Recently, while standing in line at the grocery store, I glanced over at the magazines and noticed the Us Weekly headline “Fergie Betrayed.” I par oozed through it quickly as I waited and chuckled in disgust. I decided this would lead to my next blog post. No, not the idea of “Why do so many women stay with their adulterous husbands?” I decided to examine why the media targets women during times of turmoil.
We all remember the infamous Monica Lewinsky scandal. Hillary Clinton stood by his side and has been with him till today. Some speculate it was for her own political gain. Nevertheless, we had our former governor, Elliot Spitzer, resign after a prostitution scandal was uncovered and yet his wife Silda stood next to him at the press conference. I can’t imagine why these women would allow themselves to be publicly humiliated.
There appears to be a pattern when a woman is involved in personal turmoil because it yields high profits for the media industry. The subjective nature of which stories make it through editing require a comprehensive examination of who is sitting on the editorial board. When a male dominated board is driving the agenda, they make sure that women are categorized as objects towards satisfying their sexuality, and they demonstrate a different avenue of public humiliation when a woman doesn’t meet that criteria. Sex may not be the only driving force behind sales. This points to a disparity to men who are scrutinized. For example, Bill Clinton was glorified while Monica Lewinsky was condemned, yet they both played a part in an affair. Do you think the media is biased and favors men?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/nyregion/10cnd-spitzer.html
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/resources/lewinsky/timeline/
November 25, 2009 at 4:42 pm |
Great point , most definately our media is more male oriented in the way of who they seek to please. Maybe it is not media but our society that still wants to cling to the idea that women should be the more forgiving, gracious and gentle of the sexes. However many of us would honestly never be able, in the face of adultery or betrayal, to be that woman who smiles and says she will forgive and forget , at least not the women I know. I don’t think society is ready for the woman who takes no prisoners and knows how to handle payback. Men should at times be held accountable for their indiscretions and simply either be left or divorced but to save face women will endure on with the cameras rolling. I feel some regret and empathy for those who feel they must act this way, but I wonder if I were Fergie or another celebrity with my image known everywhere might I be the forgiving lady if it meant stability and continued success?