We all have those celebrities that we just irrationally hate. Everything they do, everything they say, is irritating. While it’s completely natural to feel this way about certain people, it appears that some celebrities have to face more of this irrational hatred than others do, and on a more public level. Most often, these celebrities happen to be women. Why does the internet hate women so much more than men?
For example, Rachel Zegler, a young female actress, has been facing extreme criticism online since the start of her career. Since she was announced to play the role of Snow White in the new live-action movie, people have ridiculed and shamed her for her mildly offensive comments regarding the project. She claimed that the old movie was outdated and that their new rendition of the story would not be centered around Snow White falling for the prince. Many people found this comment aggravating, arguing that the whole point of Disney princess movies is that she finds her Prince Charming. They’re love stories. Many also argued that just because Snow White finds love in the end, does not mean that her story is anti-feminist.
Along with this instance, people attacked Zegler for answering a question asking why she took a role in “Shazam 2.” “I needed a job,” Zegler said. The Rachel Zegler haters claimed she was ungrateful for the opportunities she had been given, and therefore undeserving of her growing career. Although these claims have some merit, the intense vitriol directed toward Zegler was extreme considering things other celebrities have said about their projects, namely men.
On the contrary, Jacob Elordi, a famous male actor who is just four years older than Zegler, has made much worse comments about his role in “The Kissing Booth” movies. He claimed that the movies were “ridiculous” and that he “didn’t want to make those movies.” Despite the series being the reason Elordi is so successful, fans didn’t care about his comments, even going so far as to praise him for what he said. When Zegler does it, she’s ungrateful and disrespectful, but when a man does it, he’s funny and humble. It’s no doubt these differing reactions are due to deep-rooted misogyny in the movie industry and online.
Another example is the case of Brie Larson in the Marvel movies. Her character, Captain Marvel, got destroyed by fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for being cocky and annoying. Many people were quick to point out that characters such as Thor and Iron Man make the exact same type of overly-confident comments, and people find them to be charming because of it.
There isn’t one good answer to explain why women in the industry are held to much higher standards than the men are, but it’s apparent that society still has a lot of misogyny that takes a toll on female celebrities. While it’s completely justifiable to hold people in power responsible for disrespectful comments or bad behavior, it shouldn’t be just the women who have to face the consequences.
