Amanda Knox and Lorena Bobbitt were in trials that made global headlines. Though their stories gripped the world nearly 16 years apart, and the two were complete strangers, the two women have formed an unbreakable bond over the past year.
“She’s been there -- in the darkest moment of her life, through trials -- and me, the same. So we feel that connection,” Bobbitt told “GMA.” “We've both been not only judged when we went to trials, but we’ve also been judged by society, by the media.”
Their worlds collided after Knox invited Bobbitt to be on her podcast, “The Truth About True Crime,” and they instantly bonded over how much they have in common.
In 1993, Bobbitt, then 24 years old, famously made headlines for attacking her sleeping husband, John Bobbitt, after enduring what she said were years of physical and sexual abuse.
Her husband was acquitted of rape, and she was acquitted by reason of temporary insanity.
Sixteen years later, Amanda Knox, who at the time was a 20-year-old student studying abroad in Perugia, Italy, dominated tabloids after being charged with the murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher. Knox was imprisoned there for four years before Italy's highest court overturned the ruling, saying that she had been wrongfully convicted.
Now, Knox, 32, and Bobbitt, 49, are shedding light on how the media has reduced their names to a punchline and how they’ve been perceived in a negative light for so many years.
“They basically were taking advantage of my story,” said Bobbitt. “And it’s a story of hurt. It’s a story of a survivor. It’s a story of domestic violence -- abuse. And you know, to me, I couldn’t comprehend.”
“At 20 years old, I realized that who I am and what I’ve actually done doesn’t matter to people. And I am not a person,” added Knox. “I’m an idea. And I’m whatever idea you want to make of me.”
Although they were both acquitted, Knox and Bobbitt each spent years swept up in controversy. They’re now also wondering how their stories would have been handled if they happened today.
When Knox made headlines, tabloids gave her the nickname, “Foxy Knoxy.”
(MORE: Amanda Knox opens up about social media and public shaming)“I think people would’ve questioned it a little more today, post Me Too," said Knox. "I think somebody might have said like, ‘Wait a second.’”
Bobbitt, whose ex-husband never served a day in prison for any accusations of abuse toward her, also said that her case would have been handled differently today.
“He was acquitted of sexually assaulting me,” said Bobbitt. “With the Me Too movement and the Why I Stayed, all the movements that held up, I think John would’ve had a conviction, definitely.”
She added, “I was a victim of domestic violence, and, you know, John was, too. Because you know, I did the deed of cutting him off, you know? But he drove me to it.”
Despite what has been said about them in the media, both women are moving forward together, hoping to change the narrative created about them.
“This is an example of how women can actually, you know, do something positive and keep working ahead to break this cycle of miscommunication, misunderstanding, and you know, vilification against women,” said Bobbitt. “I think it’s beautiful.”
