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Double Standard for Damsels in Distress?

By ALEX WILLIAMS,
The New York Times
Posted: 2008-02-17 14:36:57
Filed Under: Movie News, Music News, TV News
(Feb. 17) - A video of Heath Ledger hanging out at a drug-fueled party two years before his death would seem to constitute must-see material for a tabloid entertainment show.

But when such a video ended up in the hands of the producers of "Entertainment Tonight," the program declined to broadcast it, a spokeswoman said, "out of respect for Heath Ledger's family." The 28-year-old actor died on Jan. 22 from what the medical examiner called an accidental overdose of prescription medications.

Amy Winehouse did not merit the same discretion. Images from a video that showed her smoking what a British tabloid, The Sun, said was a pipe of crack cocaine, as well as admitting to having taken "about six" Valium, were widely disseminated in the news media around the same time.

When Owen Wilson was hospitalized in August after an apparent suicide attempt, his plight was the subject of a single US Weekly cover story. Not so Britney Spears, recently confined in a psychiatric ward, who has inspired six cover stories for the magazine during the same time span.

When Kiefer Sutherland was released from the jail in Glendale, Calif., after serving a 48-day sentence for a drunken driving conviction, the event merited little more than buried blurbs.

Contrast this to Paris Hilton's return to jail last year after a brief release to serve the rest of a 45-day sentence for a probation violation involving alcohol-related reckless driving. The event invited a level of attention that evoked the O. J. Simpson trial. Hordes of cameras enveloped the limousine that ferried the tear-streaked heiress to jail.

Yes, women are hardly the only targets of harsh news media scrutiny -- just ask Mel Gibson. But months of parallel incidents like these seem to demonstrate disparate standards of coverage. Men who fall from grace are treated with gravity and distance, while women in similar circumstances are objects of derision, titillation and black comedy.

Some celebrities and their handlers are now saying straight out that the news media have a double standard.

"Without a doubt, women get rougher treatment, less sensitive treatment, more outrageous treatment," said Ken Sunshine, a publicist whose clients include Ben Affleck and Barbra Streisand. "I represent some pretty good-looking guys, and I complain constantly about the way they're treated and covered. But it's absolutely harder for the women I represent."

How Well Do You Know Britney Spears?

On what day was Britney Spears born?

  • November 13, 1981
  • December 2, 1981
  • December 22, 1981

What state is Britney's hometown of Kentwood in?

  • Louisiana
  • Alabama
  • Mississippi

How many brothers and sisters does Britney have?

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3

What is Britney's middle name?

  • Lynne
  • Jamie
  • Jean

Who was not a member of the 'New Mickey Mouse Club' with Britney?

  • Christina Aguilera
  • Ryan Gosling
  • Jake Gyllenhaal

What was the name of the all-female pop group Britney was a part of before her solo career took off?

  • Innosense
  • Girls Aloud
  • Heartbreakers

During her career, Britney has sold over 83 million albums. Which is the best-selling of them all?

  • ' ... Baby One More Time'
  • 'Oops! ... I Did It Again'
  • 'In the Zone'

Her debut, '... Baby One More Time' made her star. What was the follow up to Britney's first album?

  • 'Oops! ... I Did It Again'
  • 'Britney'
  • 'In the Zone'

Which song won Britney her first and only Grammy?

  • 'Everytime'
  • 'Toxic'
  • '(You Drive Me) Crazy'

Britney dated Colin Farell

  • True
  • False

On which hit show did Britney make a brief appearance?

  • 'Friends'
  • 'Sex and the City'
  • 'Will and Grace'

What is the name of Britney's latest CD?

  • 'Gimme More'
  • 'Blackout'
  • 'Piece of Me'
Liz Rosenberg, a publicist at Warner Bros./Reprise Records who represents Madonna, among others, also thinks sexism is at work. "Do you see them following Owen Wilson morning, noon and night?" she asked.

Some editors confirm that they handle female celebrities differently. But the reason, they say, is rooted not in sexism, but in the demographics of their audience.

The readership of US Weekly, for example, is 70 percent female; for People, it's more than 90 percent, according to the editors of these magazines.

"Almost no female magazines will put a solo male on the cover," said Janice Min, the editor in chief of US Weekly. "You just don't. It's cover death. Women don't want to read about men unless it's through another woman: a marriage, a baby, a breakup."

Thus, magazine coverage of Mr. Ledger's death gave way to stories about Michelle Williams, Mr. Ledger's former girlfriend and the mother of his daughter; US Weekly, for instance, put the headlines "A Mother's Pain" and "My Heart is Broken" atop a four-page spread. Mary-Kate Olsen, telephoned several times by the discoverer of Mr. Ledger's body, came in for it, too: "What Mary-Kate Knows" trumpeted In Touch Weekly.

Indeed, while one of People's best-selling issues of the last year was its cover story on Mr. Wilson's suicide attempt, a follow-up cover on his recovery was one of the worst sellers, said Larry Hackett, the managing editor.

Conversely, he said, the Britney Spears story continues to flourish precisely because women are fascinated by the challenges facing a young mother.

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"If Britney weren't a mother, this story wouldn't be getting a fraction of attention it's getting," Mr. Hackett said. "The fact that the custody of her children is at stake is the fuel of this narrative. If she were a single woman, bombing around in her car with paparazzi following, it wouldn't be the same."

Others, like Roger Friedman, an entertainment reporter for FoxNews.com, said that female stars tend to make more-compelling stories because "they are more emotional and open" about their problems. Male stars, he said, tend to be "circumspect."

Rebecca Roy, a psychotherapist in Beverly Hills, Calif., who has several clients in the entertainment industry, said that male celebrities can often wriggle out of trouble with a rakish bad-boy shrug. But, she said, the double standard can reinforce the destructive behavior of female stars, pushing them to further depths of substance abuse and erratic behavior.

Ms. Roy said that troubled male stars like Robert Downey Jr. are encouraged to move past problems to a second act in their careers, while the personal battles of women like Lindsay Lohan or the late Anna Nicole Smith are often played for maximum entertainment value.

"With men, there's an emphasis on, 'he had this issue, but he's getting over it,' " Ms. Roy said. "But with women, it's like they keep at it, keep at it. It's almost like taking the wings off of a fly."

Ms. Min acknowledged that her magazine played down its coverage of Owen Wilson and Heath Ledger. Part of the reason, she said, was that female readers tend to be sympathetic toward young men in crisis.

"With Heath Ledger, people walked on eggshells trying to strike the right tone," Ms. Min said, adding that "public sentiment for Heath Ledger factored into our coverage."

Edna Herrmann, a clinical psychologist in Los Angeles, said that while schadenfreude is part of the enjoyment of star travails, women especially respond to female celebrities with commonplace demons. "Misery likes company," Dr. Herrmann said.

But some believe the power of a celebrity's publicist has more bearing on coverage than gender. "Entertainment Tonight" reversed its plans to show the video of Mr. Ledger following protests from stars like Natalie Portman and Josh Brolin organized by ID, which represented Mr. Ledger and still represents Ms. Williams.

In some cases, celebrities may be victims of their own appetites for media attention. "It would seem to me that no one who demanded, who expected privacy, at the get-go was denied that privacy," said Stan Rosenfield, a publicist who represents George Clooney.

And Harvey Levin, the managing editor of the gossip Web site TMZ.com, said that female stars are afforded every opportunity to move past their sins, as long as they clean up their behavior.

"Nicole Richie, who took a beating generally for being a screw-up, has turned it around, and everyone's cheering for her now," Mr. Levin said of the former Paris Hilton sidekick and tabloid staple, now the mother of a month-old daughter.

Even if news media coverage is weighted in their favor, male celebrities aren't exactly feeling immune from harsh scrutiny.

"There is certainly an argument for it being incredibly sexist, the attention that's given to women and the hounding of them," the actor Colin Farrell said at a recent party for his new film, "In Bruges."

Mr. Farrell, who has attracted his share of attention, said such potential bias did not make him any less of a news media target. "If they catch me out and about," he said, "they'll go for it."

As Mr. Farrell spoke in a room filled with journalists and photographers, he was not even sipping a beer.

Additional reporting by Paula Schwartz.

Copyright © 2008 The New York Times Company
2008-02-17 11:48:28
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284 comments

Clcat2008 01:59:02 PM Feb 25 2008

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cynthialeathers
you are mesmerized by bullshit psychitaric faciloty try a 5150- it was jiust kept quiet by a great pr person and hes an EARNER
follow the money people remember women may wanto tread about women but they will not go see movie x because someone"unsafe" is in it women dont wnato see women onscareen who scare them or challenge them wich is how sandra dee was number one box office for 6 years and doris day and debbie reynolds and janet christ last name???im mrs norman maine? rene zellweger, wonen haveno interest in seeing sharon stone in a film bring that movie star shit shes got and wome over forty iunless theyre british ( they must be better than us) and do you ewven know what different driugs do? adderal? sm,oking merth? smoking crack? sedatives? oxys vs heroin vs nocro vs vicodin? do you have any ubndrstabnding of addiction? i do not allow tablopiuds in my house and i am mnor ethan dissapointed in this site i was so excited to join in an intelligent discussion about

Angelsbare 01:47:26 PM Feb 20 2008

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I think children do play into the mix as its not well kept secret that lots of celebrities drink and party too much. The media scrutiny for the Spears family is unbelievable though. Heath Ledger was a father too and he did have an obligation once you have a child to do your best to be by their side as they grow up. I am on prescription drugs for health and other issues, I have 2 kids to think of though so no matter how bad things get for me, my kids are first and foremost.
I think Britney started spiraling out of control when she divorced Kevin, I know a lot of women non public figures who do that, but it doesn't take them as long to get back on track. Britney whether its your opinion of her being a talented entertainer or just lucky is hunted and crucified in the media, between personal problems, a very public custody battle and now conservatorship doesn't help. Her sister at 16 seems more grounded even though she is pregnant but she isnt constantly on covers of magazines

Pinstrps 12:41:00 PM Feb 20 2008

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well all these girls are out there flashing body parts in front of every camera...they are Always out in the spotlight. It seems the male celebs know how to lay low and try to stay out of the spotlight when things are not going as well as they would like. Drunk, arrested, rehab, suicide attempts.....all the guys in these positions lay low...the girls eat it up and go out for more attention. It's just stupidity.
In britneys case I just think the girl needs real medical help and people around her who care for her and not her bank roll.

JasonDFarr 10:54:02 AM Feb 20 2008

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What I think is interesting is that this story is right next to a list of several Owen Wilson stories.

rockeyy27 07:01:54 AM Feb 20 2008

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Ya shes not in a punk band little girls listen to her i dont think most parents want there kids growing up like Britney all those hoes are miserable and most are scared to death most wont admit it woman arnt men the trash that act like men lose there kids get beat and live in hell drugs and alchol is a fgast diclinr for woman.

DbartCORPUS 06:04:52 AM Feb 20 2008

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I suppose if Owen had shaved his head, started speaking in a Brittish accent, wore a pink wig, run around in a kilt with no underwear on, go shoping in a wedding dress, abandon his car in the middle of the road, beat on a car with a baseball bat, party all night long...every night while ignoring his kids, perform one of the sadest "comeback" acts ever to be recorded.......geez, do I actually need to continue?....because sadly I can, as I have barely scratched the surface. This is why Ms Spears is in the news as often as she is. Such a ridiculous article, written by an idiot.

LAsWastedYouth 05:52:46 AM Feb 20 2008

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what they are doing to britany should be illegal,,,, im an old school punk fan, i dont like her music,,,, but the only difference between her and owen wilson is that he had people around him that were there to protect him> what the papz are doing to her, i wish papz were doing to them,,, cause i would love to see how f*cked up their lives are!..... the papz want to harrass her till she cant take it anymore, caus eits good business,,,,,,they are all scumbags,,,, and anyone who watches tmz is a scumbag,,,,,, if people harassed my "idols" i would be there f*cking them up! not watchin it on tv!

Nuparts4U 05:51:35 AM Feb 20 2008

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These Women / Girls keep screwing up. That is the reason why their stories sell and sell.

AL G 2 U 05:40:09 AM Feb 20 2008

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Jeez who cares anyway....Don't you all have bills??? Crackhead female "Talent" get rewarded...poor victims Britney and Amy get awards and hit albums. Great message for kids these days huh?

As for Heath and Owen(more Hollywood trash) They got all the attention they deserve....NONE!

pote207 05:39:54 AM Feb 20 2008

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I do not see many men acting like Spears. They would be in jail in no time.

THESCOT 05:34:37 AM Feb 20 2008

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Britny, whinehouse and all the rest constanly are out there. Why don't they just get lost somewhere?

Battlewagon38 05:24:28 AM Feb 20 2008

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owen left alone and brit not........maybe because owen doesn't call the media at 2am and say if you want pics I'm going for coffee, see me at the drive-thru.

Fmashpee 05:19:04 AM Feb 20 2008

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Can there be a conspiracy of the people to quit reading or viewing any Spears coverage so that tortured soul can be left alone?

DrzLou 05:16:57 AM Feb 20 2008

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Britney Spears is a f------ wacko, and should be locked up with the other f------wacko n----- Michael Jackson

Milwa66 05:13:26 AM Feb 20 2008

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I AM TIRED OF HEARING ABOUT THE "STARS" THEY ARE TRASH WHO HAVE TALENT BUT HAVE MISUSED. WE WHO REALLY HAVE TO WORK FOR A LIVING AND STILL CANNOT MAKE ENDS MEET AOL - GET RID OF THE TRASH YOU WRITE ABOUT AND COME UP WITH SOME GOOD INFORMATION FOR ALL HUMANS.

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