Vv Magazine’s Sarah Botelho (bravely) defends some of the most hated celebrities.
In the celebrity world, everyone is scrutinized under a microscope. We watch them with a close eye and criticize them for dating the wrong person or wearing last year’s trends. And sometimes, in the midst of all this gossip, we forget that underneath the glitz and glam, these are just people who watch Netflix in bed with a pint of ice cream in hand. So, here is a defense of some of the most hated celebrities in show business that hopefully appeals to the inner good-natured human in you.
Kim Kardashian
It’s a pastime to dislike nearly everyone in this family. I used to watch Keeping Up With The Kardashians for hours just because it was fun to hate them and marvel at how any one family could be so…bratty. But above all, this 34-year-old woman is independently wealthy.
Much to your dismay, she didn’t make millions by just lying around all day – she did it by turning a leaked sex tape into a media empire. Since their show premiered 8 years ago, Kim (along with her sisters) has expanded their clothing line into two more cities, helped create countless fragrances, been involved in hundreds of endorsements, written two books, been involved with a myriad of fashion collaborations, all while continuing to film several spin-off television shows. She may have become famous because of a sex tape but she stayed famous and developed more “respectable” business undertakings. She is in the business of being a celebrity and she’s playing the game very well. We created the need for a celebrity like her because we continue to consume everything she creates.
And then there are her marriages. She’s twice-divorced, and thrice-engaged. Which is apparently another moral failing? Now she has a family with a man she loves, so what’s the problem? Newsflash: Elizabeth Taylor was married EIGHT times. We live in a culture where marriage is the singular goal for a woman; the ultimate legitimization of femininity. So should we really be surprised that a woman living under our microscope would have bought into that lie as well?
There are legitimate reasons to take issue with Kim Kardashian (like her questionable charity work), but to belittle her accomplishments because she had sex on camera one time? I’m happy for Kim’s success and maybe you should be, too. Because there’s nothing less feminist than judging a woman by her sexual past.
Pitbull
Mr. Worldwide is another favourite to hate. The distaste seems to be more for his persona than his music, and while I personally have no real feelings towards Pitbull, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t deserve all the extreme internet hate he gets.
Whenever Pitbull declares himself “Mr. Worldwide,” he’s flaunting not only his impending wish for world domination, but his upbringing as a first generation Cuban in a city that holds one of the largest Latino populations in the country – Miami. His other nickname, “Mr. 305,” is the area code for his county in Miami. So flinching whenever you hear “Mr. Worldwide” at the beginning of a song is the same as flinching at a nod to Latino culture. When he started his career, he rapped in English and Spanish, staying true to his roots. We hate him because he promotes a style of rap that isn’t always accessible to an Americanized audience.
Pitbull isn’t a criminal, a racist, or some other variation of scum that the internet usually chooses to attack. Yes, he’s basically your wanna-be cool dad who dresses like any middle-aged Billboard artist and features on too many famous people’s tracks. But there are heaps more disgraceful celebrities out there who are raping, molesting, hate-spreading, and just generally being horrible people. When Mark Whalberg was in high school, he and some friends threw rocks at young black children whilst yelling racial slurs. Do you know how many people Pitbull has done that to? Zero.
Ultimately, the only thing Pitbull’s guilty of is being kind of lame. Unless Pitbull secretly ruined Christmas or murdered an adorable panda bear and tweeted about it, my feelings about him are staying in the neutral territory they belong in. He’s just a harmless guy who wants to be invited to your birthday party.
Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway has always been nice. She has a nice face, nice hair, nice teeth, and she’s just all around nice. But apparently sometimes you can be “too nice.” And that’s when people start blindly hating you.
People cite her hosting the Oscars 2 years ago as the moment everyone started to hate her, but I think it came before that. People had been holding in their hatred for Anne for years and this was just their opportunity to release it. Look at the women you see on the red carpet. They stare into the distance, mouth closed, like they have a secret. Teenaged angsty stars, bold and brooding sex symbols, tomboyish funny-types, middle aged women dressed elegantly – and then there’s Anne. She looks directly at the camera (almost imploringly) and her smile is big, unapologetic, and taking up half her bright happy face. She embodies the archetype of the happy girl – someone we as a society are determined to un-happy-ify.
Little girls learn quickly to not ask openly for praise to avoid being labeled as a “diva” or “someone who tries to hard” or “that annoying show-girl.” They are taught to adjust their excitement to a level that’s socially acceptable. Anne Hathaway seems to have never learned this lesson. She’s holding up her bright, shiny accomplishments and she wants us to praise them (and she deserves it). Don’t believe me? Watch her performance in Rachel Getting Married. Would it really be so awful to give her the applause she deserves?
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Which hated celebrity do you think is worth defending? Let Vv Magazine know in the comments below, or tweet us @ViewtheVibe.
