Written by Amy Beecham

Many of us have been gaslit at some point, whether we realise it or not. While it’s most commonly applied to romantic relationships – when someone is manipulated to intentionally make them question their reality and sanity – but it can also occur frequently in the workplace, particularly for women.

Whether it’s being shut down after calling out someone else’s behaviour, being told you’re “too sensitive” or feel unable to share your thoughts and ideas for fear of being mocked, gaslighting is a toxic and difficult thing to experience.

It’s something actor Zawe Ashton has opened up about in a recent interview with Tatler. Ashton, who has starred in popular comedy series Fresh Meat and regency period drama Mr. Malcolm’s List, alongside film roles in The Marvels and Velvet Buzzsaw, revealed that she has suffered incidents of “bullying, demeaning and gaslighting” throughout her career, but particularly when getting a series commissioned and produced.

“There was just this weird resistance. And bullying. Bullying, demeaning, gaslighting. I was yelled at by one producer because I was questioning something about my own work,” she explained.

Referring to the project, which she shared was similar to HBO’s smash-hit series Girls and eventually ended up in “development hell” and put on hold, she added: “‘We didn’t do that kind of thing here until the success of things like I May Destroy You or Fleabag.”

Ashton, who is currently pregnant with her first child by fiance Tom Hiddleston, also opened up about the struggle of planning a pregnancy as an actor given the “mixed messaging” that women in the entertainmentindustry so often receive.

Tackling the “knotty” subject, she shared: “You’re told, ‘Don’t get pregnant’ but also ‘Don’t leave it too long’ because then you’re going to be an old maid. I’ve been prehistoric in this industry since I was 25. The mixed messaging is rough and has to be addressed.”

While she insisted she hadn’t felt stressed by her biological clock ticking, she explained the timing as a moment where ‘just suddenly this self-permission comes over you that goes against all that messaging.’

Speaking of her decision not to ‘publicly’ announce her pregnancy before appearing, bump flourishing, on the red carpet for Mr. Malcolm’s List in June, she added:“I’m not into ‘announcements’ or ‘reveals’. I’m into trying to carry the narrative as much as possible myself, rather than anyone else feeling like they have an exclusive on my body.”

Images: Getty

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