Monica Lewinsky, the former White House intern whose affair with President Bill Clinton shook the nation, is now offering 25 ways to “calm the f—k down” before the election — including an eyebrow-raising recommendation to relieve stress by reading literature on feminism and abortion and through having “sex” — a suggestion seen as tone-deaf given her own controversial past.
In a recent piece in Vanity Fair, Lewinsky offers a slew of tips to ease election season stress, covering topics from playing board games to spending time outdoors. However, her closing recommendation — a suggestion to use sex as a “distraction” — appears ill-suited given her own past.
Lewinsky, who has called for Donald Trump’s indictment, begins the essay by taking aim at the former president and the right:
I don’t know about you, but to me the Democratic convention—which took place two months ago—seems like it happened in a far-away, feel-good time warp. Ever since, the 2024 election cycle has been brutal. And barely a day goes by without some alarming MAGA-world flare-up (Donald Trump calling January 6 a “day of love”; threats of vigilantes going after FEMA workers) causing me to chew what’s left of my cuticles.
Aside from urging early voting, her election stress-busting list includes activities like mahjong, tennis, UNO, charades, New York Times Games (Wordle, Connections, crosswords), the social-bluffing game Blood on the Clocktower, coloring, large puzzles, and knitting — citing an article which suggests that “engaging in repetitive and rhythmic motions while knitting can help induce a state of relaxation and reduce stress levels.”
She also lists decluttering, costume planning, Netflix, podcasts, online courses, “danc[ing] your ass off” and “shak[ing] your booty,” meditation, activism, and reading — with recommended books focused on feminism and abortion, which she describes as “one of the most vital issues on the ballot this year.”
For political engagement, Lewinsky encourages knocking on doors, “writing postcards to swing state voters,” donating, and supporting voter mobilization groups like Vote Save America and Her Bold Move — a nonprofit which insists that “men shouldn’t be making laws about women’s bodies.”
She concludes her list with the provocative suggestion: “And if all else fails, there is always sex!”
For many Americans who look to the upcoming election as a turning point for the country, Lewinsky’s remarks feel not only trivial but poorly timed.
Amid pressing issues like inflation and public safety, her list of election distractions — including games, coloring, and even sex — has struck some as tone-deaf.
Previously she has advocated for sex worker-led funding to support advocacy, community care, and the rights and safety of sex workers.
Despite attempts to rebrand herself as a mental health advocate, Lewinsky’s name remains forever associated with one of the most infamous scandals in modern American history.
Ironically, former President Bill Clinton said that his high-profile affair with Lewinsky was one of the things he did during his presidency to “manage my anxieties,” according to The Daily Mail.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
