BBC: Popular Misogyny: Most of 'most hated' celebrities are women

[Captain Hilts]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7402907.stm

In a nutshell, despite years of equal opportunities, the media - and the people who watch and read - prefer the stay-at-home mother over a woman who lives her life in public, particularly one who is overtly ambitious or successful in making money. There is great satisfaction among many people in seeing them humbled, Ms Negra suggests.

"We are missing a big part of the picture if we think misogyny is the exclusive preserve of men," says Ms Negra.

"Celebrities including Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Rumer Willis, Mischa Barton and Kerry Katona are routinely condemned for their perceived excessive lifestyles in terms of their disregard for the apparent rules of femininity through extreme diets or weight gain, drug abuse, supposed lack of fashion sense/style, and an 'unfeminine' need for fame and attention."-Kirsty Fairclough
Salford University

[LisaM]

1. Interesting article and true, too.

It's bad enough to deal with male misogyny (note: I am NOT implying every male here is a misogynist) but we are fighting women too - e.g., Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Phyllis Schlafly, for example.

Here is the most interesting paragraph to me:

"In a survey this week, by Marketing magazine the respondents' top five most loved celebrities were men - Paul McCartney, Lewis Hamilton, Gary Lineker, Simon Cowell and David Beckham. Of the five most hated, the top four were women - Heather Mills, Amy Winehouse, Victoria Beckham and Kerry Katona."

Why would David Beckham be on the most-loved list and Victoria Beckham on the most loathed? They are both equally ambitious, she has worked just as hard as he, she bore his children, and he admits himself that his math skills are so bad he can't even help his young son with his homework and doesn't provide the best role model. They are also both self-serving publicity hounds.

Simon Cowell - well, that is just weird.

[Warpy]

2. Mostly, these lists are pop culture name recognition

but yes, the preponderance of male names on the positive list (even reprehensible male names) and of female names on the negative list is just another demonstration of how deeply ingrained misogyny is in western culture.

[Wilber_Stool]

3. The only name I can put a face on is

Paul McCartney. God, am I out of the loop.

[LisaM]

4. Well, it's a British list

I don't know a few of the names either. I've never heard of Kerry Katona, for instance.

[RB TexLa]

5. Thinking about that, if David Beckham freely admits that, he might be providing

his son a very good role model. Some people are smart, some are not as smart. Some people can play soccer like David Beckham can now, very few can play like he could 7 or 10 years ago. Sounds like he has an understanding of how lucky he is for his physical abilities to have provided for him. As far as the role model part, I'm sure it's better to teach children by example but if you know you've made mistakes you can use them to teach as well.

[blondeatlast]

6. This stay-at-home mom DESPISES the manipulated misogyny of the mommy wars.

All of my best friends work and when necessary, I take care of their sick kids.

But--some of the other stay-home moms I know are knee-deep in hatred of working women. As long as women contimue to hate other women, they (meaning the corporations and institutions who feed off the hate) have us.

Don't do it, ladies; we're better than that.

[Captain Hilts]

7. It works all ways, doesn't it? I like that the article points out it's not a male preserve. nt

[krabigirl]

15. Hmm, I'm a SAHM who loves working moms, too. :)

[SteelPenguin]

17. Yeah

Honestly, the majority of the people I know or see reading these types of magazines or going to those sites are women. I'd be curious to see actual numbers, but I'm willing to put any amount down that it's a jmuch higher proportion of women buying US Magazine, or the trashier ones, or going to sites like Perez Hilton. My wife, a self proclaimed feminist does it.

It just seems that most of this misogyny is derived from women, even otherwise feminist empowered women, and that's what I don't get.

[AngryAmish]

8. This is true

" seem to be incredibly competitive with each other and find it hard to give credit to each other. With male celebrities a lot of men might aspire to be like them or may aspire to be with them."

I'm a lawyer and I have never lost a jury trial to a woman. Does it have to do with my skill and the obvious merits of my cases? Not really. When one is trying against a woman (especially a young, attractive woman) fill the jury with women. My client and I get the benefit of every doubt. If the woman lawyer is aggressive, she is a bitch. If she is meek, then she is stupid and a doormat.

[TheWraith]

9. This article is arguing its own conclusion.

It attributes dislike of the celebrities listed to hatred of women, without conteplating the alternative, which is that people simply don't like ditzy, self-centered, drugged out primadonnas.

Nobody seems to be hating Angelina Jolie, who's about as non-typical as it's possible to get, and I'm sure you could name a dozen other female celebrities who don't get treated the way Spears and Hilton do.

[blondeatlast]

12. But why the visceral hatred of Lindsey Lohan and not the latest everything-to-excessed MALE star?

The rock STAR life:

Alcohol, drugs, easy sex, sleaze, manipulative handlers, familial neglect--it's no different than say, Britney Spears (not that I'm excusing her or unnamed male rock star at all).

Maybe because unnamed, everything-to-excessed male star isn't followed constantly by aggressive photographers and sleazy "journalists" fueling a bloodsucking mini-industry.

Explain that difference, please.

[TheWraith]

13. Alright, name a party boy who gets as much press as Lohan.

(Personally, I feel sorry for Lindsey, since I'm pretty sure her addled self-destructive tendancies are the result of her incredibly screwed up parentage, and because she doesn't have anybody who cares enough about her to snap her out of it, but that's beside the point.)

Also, when looking for a male equivalent, recall that that sort of behavior is considered by many to be "expected" from musicians--Winehouse actually had to be caught smoking crack, and she STILL didn't get the attention Hilton, Spears, or Lohan got.

[frickaline]

10. I can't claim to know who half these people are, but for the names I do know

this seems somewhat true. It is a sort of love/hate relationship. Constant media attention with the end result being a kind of, "I'm better" mentality. Not sure I agree with the unfeminine portion, I think most people still find at least some of these people to be sexy, but people do seem to have a desperate need to judge the behavior of women more so than men and grade them more harshly when they fail.

[blondeatlast]

11. Interesting--How is Lindsay Lohan any different than the latest drugged out,

drowning-in-wretched-excess-living MALE rock star?

Hmm, let me think, um, well, hmm--OH YEAH! I KNOW!

Because the media doesn't hound the latest drugged out, drowning-in-wretched-excess living MALE rock star--hell, I can't even name him.

PURE MISOGYNY for entertainment purposes.

Edit: SL made little since pre-edit!

[krabigirl]

14. I agree, except the part about SAHMs being "humbled."

It's a choice I made, and after 14 years in the corporate world, I was certainly not "humbled" to make the decision.

But yeah, misogyny is very strong in this culture.

[Canuckistanian]

16. Rumer Willis? Who the hell is Rumer Willis?

I'm too lazy to Google. What can I say?

[Mudoria]

18. Demi Moore and Bruce Willis' child I believe..

I almost hate to admit I knew that.

[Canuckistanian]

19. Apparently she is

She's also the step-daughter of Ashton Kutcher... :puke:

[VotesForWomen]

20. people do seem to take a little extra relish in ridiculing and reviling female celebs.