Two weeks after opening about her affair with former President Bill Clinton in Vanity Fair, Monica Lewinsky popped up on the New York social scene Thursday. The 40-year-old former White House intern was seen at Cipriani Wall Street for the Kitchen Spring Gala Benefit 2014, celebrating artist Robert Longo. Lewinsky's appearance marks her first outing after being exhausted from sneaking in the past.

"I am determined to have a different ending to my story," she stated in an essay published in Vanity Fair. Lewinsky added that it's time to stop "tiptoeing around" the past. "I've decided, finally, to stick my head above the parapet so that I can take back my narrative and give a purpose to my past. (What this will cost me, I will soon find out.)"

"It's time to burn the beret and bury the blue dress," Lewinsky said. "I, myself, deeply regret what happened between me and President Clinton. Let me say it again: I. Myself. Deeply. Regret. What. Happened."

She said that even the affair was between two consenting adults, the public humiliation after the scandal altered the direction of her life.

"Sure, my boss took advantage of me, but I will always remain firm on this point: it was a consensual relationship. Any 'abuse' came in the aftermath, when I was made a scapegoat in order to protect his powerful position. . . . The Clinton administration, the special prosecutor's minions, the political operatives on both sides of the aisle, and the media were able to brand me. And that brand stuck, in part because it was imbued with power," Lewinsky said.

According to Vanity Fair's editor-in-chief Graydon Carter, David Friend who was with her in the red carpet, had encouraged Lewinsky to open up about her past with Clinton and pen the essay.

Reportedly, Lewinsky was honored to be among the guests in the red carpet.

According to the New York Times, "All of the art-world wattage in the room was eclipsed, however, by an appearance from Monica Lewinsky. She was huge fan of Longo and was honored to be invited."