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See Again
© Getty Images
0 / 35 Fotos
Meghan Markle
- Almost two years after "Megxit," a report by the platform Bot Sentinel revealed that a number of inauthentic Twitter accounts were involved in a coordinated effort to attack the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. They found that 83 troll accounts were responsible for "approximately 70% of the original and derivative hate content targeting Harry and Meghan." They were able to link many of the accounts to each other proving that it was a planned attack. The accounts in question were responsible for starting false rumors and sharing deceptively edited photos and videos. The 83 accounts they analyzed had a potential reach of 17 million users. The conclusion was that the majority of the hate generated on Twitter towards Meghan Markle was not organic. It was cunningly created and dispersed by a small, organized group.
© Getty Images
1 / 35 Fotos
Meghan Markle
- When Meghan Markle began dating Prince Harry, she was called the older divorced woman (she is a mere three years older than Harry).
© Getty Images
2 / 35 Fotos
Meghan Markle
- In addition to the racist outcries about a biracial woman joining the royal family, Markle suffered at the hands of tabloids who used dirty tactics to infiltrate her life. They attempted to enter her home and obtain information from her friends and family under false pretenses and bribed ex-boyfriends to talk about her.
© Getty Images
3 / 35 Fotos
Meghan Markle
- There was constant speculation about whether or not the Queen liked her. Every movement and every hair out of place was documented. In January 2020, Meghan and Harry made the groundbreaking decision to step down from their royal positions and live separately from the royal family.
© Getty Images
4 / 35 Fotos
Dua Lipa, Bella Hadid, and Gigi Hadid
- Dua Lipa, Bella Hadid, and Gigi Hadid have been using their platforms to show support for Palestine amid the ongoing violence and human rights injustices in Gaza and East Jerusalem. The Hadids' father is Palestinian, and Dua Lipa was dating their brother, Anwar. But a full-page advertisement taken out in the New York Times on May 22 accused the three young women of "anti-Semitism" for their anti-occupation, anti-apartheid stances. Produced and paid for by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach’s World Values Network, Vulture reports, the ad features photos of the stars superimposed on an image of Hamas rockets and claims that “the three mega-influencers have vilified the Jewish state” by spreading “disgusting libel.” Lipa responded in a statement posted to Twitter: “The World Values Network are shamelessly using my name to advance their ugly campaign with falsehoods and blatant misrepresentations of who I am and what I stand for. I stand in solidarity with all oppressed people and reject all forms of racism.”
© Getty Images
5 / 35 Fotos
Pink, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera
- Back in the 2000s, Pink, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera were framed as rivals competing for the spotlight. But Pink has told People that the whole thing was a media invention that was upsetting to them all. "It was so unfair to all the girls," Pink said. "None of us wanted that." She also added that she hated how the media called her the "anti-Britney," just because she was a "street punk" who likes to skateboard. In reality, the two were extremely supportive of one another. "I love Britney," Pink said, "she used to carry around my album."
© Getty Images
6 / 35 Fotos
Pink, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera
- Pink said of their framed rivalry, "I think we navigated through it as good as a 20-year-old girl can. Now I think it's totally different. Girls supporting girls is rad--I love to watch it."
© Getty Images
7 / 35 Fotos
Britney Spears
- Britney Spears has become a prime example of the worst of media, especially as revealed in the doc 'Framing Britney Spears.' A 2003 interview with Diane Sawyer particularly disturbed fans, in which the anchor defends Maryland’s first lady for saying she wanted to “shoot” the pop star because she believed she wasn't a good role model. Sawyer also made framed Spears as the bad guy in her split with Justin Timberlake: “You broke his heart, you did something that caused him so much pain, so much suffering,” Sawyer said, asking, “What did you do?” Spears, then just 21, later broke down in tears.
© Getty Images
8 / 35 Fotos
Ariana Grande - Pop superstar Ariana Grande is one of the most influential artists of our time and is the most-followed woman on Instagram. This level of fame doesn't come without a great deal of scrutiny.
© Getty Images
9 / 35 Fotos
Ariana Grande
- While most female celebrities are subject to criticism of their appearance and behavior, Grande's nightmare started when she split from her boyfriend of two years, Mac Miller. He had a serious drug problem which brought their relationship to an end.
© Getty Images
10 / 35 Fotos
Ariana Grande
- In the following weeks, Miller crashed his car while drunk, and a few months later died of a drug overdose. The media and social media users alike blamed both incidents on the heartbreak supposedly caused by Grande, who had moved on to a new relationship with Pete Davidson.
© Getty Images
11 / 35 Fotos
Angelina Jolie
- Media loves to cast Angelina Jolie as the sexy siren, while Jennifer Aniston is America's beloved girl next door. When Brad Pitt's marriage to Aniston ended and he began dating Angelina Jolie, there was endless speculation that she stole him away.
© Getty Images
12 / 35 Fotos
Angelina Jolie
- Many tabloids claimed that she seduced him while he was still married to Aniston. Even if this were the case, it's funny that she is the villain and the alleged cheating husband is rarely mentioned.
© Getty Images
13 / 35 Fotos
Yoko Ono
- Another woman who supposedly stole a man from his rightful place is Yoko Ono, viciously known as the manipulative witch who broke up The Beatles.
© Getty Images
14 / 35 Fotos
Yoko Ono
- The original female scapegoat, she was blamed for the band's separation. Her boyfriend and creative partner John Lennon had thrown himself into their musical and artistic collaborations, so it was assumed he left the band for her.
© Getty Images
15 / 35 Fotos
Yoko Ono
- Many famous women have been blamed for influencing their boyfriends and husbands, releasing the men of responsibility for their actions. It became known as the "Yoko Effect." Both Ariana Grande and Courtney Love suffered the same branding.
© Getty Images
16 / 35 Fotos
Michelle Obama
- Although Michelle Obama is arguably one of the most loved First Ladies of the United States, she is also one of the most harshly criticized.
© Getty Images
17 / 35 Fotos
Michelle Obama
- Michelle showed her worth while campaigning with Barack for his first presidential election. She was an excellent public speaker and crowds loved her, but her active role made her a target for the press.
© Getty Images
18 / 35 Fotos
Michelle Obama
- Since leaving the White House, Michelle shared how hurtful it was to be portrayed as a "too-tall, too-forceful, ready-to-emasculate Godzilla of a political wife."
© Getty Images
19 / 35 Fotos
Diana Frances Spencer
- It's no surprise that Prince Harry and Meghan took extreme measures to protect themselves from the public eye. Harry's mother, Princess Diana, tragically died after years of being hunted by the media.
© Getty Images
20 / 35 Fotos
Diana Frances Spencer
- Princess Di suffered a fate common to many famous women. While married to Prince Charles she was much loved and put on a pedestal, but after their divorce she became a source of scorn as tabloids sneered at her philanthropic efforts. There were also constant headlines claiming the queen disliked her.
© Getty Images
21 / 35 Fotos
Diana Frances Spencer
- Diana tragically died, along with her male companion and driver, in a car accident in 1997. They were reportedly attempting to escape paparazzi who were chasing them.
© Getty Images
22 / 35 Fotos
Hillary Rodham Clinton
- Hillary Clinton has been a figure in the media for decades, but the coverage of her presidential campaign was comparable to warfare.
© Getty Images
23 / 35 Fotos
Hillary Rodham Clinton
- True to form, the press dissected Clinton's appearance, voice, and overall likeability in a manner that male candidates are rarely subjected to. Even more damaging were the rumors that were spread to convince the voters that she was a despicable criminal.
© Getty Images
24 / 35 Fotos
Hillary Rodham Clinton
- One of the most troubling lies was that Clinton was running a paedophile ring out of a Pizzeria in Washington, DC. One poll showed that almost 50% of Trump supporters believed this was true.
© Getty Images
25 / 35 Fotos
Monica Lewinsky
- Although Hillary Clinton suffered unpleasant media attention during the sex scandal surrounding Bill Clinton in 1998, it was Monica Lewinsky who would go down in history for her role.
© Getty Images
26 / 35 Fotos
Monica Lewinsky
- Lewinsky was a 22-year-old intern at the White House when her affair with Bill Clinton began. Even though he was 49 years old and the President of the United States, the narrative spun by the press was that she was a home-wrecking seductress.
© Getty Images
27 / 35 Fotos
Monica Lewinsky
- Investigators compiled the notorious Starr Report which contained unnecessarily explicit details of Lewinsky's sex life. This only fanned the flames.
© Getty Images
28 / 35 Fotos
Angela Merkel
- The Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, has been a high profile political figure for decades. The sense of dislike for her in the media is palpable.
© Getty Images
29 / 35 Fotos
Angela Merkel
- Merkel's allegedly dowdy appearance has been the subject of countless articles. The press seem to make a distinct effort to catch her making an unflattering face so they can include it in their coverage.
© Getty Images
30 / 35 Fotos
Angela Merkel
- Even though she is critized for not being feminine enough, there was uproar when she wore a dress with a low neckline to the opera. The tabloids bombarded us with photos of her leaning forward.
© Getty Images
31 / 35 Fotos
Marcia Clark
- Marcia Clark was the state prosecutor in the OJ Simpson trial in 1995. She is tough, smart, and highly successful, but it was rare to see a female prosecutor in such a high profile case, and the media consequently had a field day picking apart her appearance and her behavior.
© Getty Images
32 / 35 Fotos
Marcia Clark
- She famously came to court with a new perm hairdo one day which made headlines across the country. Even within the court, her opponent Johnnie Cochran called her hysterical, and the judge advised the jury not to be distracted by her skirts.
© Getty Images
33 / 35 Fotos
Marcia Clark
- Clark was going through a divorce at the time and the papers published details from court papers filed by her ex-husband. This lead to further personal attacks about her abilities as a mother. In the end the trial was lost. See also: Shocking cases of celebrities who were accused of murder
© Getty Images
34 / 35 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 35 Fotos
Meghan Markle
- Almost two years after "Megxit," a report by the platform Bot Sentinel revealed that a number of inauthentic Twitter accounts were involved in a coordinated effort to attack the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. They found that 83 troll accounts were responsible for "approximately 70% of the original and derivative hate content targeting Harry and Meghan." They were able to link many of the accounts to each other proving that it was a planned attack. The accounts in question were responsible for starting false rumors and sharing deceptively edited photos and videos. The 83 accounts they analyzed had a potential reach of 17 million users. The conclusion was that the majority of the hate generated on Twitter towards Meghan Markle was not organic. It was cunningly created and dispersed by a small, organized group.
© Getty Images
1 / 35 Fotos
Meghan Markle
- When Meghan Markle began dating Prince Harry, she was called the older divorced woman (she is a mere three years older than Harry).
© Getty Images
2 / 35 Fotos
Meghan Markle
- In addition to the racist outcries about a biracial woman joining the royal family, Markle suffered at the hands of tabloids who used dirty tactics to infiltrate her life. They attempted to enter her home and obtain information from her friends and family under false pretenses and bribed ex-boyfriends to talk about her.
© Getty Images
3 / 35 Fotos
Meghan Markle
- There was constant speculation about whether or not the Queen liked her. Every movement and every hair out of place was documented. In January 2020, Meghan and Harry made the groundbreaking decision to step down from their royal positions and live separately from the royal family.
© Getty Images
4 / 35 Fotos
Dua Lipa, Bella Hadid, and Gigi Hadid
- Dua Lipa, Bella Hadid, and Gigi Hadid have been using their platforms to show support for Palestine amid the ongoing violence and human rights injustices in Gaza and East Jerusalem. The Hadids' father is Palestinian, and Dua Lipa was dating their brother, Anwar. But a full-page advertisement taken out in the New York Times on May 22 accused the three young women of "anti-Semitism" for their anti-occupation, anti-apartheid stances. Produced and paid for by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach’s World Values Network, Vulture reports, the ad features photos of the stars superimposed on an image of Hamas rockets and claims that “the three mega-influencers have vilified the Jewish state” by spreading “disgusting libel.” Lipa responded in a statement posted to Twitter: “The World Values Network are shamelessly using my name to advance their ugly campaign with falsehoods and blatant misrepresentations of who I am and what I stand for. I stand in solidarity with all oppressed people and reject all forms of racism.”
© Getty Images
5 / 35 Fotos
Pink, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera
- Back in the 2000s, Pink, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera were framed as rivals competing for the spotlight. But Pink has told People that the whole thing was a media invention that was upsetting to them all. "It was so unfair to all the girls," Pink said. "None of us wanted that." She also added that she hated how the media called her the "anti-Britney," just because she was a "street punk" who likes to skateboard. In reality, the two were extremely supportive of one another. "I love Britney," Pink said, "she used to carry around my album."
© Getty Images
6 / 35 Fotos
Pink, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera
- Pink said of their framed rivalry, "I think we navigated through it as good as a 20-year-old girl can. Now I think it's totally different. Girls supporting girls is rad--I love to watch it."
© Getty Images
7 / 35 Fotos
Britney Spears
- Britney Spears has become a prime example of the worst of media, especially as revealed in the doc 'Framing Britney Spears.' A 2003 interview with Diane Sawyer particularly disturbed fans, in which the anchor defends Maryland’s first lady for saying she wanted to “shoot” the pop star because she believed she wasn't a good role model. Sawyer also made framed Spears as the bad guy in her split with Justin Timberlake: “You broke his heart, you did something that caused him so much pain, so much suffering,” Sawyer said, asking, “What did you do?” Spears, then just 21, later broke down in tears.
© Getty Images
8 / 35 Fotos
Ariana Grande - Pop superstar Ariana Grande is one of the most influential artists of our time and is the most-followed woman on Instagram. This level of fame doesn't come without a great deal of scrutiny.
© Getty Images
9 / 35 Fotos
Ariana Grande
- While most female celebrities are subject to criticism of their appearance and behavior, Grande's nightmare started when she split from her boyfriend of two years, Mac Miller. He had a serious drug problem which brought their relationship to an end.
© Getty Images
10 / 35 Fotos
Ariana Grande
- In the following weeks, Miller crashed his car while drunk, and a few months later died of a drug overdose. The media and social media users alike blamed both incidents on the heartbreak supposedly caused by Grande, who had moved on to a new relationship with Pete Davidson.
© Getty Images
11 / 35 Fotos
Angelina Jolie
- Media loves to cast Angelina Jolie as the sexy siren, while Jennifer Aniston is America's beloved girl next door. When Brad Pitt's marriage to Aniston ended and he began dating Angelina Jolie, there was endless speculation that she stole him away.
© Getty Images
12 / 35 Fotos
Angelina Jolie
- Many tabloids claimed that she seduced him while he was still married to Aniston. Even if this were the case, it's funny that she is the villain and the alleged cheating husband is rarely mentioned.
© Getty Images
13 / 35 Fotos
Yoko Ono
- Another woman who supposedly stole a man from his rightful place is Yoko Ono, viciously known as the manipulative witch who broke up The Beatles.
© Getty Images
14 / 35 Fotos
Yoko Ono
- The original female scapegoat, she was blamed for the band's separation. Her boyfriend and creative partner John Lennon had thrown himself into their musical and artistic collaborations, so it was assumed he left the band for her.
© Getty Images
15 / 35 Fotos
Yoko Ono
- Many famous women have been blamed for influencing their boyfriends and husbands, releasing the men of responsibility for their actions. It became known as the "Yoko Effect." Both Ariana Grande and Courtney Love suffered the same branding.
© Getty Images
16 / 35 Fotos
Michelle Obama
- Although Michelle Obama is arguably one of the most loved First Ladies of the United States, she is also one of the most harshly criticized.
© Getty Images
17 / 35 Fotos
Michelle Obama
- Michelle showed her worth while campaigning with Barack for his first presidential election. She was an excellent public speaker and crowds loved her, but her active role made her a target for the press.
© Getty Images
18 / 35 Fotos
Michelle Obama
- Since leaving the White House, Michelle shared how hurtful it was to be portrayed as a "too-tall, too-forceful, ready-to-emasculate Godzilla of a political wife."
© Getty Images
19 / 35 Fotos
Diana Frances Spencer
- It's no surprise that Prince Harry and Meghan took extreme measures to protect themselves from the public eye. Harry's mother, Princess Diana, tragically died after years of being hunted by the media.
© Getty Images
20 / 35 Fotos
Diana Frances Spencer
- Princess Di suffered a fate common to many famous women. While married to Prince Charles she was much loved and put on a pedestal, but after their divorce she became a source of scorn as tabloids sneered at her philanthropic efforts. There were also constant headlines claiming the queen disliked her.
© Getty Images
21 / 35 Fotos
Diana Frances Spencer
- Diana tragically died, along with her male companion and driver, in a car accident in 1997. They were reportedly attempting to escape paparazzi who were chasing them.
© Getty Images
22 / 35 Fotos
Hillary Rodham Clinton
- Hillary Clinton has been a figure in the media for decades, but the coverage of her presidential campaign was comparable to warfare.
© Getty Images
23 / 35 Fotos
Hillary Rodham Clinton
- True to form, the press dissected Clinton's appearance, voice, and overall likeability in a manner that male candidates are rarely subjected to. Even more damaging were the rumors that were spread to convince the voters that she was a despicable criminal.
© Getty Images
24 / 35 Fotos
Hillary Rodham Clinton
- One of the most troubling lies was that Clinton was running a paedophile ring out of a Pizzeria in Washington, DC. One poll showed that almost 50% of Trump supporters believed this was true.
© Getty Images
25 / 35 Fotos
Monica Lewinsky
- Although Hillary Clinton suffered unpleasant media attention during the sex scandal surrounding Bill Clinton in 1998, it was Monica Lewinsky who would go down in history for her role.
© Getty Images
26 / 35 Fotos
Monica Lewinsky
- Lewinsky was a 22-year-old intern at the White House when her affair with Bill Clinton began. Even though he was 49 years old and the President of the United States, the narrative spun by the press was that she was a home-wrecking seductress.
© Getty Images
27 / 35 Fotos
Monica Lewinsky
- Investigators compiled the notorious Starr Report which contained unnecessarily explicit details of Lewinsky's sex life. This only fanned the flames.
© Getty Images
28 / 35 Fotos
Angela Merkel
- The Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, has been a high profile political figure for decades. The sense of dislike for her in the media is palpable.
© Getty Images
29 / 35 Fotos
Angela Merkel
- Merkel's allegedly dowdy appearance has been the subject of countless articles. The press seem to make a distinct effort to catch her making an unflattering face so they can include it in their coverage.
© Getty Images
30 / 35 Fotos
Angela Merkel
- Even though she is critized for not being feminine enough, there was uproar when she wore a dress with a low neckline to the opera. The tabloids bombarded us with photos of her leaning forward.
© Getty Images
31 / 35 Fotos
Marcia Clark
- Marcia Clark was the state prosecutor in the OJ Simpson trial in 1995. She is tough, smart, and highly successful, but it was rare to see a female prosecutor in such a high profile case, and the media consequently had a field day picking apart her appearance and her behavior.
© Getty Images
32 / 35 Fotos
Marcia Clark
- She famously came to court with a new perm hairdo one day which made headlines across the country. Even within the court, her opponent Johnnie Cochran called her hysterical, and the judge advised the jury not to be distracted by her skirts.
© Getty Images
33 / 35 Fotos
Marcia Clark
- Clark was going through a divorce at the time and the papers published details from court papers filed by her ex-husband. This lead to further personal attacks about her abilities as a mother. In the end the trial was lost. See also: Shocking cases of celebrities who were accused of murder
© Getty Images
34 / 35 Fotos
Famous women who were demonized by the media
British columnist Jeremy Clarkson's "vile" and "abusive" article about Meghan Markle sparks outrage
© Getty Images
Despite the recent progress in gender equality, sexism in media coverage of powerful women is woefully untamed. Female celebrities and politicians have their appearances scrutinized and criticized exponentially more than men in the same position. Their appearance is tied to their likeability and eligibility for positions of power. Every step is carefully observed, the paparazzi are just waiting to capture the fall.
Meghan Markle became one of the most talked-about women of the decade after marrying Prince Harry. Nasty tabloid stories and online trolling were two major factors that drove the couple to exit the royal family. After their Netflix docuseries 'Harry & Meghan' discussed the harmful effects of the racist, misogynistic rhetoric used to fuel hatred against Markle, an article in The Sun by British columnist Jeremy Clarkson caught people's attention for exhibiting exactly the kind of dangerous so-called reporting that contributed to Markle's suicidal ideation and continues to negatively affect her mental health and safety.
Jeremy Clarkson, who attended Queen Camilla's Mayfair lunch in December 2022, wrote of Markle in his article published December 16: "I hate her on a cellular level." He continued, "At night, I'm unable to sleep as I lie there, grinding my teeth and dreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant, 'Shame!' and throw lumps of excrement at her."
Many Twitter users have called his words "vile" and "abusive," as well as "a blatant appeal to incite humiliation and violence on a woman." Even Jeremy's daughter, Emily Clarkson, condemned his piece. She wrote on her Instagram Story, "My views are and always have been clear when it comes to misogyny, bullying and the treatment of women by the media. I want to make it very clear that I stand against everything that my dad wrote about Meghan Markle and I remain standing in support of those that are targeted with online hatred."
The world is slowly starting to see through the character assassinations that put these women's livelihoods at risk and try to scare them out of having a voice. Click through this gallery to see which other famous females suffered at the hands of the media, and how.
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