Celebrity feuds and drama are prevalent in our daily lives. From People magazine headlines to influencers on Tiktoks adding fuel to the fire, when two celebrities have beef, the world is made known. This petty drama may be entertaining to some or meaningless to others, but it is something else entirely. These feuds outwardly express the toxicity of the patriarchy and subliminally send messages to their audience that it is okay to treat other women as enemies. Several monumental female celebrity feuds are detailed below, explaining how each one was motivated by patriarchal ideas that women must compete against each other, whether for men, success or appraise.
BRITNEY AND CHRISTINA
The media often compares and pits female celebrities against each other in unnecessary and demeaning ways. Sometimes this comparison even produces real-life issues between the women. This was the case for Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Both Britney and Christina became well-known pop singers in the late 90s to 2000s and were immediately compared as one of the same.
HILARY DUFF AND LINDSEY LOHAN
Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan’s feud began in the early 2000’s over a love triangle involving singer Aaron Carter. Aaron cheated on Hilary with Lindsay, and then broke up with her to date Lindsay, only to end up back with Hilary and cheat on her again. The media loved this drama and pushed a narrative of them fighting over Aaron, which ended up creating public conflict between the two.
selena and hailey
Similar to Hilary and Lindsay’s drama, Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber’s long lasting feud began because of their relationships with Justin Bieber. Selena and Justin dated on and off throughout the 2010’s with many passionate fans of their relationship. Just months after their final split, Justin married Hailey. Ever since, the internet has been quick to analyze every interaction between Hailey and Justin and compare them to his relationship with Selena. Whether someone is a die-hard Selena or Hailey fan, the act of pitting the two against each other has done only bad.
NICKI MINAJ AND CARDI B
Fueled by comparison, Nikki Minaj and Cardi B’s public feud lasts to the present day. Their issues began when the two rappers were featured in the same music video and the media began to compare them. It then escalated to public insults on social media and a physical altercation at the New York Fashion Week party.
Why does this matter?
The patriarchy is the social system that we live in. It gives men primary power in leadership and social privilege. Though we’ve come a long way in terms of feminism, the effects of the patriarchy show up in many ways today. As women, we are convinced by the media, by our surroundings, that other women are competition. The patriarchy thrives by turning women against each other. We need to recognize that comparing our favorite celebs has real life consequences for us as women. It is imperative that we learn how to see each other as allies and not enemies.