Woman groped at Rhythm and Vines encourages others to fight back

  • 04/01/2018

A woman who was infamously groped at the Rhythm and Vines festival has encouraged others to fight back against unwanted sexual contact.

Madeline Anello-Kitzmiller was topless with glitter and sequins covering her breasts at the New Year's Eve music festival, when a man was caught on video running up to her and grabbing at her chest from behind.

In video footage, which has since gone viral, the 20-year-old struck back, chasing after the man down and slapping him in return.

Now she's encouraging other women to do the same.

"Ladies, if you are inspired to show some skin and fight back if anybody ever hurts you, do it," Ms Anello-Kitzmiller said in a heartfelt video posted on social media.

"Women have been oversexualised for way too long and it needs to stop."

Ms Anello-Kitzmiller also said that her revealing attire wasn't unusual at the festival.

Woman groped at Rhythm and Vines encourages others to fight back
Photo credit: Giann Reece

"There was actually a stall selling the 'glitter tits' get-up and I paid to have it done, as well as many other girls I saw walking around with it," she said, as well as revealing there was a water slide encouraging men and women to go down naked.

"I saw plenty of naked men that day getting absolutely no harassment for revealing themselves."

Jolene Guillam-Scott, the artist who applied the glitter, told RadioLIVE on Wednesday that she's found the response to the incident "overwhelming".

"It doesn't matter what you're wearing or what gender you are, you should not be touching anybody without consent," she said.

That sentiment was echoed by Ms Anello-Kitzmiller, who also responded to those saying she was "asking" to be sexually assaulted by dressing a certain way.

"When you say something like that, you are justifying that man's actions when he violated my right to my own body."

Ms Anello-Kitzmiller said if it happened again, she would try and get the perpetrator removed from the festival completely.

Newshub.