Dakota Johnson legitimately made me cry this morning, but in the best way possible.
There is a part of me that doesn’t even know what to say with this one, because as a sexual assault survivor, I don’t think I am strong enough to listen to this, but at the same time, I believe that what she’s doing will spark a conversation that will change things.
And that is a huge thing.
The actress announced her new podcast, entitled, The Left Ear.
She announced the podcast on her Instagram.
“One year ago I asked women and girls around the world to call me and leave a voicemail telling their stories of sexual violence, harassment, and gender based inequalities,” Dakota wrote on Instagram. “I didn’t want to speak on their behalf, I wanted to listen to them.”
Yup, that is where I started to cry, because in my experience, not everyone wants to listen. Most people feel uncomfortable, pass judgement, and just think you should move past it – in my experience, that is.
You may remember, last year she gave out her phone number and promised to listen. And though no one knew what she was going to do with it – many called. And to those women, I applaud your courage, strength, and voice. And to people like me, who didn’t and couldn’t – I applaud us too.
“This is The Left Ear. A podcast where you will find the voicemails I listened to. To protect anonymity the voices have been slightly pitched, and any identifiers have been removed. Other than that, they have not been edited,” Dakota continued. “These are real stories from real people around the world. Listening to these stories can feel very intense. So please take care of yourself if choose to listen. And I hope you do choose to listen, because listening is the most important thing you can do for someone. “In this podcast, I want to create a space where the listener is listening just as honestly and bravely as the speakers who had the courage to call. Your left ear is the ear closest to your heart. And by listening with your heart, you can save someone even just a little bit. The first episode is available now, and more to follow every Monday starting October 7th. For more information and resources visit the link above. All my love, D.”
Giving a voice in this way, it’s honestly the best thing in the world. Thank you Dakota, for your heart and using your platform in the most positive of ways.
The first episode of The Left Ear is available now.
