “stormy” is used to describe more than one “tiff,” it’s time to evaluate the health of the relationship.
We are giving Nigella Lawson our full support, and hope you will, too. Follow her on twitter at @Nigella_Lawson, and check out her website: http://www.Nigella.com. We recommend her glazed salmon.
’till next time, and yes, I am still in Camp Fresh Pond, xo, LMA
