Cara Delevingne Shares Why She Denied Her Attraction to Women for Years

In a new interview with Marie Claire, model and actor Cara Delevingne opened up about sex positivity, Harvey Weinstein, her childhood, and even her relationship with Ashley Benson.

On growing up queer:

Her mother, Pandora, struggled with heroin addiction. Delevingne, who now identifies as queer (prior to Benson, she dated the musician St. Vincent), spent years denying her attraction to women because she “didn’t want to feel different, even though from an early age I always felt I didn’t belong.” And her family, which includes two older sisters and an older half-brother, didn’t have the language to talk about any of it. Young Cara took on a caregiving role with her mom. “I was a nurturing child and wanted to make sure everyone was OK. It didn’t feel wrong. But looking back, I’m like, Oh, maybe I shouldn’t have been put in that position.” She trails off before clarifying: “But I wasn’t put in it; it just happened.”

On Harvey Weinstein:

She was one of the cascade of women to lodge allegations against Harvey Weinstein, describing on Instagram an incident in which he lured her up to a hotel room and tried to kiss her. When other women came forward, “I was like, Oh my God, that means I was abused? I don’t think he’ll ever be able to repay what he’s done.”

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On sex positivity:

In interviews, she laughs about getting busy on air-planes and confesses she finds it easier to give pleasure than to receive it. When she and Benson were recently photographed carrying home a box containing a piece of erotic furniture, they single-handedly introduced “sex bench” into the American vernacular. (Delevingne rolls her eyes: “Definitely not on purpose.”) But she’s proud of her sex-positivity. “I’m not just talking about sex for sex. I’m talking about experience, whether it’s abuse or confusion, positive or negative.”

On Ashley Benson: 

"She’s one of the people who helped me love myself when I needed it most."

Read the full article here.