Picture this. The year is 2003, a time infamous for the abundance of flip phones, microscopic skirts, and of course, celebrity gossip. Personalities such Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan are at the height of their fame, frequently gracing tabloid and magazine covers. Branded as ‘It girls’ by the general public, this genre of celebrity provided the world with a regular source of entertainment that continued off the screen and the songs they wrote. From partying to exorbitant shopping sprees, the world of the rich and famous drew in the everyday consumer. The utter unattainability of the A-list lifestyle was part of the charm. Magazines of the time provided insight into the personalities’ private lives, and readers gladly ate up each scrap of gossip.
While the perks of being famous during this period were abundant, excessive media attention was not one of them. Tabloids and news sites were desperate for a scandal, and when one wasn’t found, they pieced together their own. Young entertainers were picked apart by the media; their weight, face, and love life were featured in an abundance of unflattering headlines. A very real tabloid headline from 2006 proclaims ‘how much do celebrities really weigh?’ It then proceeds to list female celebrities in order of lightest to heaviest. While the proclamation would seem incredibly jarring today, this headline was not at all unusual 17 years ago, with magazine editors selling millions of tabloids that all feature similarly unfavourable stories.
One thing most media outlets had in common was who was frequently gracing the covers: young, female entertainers. As girls barely old enough to buy lottery tickets were scrutinised by millions, male performers seemed to escape fairly unscathed. That’s not to say they did not face problems, but the majority of negative media attention surrounding appearance did not feature men. This blatant sexism carried on throughout the 2000s and wasn’t limited to only external looks. The mental health of stars was also mocked by multiple news outlets for the duration of the decade. An example of this is the infamous Britney Spears ‘meltdown’ in early 2007. Stalked by paparazzi as she entered a hair salon, she grabbed a pair of clippers and shaved her head. She reportedly went ahead with this drastic haircut due to being denied custody of her two children.
The media had a field day with this new information and were quick to label Britney as ‘crazy’ and ‘unstable’. She was presented as a circus freak to gaze at in disgust. A massive stigma surrounding mental health and the public, severely lacked understanding and empathy towards mental illness. Britney went from a beloved pop princess to unstable and deranged in mere months.
As online culture grows, we are more likely to gain our source of news from various social media outlets. In fact, 48% of Americans rely on social media to keep updated on global and national affairs. Therefore, trashy tabloid culture is dying out in favour of digital and online counterparts. Fewer and fewer people are stopping to pick up copies of once beloved magazines. However, all this means is that there is a change of location from where society gains its gossip. Gossip culture is still at an all-time high, with many stopping to discuss the rise of the nepo baby. Many popular celebrities have been called out for descending from famous families, having access to a plethora of resources that aren’t available to the everyday person.
While the hot topic on everyone’s tongue changes over the years; the main message remains the same: If you are in the public eye, you will be scrutinised. This is an inevitable fact that has remained true for centuries and will remain for hundreds more. However, we are in the midst of the modern era, with society being more educated on sensitive issues. There is so much more potential for change, if we only put in the effort.
