If you were to glance over the headlines of any pop culture publication at this very moment, it is incredibly likely that many of those stories would be focused on topics of image and appearance. It is even more likely that the majority of those appearance-based critiques would be targeted at female celebrities – who wore what to which award show, who was showing too much skin, who looked drop-dead gorgeous simply walking down the street, and who made a trip to the grocery store looking like she just rolled out of bed. When it comes to female appearance in the media, the critics can be ruthless.
Yet oftentimes, this harsh critique of female celebrities extends beyond just physical appearance and delves into women’s personal and professional lives. Specifically, pop culture media loves to talk about the scandals in women’s lives, particularly those pertaining to sex and relationships. The media will flesh out every dirty detail of an unfortunate event, and will continue to cover it until every last reader has moved on to the next hot topic.
Needless to say, a lot of times these headlines are perfectly harmless, and I would be lying if I said that pop culture stories don’t often capture my attention. However, this type of reporting becomes problematic when the subjects are objectified, and when it becomes the norm to tear down women for their faults rather than build them up for their successes.
Recently, several instances in the media have caught my attention and have caused me to question the precedent that this particular source of information is setting for women everywhere. One topic which has recently sparked a great deal of discussion is Caitlyn Jenner’s transition into life as a woman, a very sensitive and personal topic that she has chosen to share with the public.
After her first Vanity Fair pictures were released, I listened to some of the conversations of those sitting around me on the train and heard countless people commenting on how she looked as a woman. Of course, this is a somewhat natural response, as her appearance had greatly changed. But after watching Jon Stewart’s take on the subject in a clip from The Daily Show, I realized why the response of the media seemed somewhat troubling: as Jon Stewart shares so effectively through a compilation of short video clips, it seems that the initial reaction of many people, especially reporters, was to comment on and critique Caitlyn Jenner’s physical appearance. As Jon Stewart says in this video, “welcome to being a woman in America.”
What seemed to be lacking in this discussion was how happy, or how confident, or how comfortable in her own skin Caitlyn Jenner looked. While many of these physical critiques are certainly understandable considering that it was a fashion-oriented photo shoot for a popular and prominent magazine, and while there is nothing wrong with acknowledging that she looked fabulous in those pictures, I couldn’t help but feel that the discussion was overwhelmingly centered upon Caitlyn Jenner’s body rather than on her identity as a strong, happy and accomplished woman.
Another topic which recently gained a lot of coverage in the pop culture sector is the feminist essay posted by Ariana Grande on Twitter earlier this week. In this post, she responds to the tendency of the media to define her by the men she used to date or by the guy she was recently seen with, stressing that these relationships are not what define her.
She writes, “I am tired of living in a world where women are mostly referred to as a man’s past, present or future PROPERTY / POSSESSION. I…do not. belong. to anyone. but myself. and neither do you.”
In her piece, Ariana Grande calls attention to the ways that women are undervalued through this unhealthy precedent which causes women’s identities to be overshadowed and overcome by the men in their lives. She concludes her argument with a very important and impactful quote from Gloria Steinem: “Any woman who chooses to behave like a full human being should be warned that the armies of the status quo will treat her as something of a dirty joke…She will need her sisterhood.” Through this post, Ariana Grande took a much-needed stand against labeling women by their relationships.
Yet unfortunately, this superficial pop culture criticism continues, and is exemplified by another post that recently caught my attention. Earlier this week, E! News posted a news piece titled “Kylie Jenner Isn’t Afraid to Show Off Her Fake Tan, Even If She Missed a Few Spots – Take a Look!”, in which the writer shared and ridiculed a recent Instagram post from Kylie Jenner that revealed some spots where her fake tan was not even. While I’m sure this oh-so “riveting” piece of news appealed to the interests of many, I was shocked that a post could be entirely focused on a woman’s uneven skin tone, limiting the discussion of her as a person to a single physical image.
The root of the problem here lies in the fact that this endless critique of women’s physical traits and personal lives establishes a very negative and restrictive tone for the men and women who read these stories. When a young girl’s newsfeed is flooded by stories of women being torn apart for appearing to have gained a few pounds or for sleeping around with too many guys, it can leave a lasting and impactful impression. When this destructive standard extends beyond a pop culture news source and morphs into a social norm, women’s voices are no longer effectively valued and their talents are not fully recognized. If we only talk about a woman’s appearance, then we risk that that is all the rest of the world will be able to see.
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