why are women always portrayed like this??

Yes, another post about how problematic Star Magazine is because I can't get over it.  This is the cover of the same magazine from which I took my last blog post, and while it looks like a regular, guilty-pleasure tabloid at first glance, read the headlines and you're sure to notice a small problem: almost all of them are regarding women, and seeming to portray them as uncontrollable, crazy, or overly emotional.  This is a common stereotype; the idea that women are always super dramatic and hormonal has been around for a while, and is pretty invalidating -- i.e. how men use it as an excuse to dismiss women's concerns because, of course, they're probably just overreacting and on their period!! Or, to justify not giving them leadership positions, since they'll go crazy and make rash decisions. However, this is obviously not a true reflection of the word -- yes, women can be emotional, but so can men, and so can everyone else.  It's not something we have exclusive rights to, and the mentality that we do is a problem.  Because not only is it deployed to exclude women's voices, it also feeds into the idea that emotions are "feminine" and thus weak, creating skewed societal standards of what masculinity should look like.  Due to these standards, men, starting from a young age, think that they should not express emotions in favor of maintaining a mask of rationality and "manliness"; this suppression of feelings can lead to depression, loneliness, and stigmatization of men who do not fit such a role.  So clearly, this stereotype of women is harmful on all accounts -- gosh darn it, patriarchy!

As previously stated, this magazine cover is a prime example.  3 out of 4 main headlines perpetuate this stereotype of women -- and if you look at other magazines, I'm sure you'll find this to be a common trend.  Let's see...  "Sandra Won't Let Him Go: Ryan Won't Marry Her." To me, this is subtly painting Sandra Bullock as slightly obsessed and unable to take hints, because she's too madly in love -- the connotation is definitely not positive.  Next, "Heather Locklear Punches Jack -- and Steals His Dog" -- this one is fairly obvious, portraying Locklear as mentally unstable and dangerously uncontrollable, driven by a hormonal passion.  The picture of her reinforces this idea.  Lastly, the main headline says, "Pregnant and Alone, Jen Tells Brad: I Want You Back! -- The Emotional Secret Phone Call."  Clearly, Star is implying that Anniston is overly emotional, clingy, unable to rein in her feelings, and obsessive -- all of which are common female stereotypes.  The headline about Marc and J. Lo is the one exception, at least focusing more on the emotions of a male, but it's important to note that the adjective used to describe him is "furious" instead of "crazed with anger," or "unable to let it go" -- descriptions I've often seen applied to women.  "Furious" is decidedly more rational than the above descriptions, seeming to actually validate his feelings (remember, men can experience aggressive emotions -- but nothing beyond that!) and give his concerns an air of importance/legitimacy not afforded to that of the crazy, obsessed women.   

Overall, I'll just again restate that I have no idea why I have this magazine in the first place and I will be tossing it as soon as I'm done with this.  Good riddance!

xoxo, elyse