I could give a shit less about Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson’s breakup. Seriously. I haven’t read the Twilight books and I haven’t seen the movies. I have only read academic articles about the phenomenon, and know just enough to be repelled by the idea of stalking-as-romance and utterly grossed out by the idea of a five year old in a 18 year old body marrying her mom’s old boyfriend.
But that is neither here nor there.
It is the double standard and the level of social ostracism Stewart received after she was busted having an affair with a Rupert Sanders, a married director almost twice her age, that is getting my goat. Yes, it is disgusting that she slept with a married guy (I don’t judge ployamorous couples but I dislike cheaters intensely, because they hurt people) but she is the only one getting massive fallout over it.
Like this excellent article in the Huffington Post pointed out the fact that only Kristen Stewart is being punished, both in her career and in her public life, is problematic because of culture of slut shaming that the Kristen Stewart scandal represents and it hurts girls and women.
“I am concerned for all the young women today who are tuned into this scandal, ones who are learning that it’s not okay to screw up, ever. Chris Brown can publicly beat the hell out of his girlfriend but still be played on the radio and win Grammys. However, if you ever cheat on your boyfriend, your life is over and no one will ever want to be associated with you. Almost no one will blame the much-older guy you cheated with, and it might actually make him more famous and help his career. Few will care that he was your boss and in a position of authority or that he may have have taken advantage of your youth and relative inexperience. Everything is your fault, and your life will be threatened over it. If you are a trampire, you will be publicly staked for it, even though cheater Ashton Kutcher recently emerged relatively unscathed by the media. No one asked for him to be fired from Two and a Half Men.”
Meanwhile, the possibility that Pattinson was cheating on Kristen Stewart multiple times for years (with photos to back it up, BTW) has appeared but seldom in the media. I guess it is not that big a deal if Pattinson falls into every vagina he meet and even does a few dudes, because men can’t help it. They are totally enslaved by their junk and it is never their fault if they make the beast with two backs; it is always the fault of that hose-beast that let them have the sex instead of keeping the HooHa under lock and key like good girls in order to save men from themselves.
I call bullshit on the double standard.
I agree. But what can we DO about it? You’re helping because people read your stuff. What can someone like me do? Write a book about it I suppose. A novel that turns the hypocrisy on its ear.
Yet another reason for me to buy your books :0)
What we can do is speak out at every turn…until we stop quietly accepting…it will continue. Bravo Feminist Mom!
I agree. The older MARRIED AUTHORITY FIGURE is getting out of this with better name recognition, the pop culti cache of having bagged bella from twilight, and no consequences at all. While the very very young woman is being flogged with her mistake.
This crap annoys the hell out of me.
Damn fucking straight. The double standards in our society are so unbelievable it’s almost funny- and then you realise that people actually believe that BS. Glad to find a likeminded blogger about slut-shaming, just did an article on it myself if you want to take a look http://twitettes.wordpress.com/2012/09/09/slut-shaming-if-you-value-yourself-as-a-womanmanperson-stop-it-now/
And YOU are also damn fucking straight! Where is the sisterhood and why don’t some women understand that it could be them who will next be judged? They think they are “safe”, in the patriarchy…uhg.
And the quote at the end is something I say ALL THE TIME.
Thank you! And I know! We should be knocking down these bullshit “trampire” allegations with a fucking hammer, not slut-shaming her! I agree that I hate cheaters, they’re selfish. But it’s ALWAYS the woman’s fault and not the man…