You may have noticed that we’re living in a pretty progressive time, especially when it comes to the culture of Hollywood, but it wasn’t always like this. The things the media found shocking just 10 years ago are commonplace now, especially for female celebrities. The media has a long history of criticizing women for their appearance and behavior, though the criticism has lessened over time.
Sexuality: Then
It was once very shocking for a woman to embrace her sexuality. Most “pop star” and “diva” celebrities’ music videos were seen as overly provocative. A revealing dress on the red carpet would be a headline in several magazines.
One of the most well-known pop stars, Madonna, became famous in the 80s. Madonna was known for being a pop icon, but also a symbol of controversy. One of her songs, “Like a Virgin,” is notable for its open discussion about sexuality. It was released in 1984, thirty-four years ago.
In 2009, Miley Cyrus performed “Party in the USA” and was criticized for her short-shorts and “provocative” dancing. There was also a lot of talk around her 2010 music video, “Can’t Be Tamed,” which people criticized for being too mature.
Via https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/many-phases-miley-cyrus-hannah-monta…
For many years, as Cyrus transitioned from teenager to adult, the media was commenting on how her new public persona was like an act done to escape being labeled only as the child star from Disney.
Sexuality: Now
Ariana Grande recently uploaded the music video for her song “God is a woman,” a title that caused controversy in itself. The main problem people have with the song is that it seems to claim that God is a woman, rather than the man God has been drawn as for centuries. There hasn’t been nearly as much discussion about the sexual implications in the lyrics as there has been about the religious aspect. This goes to show that the media is probably just used to seeing celebrities release music videos like this.
Via @arianagrande on Instagram
Age: Then
People often believe that the older you are, the more respect you deserve. Drew Barrymore, Natalie Portman, and Emma Watson started their careers when they were children, but these movies were made around the 80s, 90s, and the start of the 2000s. Emma Watson, for example, didn’t receive notable criticism as a young girl because she behaved how society believed girls were “supposed” to behave.
In the 30s, when the film industry’s long history began, children were minor characters on the side, just as with literature of the time. In addition to that, the adults portrayed in movies were often older, even if the actors were pretending to portray younger characters. This didn’t allow young actors many opportunities because they weren’t considered as credible as adults due to their age.
Age: Now
Young adults have more of the spotlight now than older adults. The woman in Crazy Rich Asians and the protagonist of the upcoming movie, The Hate U Give, are both young, the latter being a teenager. Even teenagers and children are getting more recognition in Hollywood. Millie Bobby Brown became known for her role in Stranger Things at age 12. Storm Reid, the protagonist of A Wrinkle in Time, starred in the movie at age 14. Adult interviewers treat these young actresses like any other person in the business.
Via @stormreid on Instagram
With the rise of social media, anyone can have a platform on the Internet if they have access to the Internet. This has its pros and its cons, because younger female celebrities can make their voice heard on a large scale, thus gaining more credibility than was allowed just 10 years ago, but they’re also vulnerable to the criticism that comes from people online.
The lens of the media has shifted to famous millennials (people who are in their 20s) such as Kylie Jenner, 21-year-old half-sister to the Kardashians, is mentioned in online articles almost every day. This year’s fashion is mostly based off of the millenials of Hollywood and “influencers,” or “content creators,” from Instagram and YouTube.
Articles still talk about how young Kylie Jenner is to be a near billionaire or how young she is to have a baby. There are still some stigmas surrounding younger women, like if they will be good mothers or good role models.
Non-Typical Roles for Women: Then
Serena Williams, famous tennis player, started becoming famous in the early 2000s. Women in sports – not just Hollywood – are especially talked about in the media because male sports players often believe women can’t excel in sports. Many have said that Williams is possibly the best tennis player in the world. She is still criticized for how muscular she is, even though her abilities make her games entertaining to watch for millions of people. Her physical strength is criticized because it makes her look “less feminine,” yet men can look as masculine as they want and are always praised.
Via @serenawilliams on Instagram
Singer Sinead O’Connor was famous in the 80s and 90s and was criticized for having a buzzcut rather than the typical long hairstyles that women had in that time. In many modern societies, long hair is considered the main feminine trait.
Non-Typical Roles for Women: Now
Model and actress Cara Delevingne recently got a buzzcut and the opinions that they media had on it were mostly positive. Last month, Serena Williams criticized the referee of a game she was in because she believed he was giving her penalties for things he didn’t give male players penalties for. Society can become even more progressive by supporting women’s style choices even if they aren’t traditionally feminine and by no longer believing that women being muscular is a problem. While society continues to tell us to be ourselves, it also criticizes us for who we really are.