After reading the latest headline of former child star turned professional train wreck Lindsay Lohan accepting a plea deal to go to mandatory "lock down" rehab, I instantly starting making judgments about this girl. Okay, maybe at this point they aren't judgments because she has a series of screw ups and consistent "eff yous" to the law that I feel like I have a pretty good stack of paparazzi photos and court documents to prove this girl kinda isn't great at life. But it got me thinking about why we are so invested in these celebrity's lives. Why we care so much when one of them wears something awful, says something offensive or kinda sorta really breaks the law. But it isn't everyone who cares so much. It's mostly women. I have never been around a group of straight men and the conversation steers to celebrity gossip. Okay, correction--I've never been around a group of straight men and the conversation steers to celebrity gossip that does not entail a sex tape or some upskirt vag pics.
So what's the deal ladies? Why do we care so much? I do tend to believe that women like to gossip and chatter way more than men do. And this isn't me just making sweeping judgments I have sat on my bed with a friend scrolling through a gossip website laughing, making fun of and assuming a lot about these people's characters who I don't know even a little bit. I also constantly see and hear women talking smack or repeating stories about someone they know, kinda know, or love to hate. It's kind of become who we are as women. We gossip. A lot. In all forms, in all walks of life, in any place. You can be riding the bus hearing women exchanging the latest story about a fellow housekeeper on their morning commute (not racist because it's true) or in the bathroom of a restaurant and hear girls ridiculing their sole friend who was left at the table's outfit.
I wouldn't make this such an issue or ponder over it too much because most gossip (at least the celebrity kind) can be pretty harmless but I think it's getting to the point where it's not. Women are judged far more harshly than men are in society. Just look at how they are treated in the public eye. Everyone knows and recognizes the mugshots of lady celebs post their bad girl behavior, but did you know that Josh Brolin got a DUI like a couple months ago? Probably not, because no one really cares and most girls probably weren't talking about it.
My point is that it seems that we ladies can kind of be our own downfall. We talk a lot of about other girls to the point where it becomes impossible to separate the person from the slip ups. But men don't do that to one another. At least not as much in my opinion. I don't like that we as women have stopped supporting each other and started ticking off reasons to hate or make fun of one another.
I do think a lot of why it is acceptable to talk bad about women more than men is because it is more acceptable for men to be bad. They're just branded "bad boys". And it's not a bad thing. It becomes sexy, mysterious and even an image that can be sought after. But women are generally expected to behave a certain way and if they don't, they're in trouble. There is no "bad girl" image that is flattering or complimentary for women. Usually it's just an implication that everyone thinks you need help or are being kind of a whore.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, we as women should really cut each other some slack. Maybe society has wired us to think that we should pass judgement on girls who make bad decisions and laugh at them or show no sympathy for their perils, but girl you know there was a night (or several nights) where you were doing something where someone walked by and muttered "oh my god did you see that girl?". Whether it be puking in a trashcan in public, getting pulled over by the police, or wearing something that left little to the imagination Point is, we've all done something that we would probably judge ourselves for, so shut up. Except when it comes to Lindsay. I think we can all agree that homegirl has had enough chances.
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