TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of Suicide and Bullying.
#FreeBritney is more than just a hashtag trending online right now. It tells us the story of the conservatorship of Britney Spears. The story of how the “Princess of Pop” was controlled for over 10 years, and no one knew anything about it for the greater part of it.
During this time period, she released some of her most famous singles including but not limited to, “Circus,” “Scream & Shout,” and “Womanizer.” In spite of the media coverage that she received before and after the release of those songs, the paparazzi completely glossed over the abuse that she was facing as a result of the conservatorship in which she was held.
So, while every aspect of her private life, such as her illnesses and ailments, was documented by the media, the more serious details, the ones that she now wishes were exposed, were left out.
This is only one example of the media or the paparazzi glossing over, downplaying or just straight up abusing celebrities and social media icons. In particular, female celebrities.
Another example for the same comes in the form of a late singer who was famous for wearing her heart on her sleeve. Amy Winehouse, who was actually criticized instead of mourned, following her untimely death in 2011, is another unfortunate victim of hate by the media.
Prior to her death, Winehouse was treated like she was mentally unfit to make her own decisions. She was constantly criticized by the media for her drug addiction, suicidal tendencies and emotional personality. She was even made fun of on talk shows and in magazines. Amy Winehouse was treated like there was nothing to her other than her addictions and her faults. Her beautiful voice, soulful lyrics and touching music was ignored for the most part.
Even after her death, the media did not start to sympathize with Winehouse. They only started to realize that they needed to help her and not ridicule her, much later, when it was too late for them to do either.
Amy Winehouse was not the problem. She did not need to be taught some sort of lesson or preached any kind of values. All she needed was support, acceptance and a little bit of help.
In the wise words of Lady Gaga, “The lesson was for the world to be kinder.”
But in spite of all this, the world did not get kinder. In fact, less than a year later, pop icon Whitney Houston was found dead in her bathtub, the reasons behind her death being heart disease and cocaine.
Houston’s career started out just as you would expect it to- she dazzled the public with her charming personality, her attractive smile, and the voice of an angel. However, much like many others, Houston’s career also began to plummet due to her being exploited by the common factor in all these equations- the media.
In spite of Houston’s angelic voice and easy-to-love personality, it was still very easy for people to find an issue with her. The issue being that she was black. Unfortunately, even in the late 1900s, it was still difficult for a woman of colour to survive the treacherous world of Hollywood and media. Houston, despite her best attempts, often found herself being trampled by her haters and began to find solace in fellow singer, Michael Jackson. Jackson, famous for being the “King of Pop” was also, unfortunately, famous for one more thing- drug abuse.
Some believe that it is her friendship with Michael Jackson that led to her addiction, others believe it is pressure from the media. But the fact remains that the last 10 years of Houston’s career showed us the darkest point that she has ever been at.
Of course, in a very classic move, the media, instead of attempting to help the woman who was previously considered their princess, decided to fixate on her addiction and completely disregard its possible causes.
In fact, a 2002 interview conducted by Diane Sawyer shows Houston being faced with invasive, offensive and personal questions and often being put on the spot. Sawyer at one point even went as far as body-shaming Houston and insensitively questioning her regarding the same. Her vague responses were then called rude and were given criticism.
10 years later, when she was found dead, the same hateful, judgemental people who criticised her when all she needed was acceptance suddenly seemed to be her biggest fans. All of those questions about her “unhealthy body” seemed to have evaporated into thin air, and were replaced with pity filled mutterings of, “Oh, she was such a beautiful soul.”
Why are regrets only expressed after someone has died?
In 2019, just 2 years ago, popular k-drama actress Sulli committed suicide and was found dead in her home. For years and years, she had been forced to deal with the unrelenting media coverage and borderline “stalking” that comes with being an actress in the current day and age. In spite of her speaking out against cyberbullying, mental health and women’s issues countless times, her frustration with the same did not end.
Ultimately, she got tired of being under a magnifying glass 24/7 and decided to leave the girl group that she was in. As a result of that, she was faced with animosity, not only from her haters, but also from the people who used to be her fans.
This animosity continued until the fateful night of October 14th, 2019, when Sulli was declared dead by the police officers that found her in her home. Just like any other case, all “fans” seemed to suddenly think of her as an angel and saviour. All the media that used to hate on her was suddenly writing obituaries and showing their regrets.
To prevent such an incident from happening ever again, legal and government action was taken. Bills were introduced at the Korean National Assembly with the aim of putting an end to online abuse. Unfortunately, these bills were not passed as they claimed to suppress freedom of speech. Instead, this matter was publicised and made famous on social media in hopes of preventing the spread of hate culture against celebrities.
However, 2 years later, in 2021, it is clear that it had not worked out as planned.
A Korean artist and idol, Jennie, from popular girl group Blackpink has been receiving an abundance of hate from the media and Blackpink fans alike. The public seems to dislike her for being the “favourite” member of the company, something that's not even in her control. Apart from this, Jennie has been drafted into a role in the K-pop narrative that attracts the most hate and slander- she is often seen playing the role of a character that is sassy or dramatic in music videos. Due to this, the public’s opinion of her has been affected and altered.
In reality, Jennie is a caring bandmate, a good artist and adores her fans. However, her image has been manipulated in such a way that she is shown as the opposite.
And the hate against her? It increases every day.
It would’ve taken less than 15 minutes for someone to go up to Sulli or Whitney Houston or Amy Winehouse while they were alive and express their grief over the poison-filled hate delivered to them.
It will take less than 15 minutes to do the same for Jennie.
Every year, incorrect rumours spread by gossip magazines or newspapers slowly eat away at the self-esteem of thousands of actresses worldwide. But I’ll be honest, I don’t think that modern media is the only problem. I think that we, as readers are too.
The more we read, the more we share, the more we indulge in the so-called “harmless gossip” that ruins lives every day, the more we are becoming a part of the endless cycle of self-hatred and insecurity.
My advice to you - Stop. Stop supporting these magazines and talk shows that relentlessly “poke fun” at the insecurities of entertainers worldwide. Stop being a bystander to this screwed up form of bullying that has repercussions more serious than you can imagine and start calling out the tormentors.
We need to prevent as many Sulli’s, Whitney’s, and Amy’s as we can.
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