_Sarah Rubinstein is a freshman journalism major at MU. She is an opinion columnist who writes about politics and societal observations for The Maneater._
When America’s favorite couple Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake broke up in 2002, fans mourned their idols’ split and questioned how it ended. The entertainment media answered by tearing Spears to shreds.
The only logical explanation — at least for the gossip tabloids — was that Spears cheated, which rippled into constant coverage on her. Kendel Ehrlich, former first lady of Maryland, even publicly stated: “If I had the opportunity to shoot Britney Spears, I think I would.”
These comments only scratched the surface of how Spears, among many other women, are portrayed in the entertainment industry. They are poked and prodded at by interviewers and forced to answer incredibly invasive and personal questions. Once they finally snap, they are labeled crazy.
The Feb. 5 documentary, “The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears” details the slow burn of Spears’ family, exes and paparazzi eating her career alive. The documentary gives more insight into her conservatorship fight with her father Jamie Spears, which the American Civil Liberties Union commented on as a civil and disability rights issue.
For the 12 years that Spears has been under her conservatorship, her father has had legal control over everything from her financial decisions to who she is allowed to see. While the public does not have information as to why the courts believe the conservatorship is necessary, Spears has made clear that she does not want her father as her conservator.
Similar to Spears’s experience, Taylor Swift recently fought a legal battle to reclaim the rights to her own music. After Swift left Big Machine Records in 2019, manager Scooter Braun bought the right to the masters of her first six albums. If Swift wanted to retain the rights to her music, her only option was to rerecord those albums. Her first rerecording of her 2008 single “Love Story” was released on Feb. 12 with “(Taylor’s Version)” following the title.
Despite relationships being a major source of inspiration for many musicians, Swift famously faced ridicule for being open about her dating life in songs. In a recently resurfaced interview on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”, DeGeneres showcased pictures of Swift and various men on a screen and prompted her to ring a bell if she had dated them. Humiliated, and on the verge of tears, Swift shouted: “Stop it, stop it, stop! This makes me feel so bad about myself.”.
The media’s treatment of women shows a callous double standard for their bodies and mental health.
At just 17, Dutch TV interviewer Ivo Niehe asked Britney Spears if she’d had breast implants. “Everyone’s talking about it. Well, your breasts.”
At the peak of actress Lindsay Lohan’s struggles with mental health and addiction, she appeared on “The David Letterman Show” to promote “Scary Movie 5.” Instead of interviewing her about her work on the movie, Letterman asked: “now, aren’t you supposed to be in rehab?”
Even more recently, singer Billie Eilish explained in a Calvin Klein campaign why she only wears baggy clothes: “Nobody can have an opinion [about her body] because they haven’t seen what’s underneath.”
If men are asked invasive questions in interviews about their personal life, the questions are phrased out of interest rather than judgement. For instance, when Justin Timberlake was asked if he had slept with Britney Spears in a radio interview, he giggled before boasting: “Ok, I did it,” and was met with cheers. Spears was met with the MTV News headline: “Britney Talks Sex; Turns Out She Really Wasn’t That Innocent.”
Misogyny and stigmatization of mental health has failed women in the industry. When famous women don’t behave how they are expected to, they are villainized or made a laughingstock.
As media consumers, it is important to understand that despite the very public career these women have chosen, they are still human beings that deserve privacy. If Taylor Swift refuses to share information about her relationships to the press, we must respect her wishes.
If a paparazzi picture of Britney Spears paints her in a bad light, we must understand that one picture does not tell her entire story. If Lindsay Lohan does not feel comfortable discussing her addiction or mental illness publicly, she is not obligated to. When these women pursue what they desire and refuse to meet our culture’s confining ideals of perfection, we must realize that they do not exist to please us.
The sexist and scrutinizing way that the entertainment media treats women does not seem to be fading, but fans can demand better. Stand in solidarity with these artists when they are unfairly attacked and send a message to the tabloids. Check the internalized misogyny that may arise when having a conversation with our friends about these women. Separate the wall from treating these women as objects for entertainment and recognize that they are people too. No future artist should have to fear her privacy being invaded.
_The Maneater encourages all readers to commit to the fight against racial injustice and donate to Know Your Rights Camp. “Our mission is to advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass-mobilization and the creation of new systems that elevate the next generation of change leaders.”
https://www.knowyourrightscamp.com/?form=KnowYourRightsCamp_
_Edited by Sofi Zeman | szeman@themaneater.com_
