Famous women who were demonized by the media

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."

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 fair game for the press.

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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."

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Meghan Markle -

It seems that the only women more heavily scrutinized than the First Ladies are those who marry into the royal family. When Meghan Markle began dating Prince Harry, she was called the older divorced woman (she is a mere three years older than Harry).

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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 pretences, and bribed ex-boyfriends to talk about her.

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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 duties and live separately from the royal family.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Monica Lewinsky -

Investigators compiled the notorious Starr Report which contained unnecessarily explicit details of Lewinsky's sex life. This only fanned the flames.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Famous women who were demonized by the media

Dua Lipa calls out full-page ad in New York Times accusing her and the Hadids of 'anti-Semitism'

24/05/21 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Sexism

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.

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 that have killed over 240 Palestinians, including 66 children, and left nearly 100,000 Palestinians displaced. The Hadids' father is Palestinian, and Dua Lipa is 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: “I utterly reject the false and appalling allegations that were published in the New York Times advertisement,” and added, "This is the price you pay for defending Palestinian human rights against an Israeli government whose actions in Palestine both Human Rights Watch and the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem accuse of persecution and discrimination."

She explained that she believes all people, whether they're Jewish, Muslim, or Christian, "have the right to live in peace as equal citizens of a state they choose," and added, "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.”

As the world slowly starts 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.