Trending on Facebook tonight is news that Jennifer Lawrence was photographed at an event. It’s the run up to the Oscars this weekend, so that’s not really news, it should be no surprise. However I looked to see more about this event by clicking on the link which brought up a slew of articles mentioning it.
Now I love Jennifer Lawrence as much as the next man, possibly more, but even I had to shake my head when seeing the contrast between articles that make a point about the event she was attending and those that just cared about what she was wearing.
The event should come first, so here on my blog it will. It was a dinner hosted by Patricia Arquette, who you might remember used her speech when she won for ‘Boyhood’ to highlight the pay gap between male and female actors. This is a topic Jen has written articles on, speaks about eloquently and passionately, so her being at this dinner should come of no surprise. The pictures from the evening have shown her standing in the middle of a full room, standing up and speaking to the guests seated at their tables. The best articles online are mentioning how Patricia Arquette feels like she has lost out on work after speaking out on the issue. The worst articles lead with the headline ‘BOOBS’. Yes, seriously.
Surely that must be some ‘lads mag’, a gossip site, or other source that rarely elevates itself above how an actress looks? No. That was the website for Cosmopolitan! I quote from their Facebook description: “Cosmopolitan is the best-selling young women’s magazine in the U.S., a bible for fun, fearless females that reaches more than 17 million readers a month. Cosmopolitan delivers the latest news on men and love, work and money, fashion and beauty, health, self-improvement and entertainment.”
Surely a magazine like that should not be publishing articles in which the writer mentions in passing that Jennifer spoke, then turns attention back to how she maintained her modesty, and describing one photo with pure filler, “Eric and Patricia are looking in one direction while everyone else is looking in another. Not that it matters or is even remotely interesting. I just figured I should write something more than “boobs.”” I despair.
I know I don’t always write Pulitzer prize-winning articles here, but I honestly wanted to hear more about this event and the ramifications of these actresses speaking so publicly and fearlessly on the pay gap. Maybe one of the reasons behind the issue is that the media is perpetuating the idea that people are more interested in how women look and dress than what they do or have to say?
Thankfully ‘Variety’ provided the actual journalism I was looking for with a very interesting article you should read here.
NeverKissedAGirl.com 