As an adoring public, we have always taken sides when it comes to our favorite celebrities and the battles they face publicly. Their larger than life lives are in our faces 24/7, so it’s no wonder we relate to them as if we know them and their entire story.
Most recently, I have been seeing a lot of support for Robert Pattinson in the wake of his girlfriend, Kristen Stewart’s cheating scandal, but Stewart seems to be facing the brunt of the blame. She has kept a low profile and pulled out of a flick she was to star in. I won’t get into what the Twi-hard fans are saying about her disgrace. What I’m wondering is, why? Why does Kristen Stewart have to walk about with the “Scarlet A” burned upon her resume now? Yes, yes, the man she was with was married, but I’m hearing no scorn for him. I’m not hearing that Charlize Theron is angry with him, but I have heard she is more than pissed at Stewart. I didn’t see her married lover, Rupert Sanders, publicly apologizing, but someone thought it would be a good idea for Stewart to humiliate herself and to apologize to people she doesn’t owe even a small explanation to.
It looks like Balenciaga is keeping their distance from her and word is she may not appear in the Snow White sequel. When Googling both actors, Pattinson’s name produces articles on his upcoming projects, Stewart’s are all about her indiscretion and the effect it will have on her life. Quite a punishment for a girl who dared to fool around with a married man.
I have no hooch in this hootenanny, as I have never been a fan of Kristen Stewart or the Twilight series. However, I feel the need to come to her defense and the defense of my other sisters who are facing the scorn of a world that still loves to hold their men on pedestals and count their women as villains for not behaving like good girls. Jodie Foster says had she been a child star in this day and age, she would have quit acting and chastises the public for being fickle fans.
Let’s take the Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston scandalous break-up that has provided a decade of delicious gossip for us all. When all was said and done, most were either Team Aniston or Team Jolie. Everyone was Team Brad. Maybe a few thought Brad was a cad (hee), but he’s managed to have a great career without hiding or having to publicly apologize for his wrong doings to his wife. There are those that outright hate either Angelina Jolie for being a man hungry Jezebel or Jenifer Aniston the career obsessed wife that wouldn’t give Brad babies.
When Elizabeth Taylor and Eddie Fisher fell in love, Fisher was married to Debbie Reynolds. According to the biography of Elizabeth Taylor and her great love Richard Burton, Furious Love, the marriage between the Fishers was studio arranged and they were never in love, as later admitted by Eddie Fisher. Unaware of this arrangement, the couple was dubbed by their fans as America’s sweethearts. And oh my, did Reynolds ever play the injured wife and assisted the studio in painting Elizabeth Taylor as a villainous husband stealer.
Taylor’s career suffered greatly. To be fair so did Eddie Fisher’s, but his crooner days were already on the decline. It was however, Elizabeth who the headlines pronounced as “Blood Thirsty Widow, Liz Vampires Eddie.” One prominent gossip columnist called her immoral and constantly attacked Elizabeth Taylor’s character. Some say the affair cost her the Academy Award for Cat on the Hot Tin Roof, in which she gave a stellar performance.
It wasn’t until Cleopatra years later, that she gained back the respect of her fans. I think the only reason she survived the affair with Burton is, she starred with him in Cleopatra where they had a hot and lustful chemistry that could both on and off screen. Burton’s wife was not famous and kept a low profile while he had numerous affairs, which made it difficult for the public to feel sorry for Mrs. Burton.
If Elizabeth Taylor had been living in this age of twenty-four access to our stars, would her career have ever recovered? Angelina Jolie seems to have somewhat recovered, but gave her man babies. Fans love babies, especially the mommies who buy tabloid magazines. Brad Pitt is as hot as ever, pushing out Oscar worthy film one after another.
What impact will this have on Kristen Stewart’s and Rupert Sander’s career? Rupert Sanders is a behind the scenes person, and a man, so my prediction is he’ll carry on and make more successful movies. Liberty Ross, his wife, will get a juicy role out of this and the public will soon know who she is. Stewart’s moves will need to be extremely calculated and handled strategically if she is to enter back into the good graces of her fans. I predict the public will forgive her, but her career will take some hits. She will most certainly not be forgiven unless she continues to show complete and utter contrition every time she shows her face or puts something on Twitter.
This brings me to this question. Why do we care so much? These are people that we will most likely never meet and never will be friends with. And we definitely don’t have all of the facts. What if the relationship between Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson is a studio arranged gig like the Fishers once had. Or, what if it’s just a plain, outright mistake by a twenty-two year old girl who is still growing and learning who she is. Haven’t we all been that person at one time?
The fact is, Kristen Stewart, Elizabeth Taylor and Angelina Jolie all represent everything we are afraid of. What if our significant other leaves us for someone young and attractive? Rupert Sander’s wife Liberty Ross is a beautiful woman, Debbie Reynolds was cute and Jennifer Aniston was the girl next door. This leaves us asking, why would these men feel the need to cheat? The most comforting answer we can come to is these women put their claws into those men and persuaded him to cheat on the wives, using their adulterous, cunning and manipulative ways. Never mind what role the men played in the act, because they represent the significant other in our lives, the one we love, the one who we want to choose us over that harlot.
Sadly, it seems that this attitude will never change, at least not anytime soon. Until it does, a woman’s role in Hollywood will always hang on a precarious thread. Not every actress is caught up in scandal, but every actress ages and every actress is human. Thanks to era of gossip blogs and constant media exposure, we are able to judge every move the modern celebrity makes. We live in a world where the fans are who have the say in the fate of our celebrity’s careers. Many know more about what’s happening in pop culture than what issues Mitt Romney has endorsed or President Obama’s accomplishments in office. Sure, pop culture is a nice escape from all that is heavy and sad in the world, but the fascination has taken over our lives.
Just as video killed the radio star, the internet has killed the movie star. Think about it, do we have any great movie stars in this era that are as big as Marilyn Monroe? Today, every wrong move, careless quote or ugly dress is documented for the world to see. The world is only too ready to punish these celebrities, especially the females. It would be refreshing if one day the public stopped being so obsessive over these stars and looked at them purely as talented entertainers who are the fallible human beings that they are.
Most importantly however, is this truly what the celebrities want? After all if they aren’t talking about you, they don’t care about you. And judging them is so much more fun then judging our own lives.
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