I was reading the papers this morning and came across an article in the ‘M’ section of the Sunday Age that nearly made my coffee turn cold. It made me feel very sad actually and asking more than a few questions about ‘sisterhood.’
Maggie Alderson
is a fashion writer and today in The Age she takes a big sweeping swipe at this dress that Vanessa Hudgens wore to a recent event. It isn’t available online for me to link to – but then again – maybe that’s a good thing. Here are just some of the things Maggie sees fit to say about Vanessa. (Who I might add I have seen in absolutely nothing. I’ve entirely missed the whole High School Musical thing although I am aware of who she is.)
“She’s like the Cheshire Cat – a grinning face, not apparently attached to a body.” — “She could have been storing a few ferrets in those voluminous sleeves.” — “She appears to have hooves.” — “She looks like some kind of alien mini-monk.”
Wow. Just wow. Forget about the so called cheshire grin Maggie – I think it’s you that needs to retract your cat claws.
Where do people get off thinking it is ok to write such heinous things about others based on an article of clothing they choose to wear or how they style themselves? While I appreciate that Maggie was trying to write about how the wearing of all black can make it hard to stand out in a crowd – is it really necessary to rip someone to shreds in this way – horrid animal references included? Of course it’s not necessary. I have seen other things Maggie has written that have been very witty and funny, but this is not one of them.
Personally, I think Vanessa looks great but if you didn’t like what she was wearing Maggie - say so without the cruel and nasty references. Because, in the end, you just come across, well – cruel and nasty. Better still, why not think about dropping the criticism all together and to make your point choose someone wearing something that you think looks amazing and you can talk positively about.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
What a horrible horrible judgemental person. She is so jealous!! I believe people who attack others like that are purely jealous that they are not as fabulous. Everyone is gorgeous. x
Yes Vicki; the judgement is horrendous. I have no idea if Maggie is jealous of Vanessa or not but either way, this sort of reporting is uncalled for.
I’m with Vicki – I’d say Maggie is jealous – which is such a shame. I’m not Vanessa’s biggest fan (yes we *do* the whole HSM thing in my house ad nauseum), but I think she looks perfectly fine. I really can’t see what Maggie is making all those horrid comments about anyway – not that they’d be ok even if they were founded but the fact that they’re not makes me even more curious about her motives. When journalists make such outrageous comments I tend to be very skeptical of their motives and tend towards believing it is simply for shock value and a cheap grab at extra attention.
And do you think she is smiling like that because she is happy?? Well we can’t have that now can we??
Who knows what’s going on here PJ?! It could be so many things but I think a cheap grab at headlines and readers is probably one of them which is such a shame as it’s coming at this young woman’s expense.
Unfortunately, this is what “sells.” Mean, catty, inciting…it’s all designed to get more viewers/readers and it works…no one would do it if it didn’t work. And then we give it more power by talking about it…I’m not saying that we shouldn’t voice our opinions because the more our voices are heard, the more awareness is brought to the issue. I am often torn…should I say something and hope that there’s an ah-ha moment or do I take the stance that if I don’t pay attention to it, it will go away.
I see what you’re saying, Karen. I usually choose to speak out, but not because I’m hoping for an ah-ha moment on the part of the editors/marketers/etc. Obviously, like you say, their motivation is sales and that’s not going to change. But what CAN change is the perspective of the consumers. To me that’s the goal of speaking out. I understand the “any press is good press” point of view, but at the same time, I truly believe that voicing our opinions empowers us and our readers in a way that silence does not.
That’s what I hope for Katie too but of course it always is a fine line. Interestingly for me I never thought about bringing extra publicity in this case but I have in others. I’m not sure why that is because of course even though Maggie Alderson is not selling a product or brand here she is selling herself to a wider market. What she wrote just made me steam up though and I couldn’t not saying anything!
This sort of writing that makes it into publications can bring readers for sure Karen, which is of course a great shame. It just really concerns me that we have this sort of thing appearing in widely circulated forms (in this case a newspaper) with no one pushing back against it. It was just one of those times for me that I couldn’t let it go, especially knowing that Vanessa has such a young fan base. I would hate for any young person to think it was ok for people to talk about one another in this way. In many ways it’s almost online bullying.
Wow ! It really is nasty, I think Vanessa is beautiful and looks flawless ! What’s wrong with the world? Oh Julie, I want to brag about something. I was in a train the other day and I was reading out loud to a girl a piece from the book ” Women and self esteem” ( great book ) about how the media keeps us in line with the flaunting of thin physique as ideal. And I was also wondering out loud : can you imagine what women would do if they wouldn’t feel so terrible about their bodies? How they would turn the world around? At the end of my rant, a woman next to me said in a shy tone : Can I borrow your book? She obviously really heard me ! I am so , so happy ! Take care ! Lots of love ! XoXo Sab
Sab – that’s amazing. It always astounds me how one action can influence another. Good for you!
Vanessa is beautiful
I think most people are beautiful when they smile, and hers is really lovely. I also really like her spirit. Her heart seems to be in the right place, from the little I’ve seen of her in interviews. That aside, I don’t think it’s ever okay to make someone feel bad about themselves. Sometimes I think people forget that celebrities have feelings, too. Just because they can remember lines and are good at being in front of cameras doesn’t mean they don’t grapple with the same issues we all do. To attack someone like that is just inexcusable. I don’t think it matters whether we like someone’s outfit or not. Honestly, I’m all for free speech, but not where it causes unnecessary pain.
I love your last sentence here Roxanne and think it’s very powerful. It’s a great way to think about the real power of free speech.