The Big Bang Theory actress Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting is backtracking after receiving backlash for her views on feminism.
In her interview with Redbook magazine, Cuoco-Sweeting was asked if she considered herself a feminist among a variety of other topics. After asking if it was bad if she said no, she explained that she didn’t consider herself to be a feminist because she “never really faced inequality” and she liked “the idea of women taking care of their men.”
In response, Cuoco-Sweeting received pushback from feminists online who informed her that she was allowed to be a feminist and cook for her husband. Some were quick to point that although she may not have faced inequality, other women certainly have—and her show portrayed many aspects of sexism.
But on the other side of the argument, some people said that Cuoco-Sweeting was allowed to say she wasn’t a feminist and that criticizing a woman for not being a feminist may even be anti-feminist.
“If a woman chooses not to self-identify as feminist, that is her choice and we should respect it as such,” Daily Dot writer EJ Dickson wrote Wednesday. “We might critique her reasons, and we might even think they’re stupid. However, we can’t bully her into joining the fray. All we can do is respect her right to make her own choices, because that is the right that we have spent centuries fighting for.”
But now that the collective Internet dust has settled, Cuoco-Sweeting is having second thoughts about her comments. She took to Instagram to clarify her comments and noted that they were taken out of context.
“I’m completely blessed and grateful that strong women have paved the way for my success along with many others,” she wrote. “I apologize if anyone was offended. Anyone that truly knows me, knows my heart and knows what I meant.”
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