Portrayal of Man and Woman in Pride and Prejudice

All women love “Pride and Prejudice.” And really, why shouldn’t they? The story of the intrepid and, at times, impertinent Elizabeth Bennet is an alluring one. It’s a story of a comely young women looking for her prince charming, it’s a story of an iconoclast challenging antiquated social conventions, it’s a story that juxtaposes bourgeois pride against blue-collar prejudice and, perhaps most importantly, it’s a story about marriage and all the different reasons one has for getting married: love, money, improving social status, practicality, etc. In a lot of ways, Pride and Prejudice is an instructive expose on marriage and male-female relationships. And it’s the purpose of this paper to examine how Austen’s seminal work explores the institution of marriage from numerous angles while providing the reader with uncanny and insightful aphorisms concerning the dynamic between men and women, i.e. “Stupid men are the only ones worth knowing after all” (Austen 132).

To begin, one cannot talk about Pride and Prejudice, in particular the marriage market in Pride and Prejudice, without referencing one of the more famous quotes from the book, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (Austen 1). The first reaction a modern reader might have is, “My, how times have changed.” But all joking aside, this quote, which appears at the very beginning of the book sets up a fascinating proposition about marriage, class and gender relations. In short it establishes the rudimentary idea that ‘man has money; man wants/seeks wife.’

Obviously, ‘man has money, man seeks wife’ isn’t all that fascinating, but what is compelling is the way Austen complicates the message by mixing in elements of provinciality, financial expediency, corporeal possession in the next paragraph, “However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighborhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters (Austen 1).”

This is a wonderfully enlightening paragraph because it inverts what a reader’s expectation might be and what traditional, superficial wisdom was. That is, the idea that ‘man has money; man seeks wife’ is an overly simplistic way of rendering reality. In reality, women are seeking a rich man, who (depending on his views) may or may not want a wife. And when Austen’s statement is explicated as such, the modern reader might say, “Wow, times haven’t changed at all!”

The notion that women marry for money is a universal and eternal concept. Austen is keenly aware of this. And she’s keenly aware of how provincial women are in want of a man who has money — and that this is, perhaps, the more insightful observation. It’s a case were the predator (the man) has become the prey. Moreover, speaking in terms of the objectification of women (corporeal possession), which was undoubtedly the socially accepted way of treating women circa 1813s (Caroline Bingley’s desirability was enhanced by her twenty thousand pound dowry) Austen demonstrates in those first few paragraphs that it’s really a matter of a women owning a man, “he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters (Austen 1).” In short, men are chattel to be possessed by the shrewdest and most resourceful debutante. Elizabeth, the protagonist in the novel, rejects Charlotte’s views on marriage and love. She rejects Mr. Collins’ proposal of marriage even though he is a man of means. For his part Mr. Collins cannot fathom the rejection and believes Elizabeth is only playing hard to get. Through this Austin is demonstrating Elizabeth’s independence and showing that she has a free will. Mr. Collins reaction shows this is not the typical female behavior he expects.

Elizabeth Bennet is the personification of this ideal. She is pretty (but not as pretty as her elder sister) she is smart and headstrong. While on the surface, and for much of the novel, it is the men who are pursuing her, she holds the power to ultimately determine her own fate and whom she marries. Like a Venus flytrap, she waits for the right man to come along, to pursue her faux nectar, and then she clamps her jaws down on him. See, Elizabeth holds the power and in the end, she winds up with the man she wants, Mr. Darcy. In this respect, Pride and Prejudice is about the power and influence women hold over men. It is significant to note that Elizabeth was attracted to George Wickham. Wickham, like Charlotte, viewed marriage as a method of improving one’s lot in life. His eventual marriage to Lydia, Elizabeth’s sister, is only consummated by a guarantee of an allowance. Austen is showing that men and women are more alike than one might surmise.

Mr. Collins comes to the startling realization that it’s Elizabeth who has the control. And how Austen manifests this realization is compelling for the reader.

‘Pardon me for interrupting you, madam,’ cried Mr. Collins; ‘but if she is really headstrong and foolish, I know not whether she would altogether be a very desirable wife to a man in my situation, who naturally looks for happiness in the marriage state. If therefore she actually persists in rejecting my suit, perhaps it were better not to force her into accepting me, because if liable to such defects of temper, she could not contribute much to my felicity (Austen 96).’

Boy, Mr. Collins is a pompous man, “she could not contribute much to my felicity.” The bible says, “pride precedes destruction and a haughty spirit before the fall.” Mr. Collins is a sterling example of this lesson. His pride precludes him from seeing his own pompousness. Moreover, his haughty disposition won’t let him admit what he knows deep down inside his being: Elizabeth is not attracted to him. Instead of blaming himself for his own shortcomings, “Mr. Collins was not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society,” he blames Elizabeth’s temerity, her independent nature, her indomitable spirit (which he mislabels foolishness), which is arguably one of her most attractive qualities to both the male and female reader.

It’s the dynamic between Mr. Collins and Elizabeth that helps to turn the ‘man has money, man seeks wife’ social custom on its head. Elizabeth is tacitly suggesting, ‘man has money – so what?’ And the reader can assume, by extension, that Austen is making a similar point about early nineteenth century society, i.e. there’s more to marriage than money.

Now, it should be duly noted that Austen’s narrative is carefully wrought and that she needs to (or is compelled to by traditional literary norms) add levity to her novel. That is, to underscore her point about the power that women have over men, she has to add ancillary scenarios, characters and situations that are representations of conventional paradigms. She does so via Elizabeth’s sisters and friends and their respective male suitors.

Who can forget Charlotte’s admission about her own practical view of marriage, ‘I see what you are feeling,’ replied Charlotte. ‘You must be surprised, very much surprised–so lately as Mr. Collins was wishing to marry you. But when you have had time to think it over, I hope you will be satisfied with what I have done. I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins’s character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state” (Austen 177).

Charlotte is a 19th Century realist. She recognizes that a well-heeled suitor like Mr. Collins, the heir to Mr. Bennet’s estate, is about all she can ask for. She lacks a romantic spirit; she claims she never had it. But one can argue that this is betrayed by, to quote Jackson Browne, “the resignation that living brings.” That is to say, (despite the lack of evidence in the book and hypothetically speaking) she probably had, at one point or another, a yearning for a torrid love affair with a strapping young buck, the desire for real romance, but real life has suppressed this yearning to the point where she now is willing to accept stately convenience over romantic conviction. Charlotte’s is a cynical view of marriage and implies that it is acceptable, in fact expected for a woman to be materialistic, backstabbing and conniving in order to achieve their ends. Fittingly, Charlotte marries Mr. Collins for his money.

The reader cannot blame Charlotte for her attitude. Life was hard back then. Life is hard now. And, there is factual truth in her statement, “I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state,” – it’s been proven that the number one cause of divorce is money, so presuming it was the same back then, as long as Mr. Collins provides for her, she’ll be pleased. To put a finer point on her situation, one can argue that Charlotte won’t be happy per se; she’ll be content.

Our heroine, however, gets to have her cake and eat it too. Elizabeth winds up with Mr. Darcy who is both wealthy and the man she ends up falling in love with. This is a woman’s narrative about weddings after all, and Austen elected to reward her readers with some Shakespearean symmetry: a lot of marriages, people are generally happy or content at the end of the book.

To make sense of how this unlikely couple ended up together, Austen includes a conversation between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, where Elizabeth says, “You were disgusted with the women who were always speaking and looking, and thinking for your approbation alone. I roused, and interested you, because I was so unlike them.” Yes, this is true. Mr. Darcy’s fell in love with Elizabeth because she had a palpable otherness, an otherness that was rooted in defiance to conventional norms and a relatively fixed social order. Pride and Prejudice shows the reader that although a man has money and may be in search of a wife, it’s often the woman that gets what she wants.

Vivian Jones notes that Pride and Prejudice offers a great deal of good sense for the naturally drawn characters and that Elizabeth Bennet is a heroine whose independence of character is kept within the proper line of decorum. The expression of feminist values was not as overt two hundred years ago as it is today. Nevertheless, this does not diminish the importance of the sentiments. Michael Stasio and Kathryn Duncan have observed that a paradigm shift regarding marriage and gender occurred during the eighteenth century. The subordination of women began to diminish and new ideologies of gender and marriage began to surface. “Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than in the most canonical of domestic novels, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.”

This novel revolves around a number of marriages and courtships. In each case the participants are identified by social status. At the time this novel was written social status was determined by a number of factors including family background, reputation, and wealth. Marriage was a method of raising ones social status.

Eighteenth-century England is a man’s world. Men have choice and freedom and depend on nobody but themselves. However, Elizabeth does what she thinks is best for her and does not accept the social norms and expectations imposed upon her. Her rejection of Darcy’s proposal of marriage, based on her initial impression of him further demonstrates her independent nature and break from the stereotypical expectations of the day. This independence, which Darcy finds attractive, is an expression of Austen’s feminist beliefs.

Work Cited

  1. Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Penguin, 2003.
Posted in Man

Is Obesity Affecting Your Sex Life?

Let me be clear before I dive into the world of sex and being overweight. If you are confident, and your partner, or yourself makes you feel sexy, and desirable, then you are guaranteed to communicate that between the sheets. This isn’t the case for everyone though, there have been studies done that connect being overweight to having lower energy levels and less motivation. So, I guess the question is…will losing weight help my sex life?

Men: There has been some research done at the Obesity Action Coalition, which has linked sexual dysfunction and obesity. Many obese men suffer from erectile dysfunction and buried penis syndrome, that’s when the penis is buried beneath folds of skin. Being obese can cause erectile dysfunction by damaging the blood vessels due to the combination of hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and inflammation. It can also cause decreased testosterone. It has been well documented and studied that obesity often leads to diabetes as well as cardiovascular disease, which can cause erectile dysfunction. It appears as though, obesity damages the inner lining of the vessels and when the lining is damaged the penis can’t get enough blood flow to sustain an erection.

Women: Several research studies have shown that women that are overweight are more likely to suffer from sexual problems. The research done has shown that there is poor circulation in the genital area. Many women lose their sexual confidence when they put on weight. When you gain weight, a flurry of hormones gets thrown out of whack which affects your libido. Being obese also affects your reproductive system, making it harder for you to become pregnant. It’s a lot harder to get pregnant when you’re obese, whether you’re using IVF or natural means. The issue is called by hormonal issues, it also increases your risk of miscarriage.

If you’ve ever felt your desire fizzle out along with the fit of your skinny jeans, you can relate. Being overweight causes a lot of chemical and hormonal changes throughout your body, all of which affect your libido. Our bodies have a natural chemical called sex-hormone-binding globulin, when you are overweight this hormone increases, which then causes your testosterone, the hormone that stimulates sexual desire, to fall. In association with this, high cholesterol is connected to obesity, which can lead to plaque buildup in the blood vessels that supply your nether regions. This slows blood to your clitoris and genitals, completely annihilating sexual arousal.

There’s no magic pill to instantly restore your libido. You may be reading this and thinking that all is lost. That’s not true, if you have the motivation and desire to get in shape and lose weight, anything is possible. There are things you can do every day to light your own fire. You can’t just wait for your libido to explode like a volcano, you have to nurture it. Studies have shown that when you exercise, you feel better about your body image and have more energy; especially more energy for sex.

Not digging your partners’ love handles or gentle round beer belly? Encourage your partner to get in shape. Exercising releases endorphins and dopamine. Sometimes exercising alone doesn’t shed off that extra weight; sometimes you need a little help. We’re here to help you with your weight loss goals.

Posted in Man

Analysis of Man Therapy Campaign: Problems, Solutions and Suggestions

Public Health focuses on preventing and raising awareness about widespread diseases and healthcare topics empowerment and health promotion. A Health Campaign is a type of media campaign which promotes public health by making new health interventions available. The organizers of the campaign, usually the government and some organisation, use education to spread awareness of the targeted problem and then provide further opportunities to get it checked and provide treatment.

There have been several mental health campaigns around the globe focusing on issues that are “perceived” to be unacceptable, like suicide, sexuality, depression, etc. One of the famous campaigns is Man Therapy, which was initiated in Colorado, USA.

Man Therapy Campaign

Introduction

Man Therapy is an interactive mental health campaign, started in Colorado, targeting working men (25-54) that employs humour to cut through stigma and deal with issues like depression, and divorce. The project is a result of unique public/private/non-profit partnership established in 2007 between Cactus, a Denver-based advertising agency, the Office of Suicide Prevention at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Carson J Spencer Foundation, a Colorado-based suicide prevention non-profit organization1. Carson J Spencer Foundation mainly aims at delivering innovative and effective suicide prevention programs for working-aged people2. Cactus is a full-service brand communication agency providing business solutions for companies through brand strategies, design, interactive and media services. The Office of Suicide Prevention serves as the lead entity for suicide prevention and intervention efforts, collaborating with Colorado communities to reduce the number of suicide death and attempts in the state2. The special feature that makes this campaign different from similar previous campaigns is that it has a “fake therapist”, Dr. Mahogany who uses dark humour to deal with serious issues like depression and suicidal thoughts amongst men, and their loved ones.

Aim and Process

Researches show that suicide is the second leading cause of death for men between the age of 25 to 34. Men’s unwillingness to acknowledge mental health problems or suicidal thoughts, coupled with the common behaviour of not accessing available services contribute to the high suicide rate among men (Moller-Leimkuhler,2002). Further, men are resistant to asking for help, communicating feelings and forming groups around emotional issues (Davies and Waldon, 2004). Many men, who experience suicidal thoughts believe that they are the only ones and become hopeless as a result. The goal of Man Therapy is to show working-age men that talking about their problems, getting help and fixing themselves is masculine1. This campaign is different for other similar interventions as it opts for a humorous approach through a fictional therapist. The website www.mantherapy.org allows men to interact with this doctor and get “manly mental health tips”. When the level of distress is high, they are recommended to “the pros”, i.e., National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

The website also has a section “worried about someone”, where people who are surrounded by men at risk can approach. Because of this “upstream” approach to suicide prevention, the programme was quickly rebranded from a suicide prevention initiative to a broader mental health campaign. Besides the main aim of suicide prevention, the campaign also works towards improving social norms about mental health in general, and to increase help-seeking behavior in men. When a man engages with Man Therapy, the first step is to change his attitude towards mental health and suicidal behaviour. The next step is a 18-point head inspection(screening) to evaluate the level of distress. After this, self-help techniques, peer support, professional referrals are provided. The website also provides blueprints for how to “fix” problems. It helps men to find online support groups, local therapist, gives access to crisis services.

Apart from the offering services on the website, Man Therapy has conducted various town hall meetings in Colorado, raising awareness about mental health. The Man Therapy partners have also delivered presentations in national and international conferences on mental health and suicide prevention. At the initial stage of the campaign, many posters, t-shirts, coasters were distributed at bars and restaurants. Many videos about men who had struggled with suicide crisis were uploaded on YouTube as testimonies, to drive men to seek treatment.

Problems and solutions

After the launch there were constant updates and changes taking places in the campaign. The mobile version of the website was made available. A new suicide prevention therapist helped men to find qualified care locally.

Regular feedback has been taken through surveys and pop-up questions. It has been found that humour of the site is something that is the most appreciated thing of the site. Men liked the way in which the issues are dealt with, they feel its manly. Another thing appreciated is the identification with the “fake” doctor and his welcoming behaviour.

At the same time there are a few technical problems like buffering, inability to print handouts, which disrupt the whole process. Another problem is that not all men find the humour funny, they find it rather offensive or stereotyped.

Funding has also been a constant problem for this campaign, which can be improved by licensing the campaign to organizations, states and countries. With additional funding, the campaign can continue to improve website, testimonial library and media assets.

Suggestions

Though a lot of mentioned problems are already solved, but what remains a major problem is that the reinforcement sometimes got too stereotyped. Initially it was perceived as way to sidestep some serious issues. It should rather be perceived as a way to let men know that these issues are socially acceptable and there is nothing to be ashamed of. This is meant to be ironic and appeal men to seek treatment.

The campaign has reached people all over the world and made mental health accessible to men. Something that can be further improved is addition of more on-line mental health tools like on-line cognitive behavioural therapy, which already on the list of updates. Further, it could include some more issues like PTSD, spousal abuse, sexuality, drub abuse etc.

Posted in Man

Money and Fame Offers too Much Protection for Men in the Modern World

“The game is rigged to work for those who already have money and power.” The celebrity world is driven by money, fame and power. The ones we look up to, our “role models” aren’t playing by the same rules, or even the same game. They are teaching us that money and power protect you from justice and consequences. It is time for the likes of R.Kelly and Brett Kavanaugh to stop hiding their criminal actions behind dollar bills and powerful lawyers.

Sexual assault rips a women’s life apart. From a sense of shame to the significant risk of not being believed, the repercussions of sexual assault last far longer than the incident itself. Is it any wonder women rarely find their voice and ask for help? In March 2017 there was a crime survey for England and Wales. The criminal justice system found that the charge rate dropped from 6.8% to 4.2%. They also found that rapes reported to the police rose by almost 13,000 to 54,045 in 2017-18, compared with 41,186 the previous year, in which 11,913 attacks were not recorded as crimes. The fact that women are starting to have the confidence to come forward but it’s being thrown back in their faces is truly heartbreaking. Surely, an educated person can see that an increase in reports should mean an increase in convictions? Justice for women has moved from a right to a rarity. Factor in money and fame as players, and women have already lost.

Celebrity men are getting away with terrible criminal acts simply because they can change the rules of the game. The average high-end lawyer varies between $150-$500 an hour, with some lawyers charging up to $1000 per hour. This immediately puts a person with no limit to their money at a significant advantage. Playing against them are victims chosen because they have no voice. Instead of paying for high-end lawyers they have to pay to keep a roof over their head, keep food on the table and keep the heating going. According to the National Women’s Law Centre, women of colour are over-represented in minimum wage jobs paying $7.25 an hour. That is why they’re easy targets. A prime example of this is R.Kelly having enough money to move a victim, and her family out of the country to avoid criminal investigation. These women have two choices; to take care and provide for their children, or waste money on high-end lawyers and receive no justice.

Social media makes you think you know celebrities because they are so public about their lives. We immediately comment on certain things that, we think, “they wouldn’t do”. But in actual fact, we don’t know these people at all. Social media is the worst culprit in this as we think we have a connection with these celebrities. In a post, “why we grow emotionally attached to celebrities”, on the website “The Mary Sue” a journalist called Abby Norman compared normal people to the “Ancient Greeks” who “worshipped their gods” from down on earth. This shows that she thinks that non-celebrities think we have this connection with these famous people, and that is through the influence of social media and how it makes us believe that we know these people when in actual fact we have no idea who they actually are. Abby Norman discusses the “psychological motivations for developing an intense emotional bond” with a celebrity or fictional character. This leads on to the shame and bullying that woman face for accusing celebrity men of sexual assault, as the public thinks they know the celebrity they will support them and believe that they are innocent no matter how much evidence is piled up against them and how innocent the women really are.

Each day the number of women who come out and accuse a celebrity of sexual harassment/rape increases. So why are women still being put through a lot more hate, harassment and abuse than the men who have evidence piling up against them? The answer; because they have money and power to shut people up and hide who they truly are. Ever since April 2017 over 250 celebrity men have been convicted or accused of sexual assault/misconduct. Out of this number, quite a few of these celebrities have actually been charged with sexual assault and/or rape. But although many more men are being charged and women are being brought to justice there should still be more done to bring justice to these women. Celebrity women like Britney Spears, Miss America, Janet Jackson, Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton have all been embarrassed and made fun of for wardrobe malfunctions, mental breakdowns, nude photos etc. Janet Jackson had a wardrobe malfunction when she was performing on stage with Justin Timberlake, he “ripped a part of her bustier off, exposing her bare breast on live TV.” Although this was his fault, Janet was still the one who was made to feel embarrassed by the public. In another case, Miss America (Vanessa Williams) had nude photos leaked of her several weeks before the end of her reign. She was pressured into giving up her crown for an incident that was, yet again, not her fault. These situations help in the understanding that celebrity women are shamed for every little thing that goes wrong in their lives, whereas celebrity men are targeting women of all ages (mostly younger), victimising them and doing things that are ruining there lives. In situations like these, we have to stop and ask ourselves, why are we embarrassing celebrity women but sticking up for these men who are carrying out these horrific acts of violence?

In addition, female accusers are told to speak out because they will have more chance of being brought to justice. However, when they do come out and share their story more often than not these women are being hated upon a lot more than the men who have been accused. An example of this is Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford. In a news article from the BBC it states that Christine said: “For a very long time I was too afraid and ashamed to tell anyone the details.” In another article by Vox Christine said that she has “been called the most vile and hateful names imaginable.” she also said “People have posted my personal information on the internet. This has resulted in additional emails, calls, and threats. My family and I were forced to move out of our home.”. This shows that this woman has been brave enough to come forward and tell somebody about her situation and try to get justice. However, she is the one being shamed about something that has happened to her. Her life has been turned upside down because she decided that she wanted to get justice for what this powerful man did to her. Also, “All those harassing, mocking, and erasing Ford are telling other survivors that speaking up isn’t worth it, that they should keep quiet or risk having their lives destroyed.” This demonstrates that the people who are shaming these victims are not going to stop so the victims should just keep quiet because they’re going to be worse off telling somebody.

Overall, celebrity men are getting away with sexually assaulting women even though they have a lot of evidence piling up against them. Men like R.Kelly and Brett Kavanaugh are allowed to do whatever they please no matter who it affects and how emotionally and physically damaging it is. The message that these people are sending is that the more money and power you have, according to very strong and undeniable evidence, you are virtually untouchable in terms of justice for your victim. money and power you have, the more you are going to get away with. Things like lying and even as big as breaking the law. When you put into perspective all the evidence, you can quite clearly see that celebrity men are going to continuously keep on winning the game, unless we stand up and fight back against these men and stop supporting them; because the reality is, they are not innocent.

Posted in Man

Money and Fame Offers too Much Protection for Men in the Modern World

“The game is rigged to work for those who already have money and power.” The celebrity world is driven by money, fame and power. The ones we look up to, our “role models” aren’t playing by the same rules, or even the same game. They are teaching us that money and power protect you from justice and consequences. It is time for the likes of R.Kelly and Brett Kavanaugh to stop hiding their criminal actions behind dollar bills and powerful lawyers.

Sexual assault rips a women’s life apart. From a sense of shame to the significant risk of not being believed, the repercussions of sexual assault last far longer than the incident itself. Is it any wonder women rarely find their voice and ask for help? In March 2017 there was a crime survey for England and Wales. The criminal justice system found that the charge rate dropped from 6.8% to 4.2%. They also found that rapes reported to the police rose by almost 13,000 to 54,045 in 2017-18, compared with 41,186 the previous year, in which 11,913 attacks were not recorded as crimes. The fact that women are starting to have the confidence to come forward but it’s being thrown back in their faces is truly heartbreaking. Surely, an educated person can see that an increase in reports should mean an increase in convictions? Justice for women has moved from a right to a rarity. Factor in money and fame as players, and women have already lost.

Celebrity men are getting away with terrible criminal acts simply because they can change the rules of the game. The average high-end lawyer varies between $150-$500 an hour, with some lawyers charging up to $1000 per hour. This immediately puts a person with no limit to their money at a significant advantage. Playing against them are victims chosen because they have no voice. Instead of paying for high-end lawyers they have to pay to keep a roof over their head, keep food on the table and keep the heating going. According to the National Women’s Law Centre, women of colour are over-represented in minimum wage jobs paying $7.25 an hour. That is why they’re easy targets. A prime example of this is R.Kelly having enough money to move a victim, and her family out of the country to avoid criminal investigation. These women have two choices; to take care and provide for their children, or waste money on high-end lawyers and receive no justice.

Social media makes you think you know celebrities because they are so public about their lives. We immediately comment on certain things that, we think, “they wouldn’t do”. But in actual fact, we don’t know these people at all. Social media is the worst culprit in this as we think we have a connection with these celebrities. In a post, “why we grow emotionally attached to celebrities”, on the website “The Mary Sue” a journalist called Abby Norman compared normal people to the “Ancient Greeks” who “worshipped their gods” from down on earth. This shows that she thinks that non-celebrities think we have this connection with these famous people, and that is through the influence of social media and how it makes us believe that we know these people when in actual fact we have no idea who they actually are. Abby Norman discusses the “psychological motivations for developing an intense emotional bond” with a celebrity or fictional character. This leads on to the shame and bullying that woman face for accusing celebrity men of sexual assault, as the public thinks they know the celebrity they will support them and believe that they are innocent no matter how much evidence is piled up against them and how innocent the women really are.

Each day the number of women who come out and accuse a celebrity of sexual harassment/rape increases. So why are women still being put through a lot more hate, harassment and abuse than the men who have evidence piling up against them? The answer; because they have money and power to shut people up and hide who they truly are. Ever since April 2017 over 250 celebrity men have been convicted or accused of sexual assault/misconduct. Out of this number, quite a few of these celebrities have actually been charged with sexual assault and/or rape. But although many more men are being charged and women are being brought to justice there should still be more done to bring justice to these women. Celebrity women like Britney Spears, Miss America, Janet Jackson, Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton have all been embarrassed and made fun of for wardrobe malfunctions, mental breakdowns, nude photos etc. Janet Jackson had a wardrobe malfunction when she was performing on stage with Justin Timberlake, he “ripped a part of her bustier off, exposing her bare breast on live TV.” Although this was his fault, Janet was still the one who was made to feel embarrassed by the public. In another case, Miss America (Vanessa Williams) had nude photos leaked of her several weeks before the end of her reign. She was pressured into giving up her crown for an incident that was, yet again, not her fault. These situations help in the understanding that celebrity women are shamed for every little thing that goes wrong in their lives, whereas celebrity men are targeting women of all ages (mostly younger), victimising them and doing things that are ruining there lives. In situations like these, we have to stop and ask ourselves, why are we embarrassing celebrity women but sticking up for these men who are carrying out these horrific acts of violence?

In addition, female accusers are told to speak out because they will have more chance of being brought to justice. However, when they do come out and share their story more often than not these women are being hated upon a lot more than the men who have been accused. An example of this is Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford. In a news article from the BBC it states that Christine said: “For a very long time I was too afraid and ashamed to tell anyone the details.” In another article by Vox Christine said that she has “been called the most vile and hateful names imaginable.” she also said “People have posted my personal information on the internet. This has resulted in additional emails, calls, and threats. My family and I were forced to move out of our home.”. This shows that this woman has been brave enough to come forward and tell somebody about her situation and try to get justice. However, she is the one being shamed about something that has happened to her. Her life has been turned upside down because she decided that she wanted to get justice for what this powerful man did to her. Also, “All those harassing, mocking, and erasing Ford are telling other survivors that speaking up isn’t worth it, that they should keep quiet or risk having their lives destroyed.” This demonstrates that the people who are shaming these victims are not going to stop so the victims should just keep quiet because they’re going to be worse off telling somebody.

Overall, celebrity men are getting away with sexually assaulting women even though they have a lot of evidence piling up against them. Men like R.Kelly and Brett Kavanaugh are allowed to do whatever they please no matter who it affects and how emotionally and physically damaging it is. The message that these people are sending is that the more money and power you have, according to very strong and undeniable evidence, you are virtually untouchable in terms of justice for your victim. money and power you have, the more you are going to get away with. Things like lying and even as big as breaking the law. When you put into perspective all the evidence, you can quite clearly see that celebrity men are going to continuously keep on winning the game, unless we stand up and fight back against these men and stop supporting them; because the reality is, they are not innocent.

Posted in Man