Remember when Ashley Judd got sick and puffy, and everyone accused her of having plastic surgery? Well naturally Ashley was really upset, so she posted a scathing response to the Daily Beast.
[T]his conversation was initially promulgated largely by women; a sad and disturbing fact. (That they are professional friends of mine, and know my character and values, is an additional betrayal.)
News outlets with whom I do serious work, such as publishing op-eds about preventing HIV, empowering poor youth worldwide, and conflict mineral mining in Democratic Republic of Congo, all ran this “story” without checking with my office first for verification, or offering me the dignity of the opportunity to comment. It’s an indictment of them that they would even consider the content printable, and that they, too, without using time-honored journalistic standards, would perpetuate with un-edifying delight such blatantly gendered, ageist, and mean-spirited content.
Ashley goes on to conclude that our culture is capable is coming to misogynistic and insane conclusions:
If this conversation about me is going to be had, I will do my part to insist that it is a feminist one, because it has been misogynistic from the start. Who makes the fantastic leap from being sick, or gaining some weight over the winter, to a conclusion of plastic surgery? Our culture, that’s who.
The insanity has to stop, because as focused on me as it appears to have been, it is about all girls and women. In fact, it’s about boys and men, too, who are equally objectified and ridiculed, according to heteronormative definitions of masculinity that deny the full and dynamic range of their personhood. It affects each and every one of us, in multiple and nefarious ways: our self-image, how we show up in our relationships and at work, our sense of our worth, value, and potential as human beings.
I can’t imagine how hard it is to be a female celebrity these days. Ashley’s article is definitely worth a full read if you have the time.
What do you think of Ashley’s indictment of the media and American culture?
guest
I think it is sad that we keep having this conversation again and again and again. She is right. I am not a huge fan of hers but I do think it is kind of sad that it is easier to find fluff stories about plastic surgery that she clearly did not have than it is to find stories on anything else that she has done.
rose / 802 posts
Good for her. GOOD FOR HER. Can’t say it enough. I love to see a celebrity fighting back, intelligently & passionately, about the media’s absurd & offensive speculations.
guest
She’s on spot with what she says. It’s true. It’s all true. The way this culture has taught us to objectify and ridicule others, as well as ourselves, definitely affects us to the core. As she said, “It affects each and every one of us, in multiple and nefarious ways: our
self-image, how we show up in our relationships and at work, our sense
of our worth, value, and potential as human beings.”
guest
Did they run out of celebrities to talk about?
guest
Good for her. It’s true. As soon as a woman looks sick or something, they’re either pregnant or recovering from plastic surgery. It’s horrible that we can’t be sick or tired without everyone claiming we’ve had plastic surgery.
guest
I can’t imagine how hard it is to be
a celebrity
these days.
I mean, she even pointed out that is has nothing to do with gender, but the fact that our culture objectifies image.
guest
In other words, piss off and mind your own business. I like that.
guest
I’m very proud of her for being so strong and articulate about this. Her words prove that she is a capable and genuine person, and we need more of those in the celebrity world. I’m really happy to have read this, I hope this starts something. People have been complaining about misogynist media’s phallocentric discourse for decades, but finally an actual celebrity has made a truly intellectual remark, proving that at least she deserves better.
guest
I read the full article yesterday and it was incredibly powerful. May I just point out though that this post is directly above one that is solely about how “appalling” some celebrities look. I really think Lovelyish needs to take a stand and stop making posts encouraging everyone to be nice and body-positive and then turning one corner and yelling “look how disgusting this person looks”.
guest
Damn, girl.
You tell ‘em what’s up.
guest
@emptyabyss@xanga - I tried to recommend your comment but I couldn’t, so I’ll say it here: Well said.
guest
Ha! This very blog proves my point about the hated feminazis! they are such scum they seek to destroy a woman as kind and lovely as Ashley Judd. And people wonder why I believe feminism needs to be crushed. Pfft.
guest
@LegionOfLucifer@xanga - lol, did you even read the article? She’s speaking against the objectification of women into sexual objects, aka pro-feminism.
” I will do my part to insist that it is a feminist one” <– she wants the conversation to be focused on feminism, “because it has been misogynistic from the start”
“The assault on our body image, the hypersexualization of girls and women
and subsequent degradation of our sexuality as we walk through the
decades, and the general incessant objectification is what this
conversation allegedly about my face is really about.”
If you’re gonna troll, at least do it right. Noob.
guest
good for her for coming back at those people!
guest
@wing_stock@xanga – “[T]his conversation was initially promulgated largely by women; a sad and disturbing fact.”
- Feminist, you say?
She is railing against women who attack her feminism. That sounds like a feminist? None too bright, are you?
So, anything that is not agreeable with what you have to see MUST be a troll, yes? Run along now. Shoo.
rose / 980 posts
Good for her. Some people won’t get it, but an attack on one women’s looks like this is an attack on all women.
guest
@wing_stock@xanga - He gets it ass backward all the time. I don’t know if it’s on purpose or not.
guest
Finally, a woman who can speak her mind intelligently about this. I love that she’s taken this on. Someone had to.
guest
Lady’s got sass! Me like!