Melissa Gorga Says Pro-Rape Statements Were “Taken Out Of Context”
October 9, 2013 by Lindsay Cronin
Melissa Gorga released her first book, Love Italian Style: The Secrets of My Hot and Happy Marriage, last month and nearly immediately, it was scrutinized for what some claim to be pro-marital rape statements. In the book, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star encourages men to rip their wives’ clothes off, even if told “no,” but according to her, the comment was meant to be a playful tip for spicing things up in the bedroom.
Although Melissa has defended the comments on a couple of occasions since her marriage tips went viral, she chose to re-address the issue during a recent interview on VH1′s The Buzz when host Carrie Keagan asked her if there was anything she’d like to clear up.
“You know what? I think a lot of things were taken out of context,” Melissa explained. “The book is about putting your marriage first and putting your husband first. It’s about loyalty, it’s about honesty, and it’s about respect. I think when you watch Joe and I on the show, you can see that we back each other up — no matter what. We are always next to each other and by each other’s sides.”
“The ‘controversial part’ about the whole ‘pull her hair’ and ‘take it,’ its a give and take. It’s more of, like, try new things in the bedroom, keep it spicy, keep it aggressive,” she said. “It’s not about taking it when she doesn’t want it. If you read the whole paragraph..They are taking one sentence that sounds like, ‘Woah, Pull her hair? Oh my god.’ Read the whole paragraph. It doesn’t say that.”
Then, when Carrie suggested that the controversy was “getting [her] book sales,” Melissa said, “It is.”
Unfortunately, it’s not getting her very many. The book is currently sitting at #3,316 on Amazon and the reviews are terrible.