Witch hunts of famous women in the media
The media notoriously places famous women on pedestals, showering them with admiration before viciously tearing them down and mocking them as they fall from grace.
Welcome to the 21’st Century witch hunt trials where the media and public are judge, jury and executioner.
Over the years there are countless examples, Princess Diana, Britney Spears, Billie Holiday, Kristen Stewart, Jessica Simpson, Jade Goody, Marylin Monroe, Jean Seberg, Meghan Markle, Whitney Houston, Lindsey Lohan and so many more. In fact - every woman who remotely has a public platform is at some stage torn to shreds with misogynistic language - and even racism. Women in the public eye are labelled as either angels or devils. Women who drink and party are called wild, reckless and trashed by the media while young quiet women are hailed and chased, virgin-like and modest, until they ultimately fall from this ridiculed misogynistic pedestal no man has ever been placed on.
One of the most recent examples of this was the treatment of Amber Heard during the infamous defamation case brought by her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. Regardless of your views on the case, Amber Heard was bullied, mocked and vilified. Memes and videos mocking Amber Heard expose the “deep hatred” and distrust of women as well as revealing the prevalence of misogyny, experts have warned. This mocking exposed the treatment of women who are in the public eye. Unfortunately for Amber, the defamation case was televised meaning online trolls had unlimited access to the trial where they scrutinised her every move.
The world hated Amber. She fought back and refused to be silenced. As a result, social media decided she deserved hate and death threats. Never mind the years of progress, never mind MeToo and the cultural revolution of speaking up and out about abuse. After survivors watched the way in which Amber was vilified, I worry that many victims will be discouraged from coming forward.
Take the issue of drug and substance misuse as another example of the way the media hates women, especially when compared to how their male counterparts are treated. Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, and Elvis Presley all had a history of drug use and to this day they are revered as talented men trying to overcome their demons, and addictions, championing them to succeed despite their challenges.
In Cobain’s case, the media and his fans tried to explain his death by placing the blame on his grieving wife, Courtney Love and coming up with conspiracy theories that she killed him or drove him to suicide. But when Whitney Houston overdosed and drowned in her bathtub, headlines called her bathroom “filthy.” Comments about her talent were rare - instead, the focus was on the conditions that she died in.
When Cranberries frontwoman Delores O’Riordan died from an overdose in 2018, U.K. tabloids barely mentioned how talented she was or how revolutionary her music was, instead they crassly detailed the horrific sexual assaults she survived as a child. But when rapper Mac Miller died from an accidental overdose, fans and media tabloids found ways to blame ex-girlfriend Ariana Grande for his addiction and death.
It is impossible to talk about the modern-day witch hunts without mentioning the rise and brutal fall of Britney Spears, which highlighted the media's power to elevate and destroy young women in the public eye. The singer was hounded, bullied and harassed until she cracked, while the cameras filmed every second. This public mental breakdown was the result of years of relentless press scrutiny, sexualisation from a young age with interviewers openly asking her about her breasts and virginity. The break-up from her husband was poured over at a time when she was likely vulnerable. Eventually, she cracked under the pressure, who wouldn't? We all know the famous picture of her shaving off her hair and hitting a photographer's car with an umbrella. Rather than act with compassion, she was labelled mad and bad.
Caroline Flack is another classic example of a famous woman who was destroyed by the media. A loved TV personality, Flack's reputation was ripped apart after rumours materialised that she allegedly assaulted her boyfriend. From the moment her arrest was made public, the tabloids capitalised on the salacious opportunity to shame yet another famous young woman. Photos emerged showing that Flack couldn't leave her home without facing photographers. It wasn't until after her suicide in the weeks that followed that anyone, on social media or in the tabloids, showed her any compassion or kindness, forgetting how they had devoured the very articles that harmed her.
We continue to see these brutal media witch hunts unfold in the tabloid press. However, we are beginning to see a rise in female stars such as Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato and Jennifer Lopez try to take control over their public narratives with documentaries that explore in their own words their struggles with addiction, mental health and the relentless hate they receive. In contrast, how many famous men share their intimate narratives? It’s a rare occurrence. But women are expected to share vulnerabilities and their personal story by performing ‘emotional labour’ to the public.
The cautionary tale is that the media refuse to hold men and women to the same standard, there is no loveable-bad-girl-Hollywood trope like there is with men. Women who dare to live their lives while in the public eye will feel the wrath of cultural contempt for talented women.
Your claims about Amber Heard is false and baseless. Amber Heard was not bullied or vilified . go back to the first few days of the trial. Everybody was watching to establish their views. Social media is not an individual or an institution. it's based on public opinion. don't blame social media for Amber Heard lying on stand, repeatedly and nonstop. She made her own bed. you claim that nothing Amber Heard did is responsible for the outcome. Nothing she did is the reason for the countless honest, true and extremely negative views about her. YOU ARE WRONG. Amber Heard is the culprit. She is a disgusting ruthless criminal and justice was served. your article is biased to the maximum and dissociated with reality. thumbs down
Had this been a man you would have no problem with the media publically ripping him to pieces over allegations of domestic abuse. You had a no problem with The Sun newspaper calling Johnny Depp a "wife beater" over allegations of domestic abuse, the same newspaper you call out for it's treatment over Caroline Flack following her being charged with domestic abuse. You have no problem with the public destruction of Mason Greenwood over allegations that he abused his girlfriend. Your approach to allegations of domestic abuse differs depending if it's a man or a woman accused.