Sunday, October 30, 2016
Twitter's 4-Year Odyssey With the 6-Second Video App Vine
Saturday, October 29, 2016
10 Ways Taylor Swift Has Changed On The 10th Anniversary Of Her First Album
On her self-titled debut album, Taylor Swift tells us about “Our Song.” You know, the one about the sound of screen doors slamming and window tapping. No one could have known that 10 years and four studio albums later, her songs would become the soundtrack to our own lives. Who hasn't belted “You Belong With Me” at the top of their lungs or found comfort from a breakup in “All Too Well?” If you're not raising your hand, you're lying.
This week marks the 10th anniversary of Swift's first album, so what better time to reflect on how the country princess transformed into a bona fide pop star? Let's count the ways in which she's changed since she name-dropped Tim McGraw all those years ago.
1. The Taylor Swift style evolution.
When the world first met Taylor Swift, she was marketed as a regular ol' country girl who was plucked off the farm and onto the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. (In reality, Swift was born in suburban Pennsylvania and grew up there until she moved to Nashville at the age of 14, but shhhh ― don't tell.)
Back then, her go-to outfit could best be described as a knock-off extra from “Nashville.” She regularly sported colorful cowboy boots and boldly patterned dresses. Slowly yet surely, however, Swift and her sense of style matured. She began to make bolder and less conservative choices on the red carpet, ditching the boots for heels and making regular appearances on best-dressed lists.
Each of Swift's albums corresponds to a different fashion era ― “Red,” for example, gives off retro '50s vibes, whereas “Fearless” is all about the princess fantasy. In the year following the release of “1989” Swift finally cemented her place in fashion royalty, rocking body-baring couture looks left and right and co-chairing the 2016 Met Gala.
2. From solo to squad.
The concept most commonly associated with Swift today ― besides the snake emoji ― is the squad. After the release of her fourth album, “Red,” and a string of failed relationships, the world witnessed a major shift in Swift philosophy.
On “1989” she was no longer just singing about ex-boyfriends who left her crying in the rain at 3 a.m. (why is it always 3 a.m.?) but shifted the focus to the importance of having a group of girlfriends. Previously, she had eschewed mentioning the word feminist in public interviews. Now she was shouting it from the rooftops, claiming it was a central component to her new album.
“Feminism is probably the most important movement that you could embrace, because it's just basically another word for equality,” she told Maxim in 2015.
The release of her song “Bad Blood,” which has arguably flimsy feminist principles (more on that later), put Swift's female friendships with the likes of Selena Gomez and Gigi Hadid front and center.
3. Goodbye country, hello pop music.
Listening to “1989,” it's almost impossible to detect any hints of Swift's country origins amid the electronic and '80s-inspired production. With each album, Swift has drifted farther away from the Nashville sound, carving out her own space in the industry and taking control of her voice.
“I think for me it's really important to constantly challenge yourself, and also I think you have to keep people's attention by surprising them,” Swift said of abandoning the country twang for “1989.” “As far as my musical direction goes I would always like to keep people on their toes in that regard.”
Perhaps one day, she'll loop back around and deliver a country album a la “Joanne,” but for now, it's safe to categorize Swift as a pop star.
4. Her songwriting skills have greatly improved.
No shade on “Teardrops on my Guitar,” but many of the songs on Swift's first album relied upon trite country themes of heartbreak, high school longing and pick-up trucks. While Swift has always had a hand in writing her own music, her talents as a songwriter have seriously improved since her debut.
Look no further than “Red” to see how she's flourished as an artist. In our humble opinion, “All Too Well” is the finest track Swift has ever produced lyrically. In the epic ballad, Swift takes a through another love story (heeeeey Jake Gyllenhaal), but expertly uses details like “dancing in the refrigerator light” to paint a picture of relationships that's so realistic, you can't help but relate.
And if there's anyone out there refuting her songwriting ability, just ask Nils Sjober.
5 . Welcome to New York.
If her first album was all about Nashville, the Taylor Swift of 2016 is decidedly a New Yorker. As a promotional effort for “1989,” Swift partnered with the official New York City tourism board and the singer herself took up residence in the city ― she reportedly lives in a penthouse in Tribeca. In a series of videos, Swift broke down some New York-specific words like “bodega” and “stoop,” much to the chagrin of real New Yorkers everywhere.
6. Don't mention Katy Perry.
The one person left out of Swift's feminist transformation was ... drumroll please ... Katy Perry. Although the two rival pop stars used to be friends, they apparently entered into some sort of blood feud in 2014, when Swift insinuated that a female artist (Perry, duh) tried to “sabotage an entire arena tour.”
“She would come up to me at awards shows and say something and walk away, and I would think, 'Are we friends, or did she just give me the harshest insult of my life?'” Swift told Rolling Stone. But in 2013, her frenemy did something awful. “She did something so horrible,” Swift told the outlet. “I was like, 'Oh, we're just straight-up enemies.'”
Swift's ex-boyfriend later confirmed the rivalry when he accused her of attempting to “bury” him “like Katy.”
7. She's expanded her repertoire ― for better or worse.
OK, it was for the worse.
8. She's apparently dating Drake now.
No one has confirmed the rumored romance, but Swift and Drake have been making headlines this week for their cuddly behavior at his 30th birthday party. She reportedly even met his mom.
The pairing is surprising given how different Swift and Drake are from each other. (Also, in what world would Drake go from Rihanna to TSwift?) Let's be honest ― Swift was hardly writing her love ballads about a rapper from Toronto.
Actually, while Swift was recording her first album, Drake was probably still a regular on “Degrassi,” so maybe this pairing makes perfect sense?
9. Introducing Kanye West.
If there's any person whose rise to superstardom has paralleled Swift's, it's Kanye West. Over the past 10 years their paths have intersected more than once, propelling each of their careers into new and surprising directions.
The connection, of course, began at the 2009 VMAs, when West interrupted Swift's acceptance speech to inform the world that she had been incorrectly awarded “Best Female Video.” The public cast Swift as a victim and West as her aggressor, irrevocably tying their fates together.
In the following years, West and Swift would make amends, even hinting at possible collaborations, and hugging onstage at the 2015 Grammy Awards.
Who would've known that a year later, controversy would find these two again when Kim Kardashian released the Snapchat receipts of Swift approving certain lyrics of Kanye West's “Famous.”
This time, West was the victim ― he called Taylor for her opinion after all ― while Swift was saddled with the reputation of being a master manipulator.
10. She took control of her own voice.
In 2015, Swift penned a rallying cry about Apple's streaming service changes and how they disenfranchised artists who'd worked tirelessly to distribute their music to the masses. But, in her own words, the letter wasn't really about her. It was about seeing justice in the music industry and protecting the voice of the artist.
“This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success,” she wrote. “This is about the young songwriter who just got his or her first cut and thought that the royalties from that would get them out of debt.”
High-powered record companies and men in suits have likely had a big influence on Swift's career. She probably couldn't have gotten this far without them. But by standing up for the proverbial little guy, Swift honored those who haven't been as fortunate, in hopes that one day some other girl with a guitar has the chance to make her voice heard too.
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Friday, October 28, 2016
Debbie Gibson Calls Out A 'Serious Problem' In The Theater Community
When Debbie Gibson was singing and performing during the early part of her career in the '80s and '90s, she had a pristine reputation. But now, she says, it's time for her to get off her “high horse” and speak the truth.
As Gibson tells “Oprah: Where Are They Now?” in an upcoming interview, she wasn't the drug-avoiding “good girl” that everyone thinks she was. “I remember being on the road at, like, 25, touring with theater and doing my own cocktail of Tylenol PM and Xanax,” she says.
Drug use in the industry as a whole, Gibson asserts, is a function of the job for many entertainers. “Performers use prescription medications to get through their careers and their lives ― to get a good night's sleep and to get that body on the stage because they have to deliver,” she says. “It's a really serious problem.”
Using drugs to manage or enhance a performance is often an issue associated with athletes, but Gibson believes it is rampant in entertainment as well, particularly in the theater community.
“It's as prevalent or more prevalent, maybe, than it is with athletes,” she says. “They should rescind so many Tony Awards because half of Broadway is on prednisone! It's the truth!”
Though the prescription drug prednisone is typically used to treat inflammation, Gibson says performers often chose it for other reasons, despite any side effects.
“It makes you sing higher and it makes you have more energy,” Gibson says. “It then gives you this terrible emotional fall-out afterwards and it crashes your immune system. It's horrible.”
Gibson opens up more about her health and career on Saturday's “Oprah: Where Are They Now,” airing Oct. 29 at 10 p.m. ET on OWN.
Another entertainer speaks out:
Aaron Carter on dangerously self-medicating to treat his depression
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Niall Horan And James Corden Parody Ginuwine's 'Pony' In This Halloween Treat
This Halloween spoof of Ginuwine's “Pony” is a real treat.
One Direction's Niall Horan joined “The Late Late Show” host James Corden for a spooky makeover of the classic get-it-on R&B song. Donning an assortment of hilarious costumes, the duo attempt to woo women into handing over epic amounts of candy as they trick-or-treat through a neighborhood.
”I'm just a Batman, looking for some Pop Rocks, something that's sweet inside, you look like the right fun size,” sang Corden.
“I'm gonna make your Tootsie Pop,” Horan added.
Check it out in the clip above, and see how it compares to the original below:
type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related Coverage + articlesList=58107314e4b08582f88cdcb3,580e272ee4b0a03911edc2a4,5805df5ee4b0b994d4c1311b
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Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Patton Oswalt Says He'll Never Fully Recover From His Wife's Death
Patton Oswalt opens up about witnessing and recovering from his wife Michelle McNamara's untimely death in a heart-wrenching profile in The New York Times. McNamara died unexpectedly in her sleep on April 22 at only 46 years old.
The comedian says his wife, a crime writer, believed she was on the verge of discovering the identity of a serial killer she'd been tracking for years when the case began taking a toll on her. Oswalt suggested she take a night to sleep in. She took Xanax, which he believes might've been the reason she died (a cause of death has not yet been determined).
After checking on her earlier that April morning ― he says she was snoring when he put a cup of coffee by her bedside table around 10 a.m. ― Oswalt found her unresponsive at 12:42 p.m.
“I have a feeling it might have been an overdose,” the 47-year-old said. “That's what the paramedics there were saying while I was screaming and throwing up.”
According to Oswalt's brother, Matt, who has been spending a lot of time with Patton, the couple's 7-year-old daughter Alice has helped her father tremendously. Each night, the two write down memories of McNamara together.
“She has probably helped Patton as much as Patton helped her,” Matt said. “I saw him the first time he saw Alice after Michelle died, and the color just came back into his face.”
In the Times profile, Oswalt is open about the sadness, grief and depression that's plagued him since losing McNamara. Though he tried drinking away the pain for a few months, the comedian said that “alcohol doesn't really help.” Instead, he's returned to standup to deal with his loss. He tells the Times that talking about grief makes up at least half of his set.
“I'll never be at 100 percent again, but that won't stop me from living this,” the comedian said.
Oswalt has spoken before about dealing with the irreplaceable loss of his wife in in a moving piece for Time magazine.
“The reaction to her passing, the people who are shocked at her senseless absence, is a testament to how she steered her life with joyous, wicked curiosity,” he wrote. “Her family is devastated but can't help remember all of the times she made them laugh or comforted them, and they smile and laugh themselves. She hasn't left a void. She's left a blast crater.”
To read the rest of Oswalt's interview with the NYT, head here.
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Sunday, October 23, 2016
DJ Khaled Documented His Son's Entire Birth On Snapchat, Naturally
Congratulations are in order for DJ Khaled and his fiancée, Nicole Tuck, who just gave birth to the couple's first son while surrounded by family and friends.
The producer, known for his lengthy and inspiring Snapchat stories, documented the entire process on the social media app. (Would you expect anything else?)
From the moment Tuck's water broke to the moment you hear their son cry, Khaled captured it all for his followers to see. Oh, and he made sure to play his own music ― notably “For Free” and “I Got the Keys” ― while his fiancée was literally pushing out their baby boy.
Khaled also posted photos of the night on Instagram, telling followers, “I have to be honest I'm so excited and my nerves on another level smh.”
Once his son was born, Khaled cried tears of joy and made sure to hug his fiancée's doctor. He also thanked God for his new bundle of joy, writing, “God is the greatest!!!!” over a short video of himself looking at his newborn.
To maintain just a little bit of privacy, Khaled opted not to show followers his baby.
Welcome to celebrity births in the age of social media.
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Saturday, October 22, 2016
A New Era of Internet Attacks Powered by Everyday Devices
In A Perfect World, Ryan Gosling Would Have Been On 'Gilmore Girls'
Hey, (Gilmore) girl.
It's time we talk about one of the most pressing issues dividing our nation. You won't see it mentioned in Donald Trump's tweets or on CNN chyrons, but the great Team Dean/Jess/Logan “Gilmore Girls” debate is as fiercely contested as any moderated by Chris Wallace.
The matter of which Rory Gilmore suitor is in it for the long haul will likely be decided once the Netflix revival debuts next month, but until then, we have this behind-the-scenes scoop to obsess over.
According to “Gilmore Girls” casting director Jami Rudofsky, Ryan Gosling was almost cast on the beloved WB series as a football player.
We repeat: Ryan Gosling was almost on “Gilmore Girls.”
Can't you imagine him explaining football jargon to Rory while she supplies him with a reading list of obscure 19th-century literature? (It's decided. We're officially Team Ryan.)
“When I was a very wee casting person, I was casting independent movie for no money,” Rudofsky told fans at The Gilmore Girls Fan Festival this weekend, according to BuzzFeed. “This guy came in, and he was late, and I rolled my eyes because he was late, and he was blonde. I thought he was giving attitude ― what I didn't realize was that he was in character. He did the audition, and it was one of the most amazing auditions that I've ever seen.”
“That guy” turned out to be Gosling, whom Rudofsky remembered once she was casting “Gilmore Girls.”
“[I'd] kept him in my mind, and I was thinking 'I can't wait for them to meet him.' And I am talking him up,” she continued. I'm like, 'Amy [Sherman-Palladino], guys, he's the best actor. I'm telling you, he is amazing.' So he came in, I think it was a football character? I don't even remember…”
“He auditioned, and it kind of fell flat,” she added. “And Amy was like, 'Really, Jami?'”
And then no one heard from Ryan Gosling ever again.
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Friday, October 21, 2016
'Wild Thing' Charlie Sheen Wants To Throw Out First Pitch For World Series
UPDATE: Major League Baseball told the Associated Press on Friday that the choices had been made, and they didn't include Sheen. MLB and the Cleveland Indians asked “former franchise greats” to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the games in Cleveland. Sorry, Charlie.
Previously:
Charlie Sheen, once a fictional Cleveland Indians pitcher, wants to play a real role in the team's World Series appearance.
The actor said on Thursday that he would “be honored” to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for a World Series game if called upon, outlets reported.
“Major League continues to be the gift that keeps on giving! if called upon, I'd be honored,” Sheen wrote on Twitter.
Fans had clamored for Sheen ― who played reliever “Wild Thing” Ricky Vaughn in the 1989 sports comedy “Major League” ― on social media after Cleveland defeated Toronto in the American League Championship Series.
The actor played a bespectacled hurler with control problems who was just one of many kooky characters on a hapless team that turns its fortunes around despite having an evil owner. He entered games to the song “Wild Thing.”
Your move, team brass.
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'Keeping Up With the Joneses' flubs its comedy mission
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Tallulah Willis Posts Topless Photo On Instagram, Nipple Ban Be Damned
Looks like Tallulah Willis is a proud supporter of the #FreeTheNipple movement.
The 22-year-old daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis shared a topless photo on Instagram Monday, and it might be one of her raciest photos yet. In the shot, which was taken by photographer Tyler Shields, Willis is seen lounging topless on a golden chair, arms over he head as she smokes a cigarette.
“@thetylershields took this for his new book! I love him! I love this! Bloobs shouldn't have to be hidden but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯,” Willis captioned the photo.
The image is part of Shields' new photography book Provocateur, which is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.
Shields also shared the photo on his Instagram account, writing, “To be fearless takes some people a life time and some people never really feel it @buuski has reached a new level.”
Scout Willis would be so proud.
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Bella Thorne Unleashes Her Inner Screen Siren In Sultry Playboy Debut
Bella Thorne can now add “Playboy model” to her resume.
The redheaded actress, who's unabashedly open about her sexuality, made her debut in the gentleman's magazine with a series of sultry photos. In one image, she wears a silk bomber jacket embroidered with “Bowie” on the back; in another, she channels an old-Hollywood screen siren in a red satin dress.
And, of course, this wouldn't be a Playboy shoot without at least one braless shot. You can check out some of the photos, all shot by Chloe Aftel, in the video above.
Thorne spoke to the magazine about staying true to herself ― she recently came out as bisexual ― in spite of other people's opinions.
“People often don't want to get to know the real you; they only want to get to know the person they think you are,” she said. “For me, that means people are constantly trying to change me, every second of the day, especially on social media.”
“People like to comment on how my image is too edgy, that I'm too edgy, and on how they wish I looked. It's a lot of 'do this, don't do that,'” the 19-year-old added. “To them I say, fuck off.”
Finally, the actress admitted what you already know if you've seen her Instagram posts: She's not afraid to show off her skin.
“If you're confident enough to show off your body, you should,” she said. “Be confident. It can be difficult to get yourself to focus on you all the time, especially when you're trying to transition into who you really are, but I'm not going to change for anybody else. I love staying true to me.”
You can head over to Playboy to see more of Thorne's photos or pick up a copy of the issue when it hits newsstands on Oct. 25.
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Saturday, October 15, 2016
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Tatyana Ali's Honest Take On Breastfeeding: It's 'Not Necessarily Instinctive'
A month into motherhood, Tatyana Ali is feeling the highs and lows of raising a baby.
In an interview with Essence, the actress and singer talked about parenting her son, Edward Aszard Rasberry, who was born on Sept. 16. “You try to get ready, but nothing can really prepare you for what actually goes on and what it's like,” she said.
One aspect that has been particularly challenging is breastfeeding. “I decided to breastfeed solely, so that is really what my schedule is [all about],” Ali explained.
“You know, it's something that is not necessarily instinctive, like there are messes and there are different techniques and styles,” she added. “Then you have to learn the style of your baby and how much they want to eat. The learning curve has been huge.”
Fortunately, Ali has help from her supportive husband, Vaughn Rasberry. “He is awesome,” she told Essence. “I do feedings; he does diapers. That's how we tag-team.”
Tag-teaming for the win!
H/T People
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Wednesday, October 12, 2016
5 Things You Didn't Know About Lupita Nyong'o
Best Song to Rock Out To
“Shekini” by P-Square, a Nigerian group, is infectious. I discovered it while filming Queen of Katwe in Uganda last year. Listening to the radio is very big in East Africa; if you're driving with your window rolled down, you will hear music.
Best Wardrobe Staple
A wide-brim hat. It can instantly elevate any look. I loved the film My Fair Lady growing up, so there's a bit of me that feels like Eliza Doolittle every time I wear one.
Best Advice
Go where you are loved. Danai Gurira, who wrote Eclipsed, shared that with me, and it's a valuable thought that's really stuck. When you're trying to find collaborators, you need to go where you are loved-because that's precisely the place where your dreams and goals will be nurtured. People who see the best in you bring out the best in you.
Best Way to Unwind
I got a coloring book in a swag bag from an event and thought, Oh my goodness, I completely forgot about this charming thing called coloring! I immediately got some colored pencils, gave it a try-and discovered that I love it. It's really fun! The idea is to give yourself a moment just to be in the moment.
Best Family Tradition
Singing a lively Kenyan birthday song with lots of call-and-response while banging on pots and pans. Anyone who's rolling with me needs to know it.
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Saturday, October 8, 2016
Samsung in Cross Hairs of American Hedge Fund
Salesforce Shareholders Besiege Possible Twitter Deal
N.S.A. Suspect Is a Hoarder. But a Leaker? Investigators Aren't Sure.
Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' Rocket Company, Passes an In-Flight Escape Test
Southwest Flight Evacuated After Samsung Phone Catches Fire, Airline Says
Bits: Daily Report: Salesforce Has Had Its Eye on Twitter. But Why?
The Neighborhood Bookstore's Unlikely Ally? The Internet
Swarovski, Maker of All Things Bejeweled, Tries On a Hoodie
Theranos to Close Labs and Lay Off 340 Workers
Bits: Farhad's and Mike's Week in Tech: Samsung's Exploding Products and Twitter's Fizzling Deal
Yahoo Said to Have Aided U.S. Email Surveillance by Adapting Spam Filter
C.E.O. of Backpage.com, Known for Escort Ads, Is Charged with Pimping a Minor
State of the Art: MailChimp and the Un-Silicon Valley Way to Make It as a Start-Up
The Real Message in Ang Lee's Latest? 'It's Just Good to Look At'
Bits: Daily Report: The Feds Can't Resist Silicon Valley's Data
Twitter's Fate: Marc Benioff of Salesforce Addresses Acquisition Talk
Wheels: Range Is All the Rage in Paris, as Electric Cars Steal the Show
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Rosie O'Donnell Exchanges Words With Ivanka Trump In New York City
Donald Trump doesn't waste an opportunity to attack Rosie O'Donnell, but his daughter Ivanka evidently prefers the high road.
On Wednesday around 9 p.m., O'Donnell and Ivanka Trump ran into each other at the restaurant Nobu in New York City, according to reporter Bill Ritter of a local ABC affiliate. The two reportedly exchanged pleasantries, and O'Donnell later sent her best to Trump over Twitter, referencing the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah.
The interaction left such a mark on O'Donnell that she pinned the message to the top of her Twitter page.
Trump's father, however, continues to ridicule the actress. At the first presidential debate, Donald Trump took a shot at O'Donnell when he spoke about an awesome ad for Hillary Clinton's campaign ― you know, the one that reminded voters of all the terrible things Trump has said about women.
“Hillary is hitting me with tremendous commercials,” Trump said. “Some of it said in entertainment, some of it said by somebody who's been very vicious to me, Rosie O'Donnell. I said very tough things to her and I think everybody would agree that she deserves it and nobody feels sorry for her.”
Those “tough things” he said to O'Donnell include calling her “unattractive,” “a slob” and a “loser,” among other taunts.
Luckily, the actress only needed a five words to shut down the Republican nominee:
Sounds about right.
Editor's note: Donald Trump regularly
incites
political violence and is a
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-911_565b1950e4b08e945feb7326">
style="font-weight: 400;">serial liar,
href="http://www.huffingtonpost
.com/entry/9-outrageous-things-donald-trump-has-said-about-latinos_55e483a1e4b0c818f618904b">
style="font-weight: 400;">rampant xenophobe,
racist,
style="font-weight: 400;">misogynist and
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-stephen-colbert-birther_56022a33e4b00310edf92f7a">
>birther who has
repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims - 1.6 billion members of an entire religion - from
entering the U.S.
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Why Tearing Women Down Gives Us A Thrill
A couple years ago, we hated Anne Hathaway.
Remember that? Maybe you (specifically) still do. Maybe you (specifically) never did. But it's true. We hated her big, effortful smile. We hated how she tremulously murmured “it came true” when accepting an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. We hated her molars and uvula, visible thanks to some close camera work as she belted “I Dreamed a Dream” in “Les Misérables,” the film for which she won that Oscar. We hated how she let us see her trying. We hated how she reminded us of our own need to be liked and our own carefully disguised efforts to impress.
Jennifer Lawrence, the starlet who tripped over her gown at the Academy Awards and professed her love for junk food ― she was genuine, America's effortlessly perfect dream bestie. Until she wasn't.
This cycle might feel painfully familiar: We anoint an It Girl, a beloved female icon, then rapidly begin to find things to despise about her. Soon she's left torn and trampled in the dirt as we rush past her to the next victim.
In Sady Doyle's sharp new book Trainwreck: The Women We Love to Hate, Mock, and Fear… and Why, she examines the particular pleasure our society has taken, for centuries, in tearing down publicly visible women. Early feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, French revolutionary Anne-Josèphe Théroigne de Méricourt, and Harriet Jacobs, author of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, all suffered the same calculated public humiliations and dismissals that were later faced in different forms by Sylvia Plath, Billie Holiday, Britney Spears and Whitney Houston.
“It's easy to look at these women and see what they did wrong, tally up their sins and errors,” writes Doyle in the preface of Trainwreck: “Insensitive, provocative, promiscuous, off-the-wagon, crazy.” Many of them were deeply, seriously flawed people; all of them were flawed, of course, because humans are. By highlighting the same destructive pattern, though, Doyle reveals how quick our society is to discard flawed women ― baby, bathwater and all ― then blame them for forcing us to get rid of the baby because they tainted the bathwater.
She details the arc of classic '90s trainwreck Monica Lewinsky, a counterpoint to the equally loathed Hillary Clinton (“The icy blonde and the overheated brunette, the prude and the slut, the shrewish wife and the trashy mistress, the sexless middle-aged woman and the trampy young one, the frigid, man-hating intellectual and the needy, man-hungry ditz”) and notes that ultimately, to American society, “neither woman was acceptable. Neither woman was deemed worthy of love, or even of being liked.”
Then came Britney Spears, the perfect Madonna/whore middle ground, whom Doyle casts as a reaction to the Clinton/Lewinsky villainesses. “To save herself from the hatred that defined the public lives of Hillary Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, the ideal woman would have to steer between them, like Scylla and Charybdis,” she argues, “navigating the currents without being swept toward either side: Virgin and pin-up, wide-eyed innocent and worldly temptress, icon of cool and conservative Christian role model, she would always have to be both and neither, everything and nothing.” And yet Britney, too, suffered a much-derided public downfall.
Our trainwrecks, Trainwreck shows us, are constantly generated as reactions to our era's anxieties and bigotries, or as backlashes to what we thought we wanted before. We ask women to fulfill the roles we require, then despise them for spoon-feeding us, or for not spoon-feeding us well enough ― that's how we arrived at Kristin Stewart (who didn't try hard enough or smile hard enough), then Anne Hathaway (who tried too hard and smiled too hard), then Jennifer Lawrence (who did both too ... just right). And, of course, that's how we arrived at hating them.
We ask women to fulfill the roles we require, then despise them for spoon-feeding us, or for not spoon-feeding us well enough.
Doyle's book doesn't arrive out of thin, misogynistic air; she's one of many feminist writers and agitators who've been calling out this dynamic in essays and on Twitter for years. Though past stars' falls from grace (Britney, Lindsay Lohan) have been covered with wide-eyed surprise, outlets like Jezebel forecasted a backlash against Jennifer Lawrence during her reign of unrivaled popularity. So did Lawrence herself, who said in an interview, “I feel like I'm becoming way too much [...] They like me now, but I'm going to get really annoying really fast. Just watch.”
In recent years, the growing number of feminist-oriented women's news sites have picked up on the reality that female celebrities face harsher scrutiny, and more intense hatred, spurred on by these hints from the stars themselves. Hathaway, who makes her living as a Hollywood actress, rather heartbreakingly told HuffPost in 2014, “My impression is that people needed a break from me.”
As with other feminist issues, the past few years has seen a surge of awareness in the media, and a reckoning of sorts. Doyle notes that celebrities like Spears and Miley Cyrus have tried to harness the power of their notoriety, to varying degrees of success. Others, like Lawrence and Hathaway, have gently critiqued the viciously fickle nature of audiences. Writers have penned think pieces that, though less likely to be mocked, were preceded by Chris Crocker's viral video “Leave Britney Alone” (to which Doyle gives due attention in Trainwreck). The media and audiences have grown more aware that our tendency to tear public women to shreds is unfair, sexist, damaging to gender equality.
Still, women in public aren't yet equal. And if you were suffering under that delusion, Trainwreck is particularly illuminating, a reminder that the moment when a problem, in its most obvious form, has become taboo might actually be the most dangerous moment. In fact, it's a perfect opportunity for that problem to hide in a more sneaky form. If we're all being more careful not to hate on women for smiling, for suffering from a mental illness or for being sexually active while in the public eye, chances are we'll find other reasons to disproportionately target women for over-the-top takedowns: bitchiness, insensitivity, offensiveness, and other crimes that might ruin a woman's reputation more effectively than assault allegations could ruin a man's.
Doyle writes that “[t]he trainwreck is the inverse of what a woman ought to be.” In a time when “Are you a feminist?” is a de rigeur interview question for starlets, there's another set of criteria for what a woman ought to be ― not replacing the old one, certainly, but in addition. Women today are asked to maintain their sexiness, receptiveness, agreeableness and caring natures, as detailed in Trainwreck, but also be strong, independent, and politically aware. When Rihanna got back together with Chris Brown after he'd badly beaten her, Doyle points out, she had neither the support of the Brown stans (who'd always blamed her for their hero's downfall) nor of the purportedly pro-woman crowd who berated her for setting a bad example. “[I]t was always Rihanna's responsibility not to be abused,” she writes, “and, no matter what she did, she was always blamed for any abuse that did or could happen.”
We always have female targets who are considered correct to hate out of all proportion; it's only the rationales that change. If we passionately despise Taylor Swift, it's not because she strikes us as too girly and too obsessed with her brand and her ex-boyfriends ― it's because it's offensive that she lied about whether she approved Kanye West's line about her on the track “Famous.” If we loathe Lena Dunham, it's not for her neuroses, size, or penchant for talking about her own experiences and insecurities ― it's because she allegedly molested her sister (she did not) and is racially insensitive at best (this is not wrong). If we react callously to Kim Kardashian being reportedly bound, gagged, and robbed at gunpoint, it's just because she totally faked it for attention or an insurance payout (we assume). Never mind the open glee with which many greeted the downfall or suffering of these celebrities, the joy at having an acceptable reason to trash them, often with very gendered language ― the critiques were certainly valid, but the vitriol spoke to something else.
Women in public aren't yet equal. And if you were suffering under that delusion, 'Trainwreck' is particularly illuminating.
Hillary Clinton and even Florida congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, imperfect politicians both, have been excellent targets for our collective misogynistic bile. Wasserman Schultz, who resigned in disgrace as head of the DNC after emails were leaked that suggested the organization had favored Clinton over the outsider Bernie Sanders, faced a hysterical backlash rooted in a long-time dislike amongst much of the party. While she'd doubtless drawn ire for certain political actions (see: her medical marijuana position, her support for the payday loan industry) and DNC choices (such as the odd primary debate schedule, believed to have favored the more well-known candidate), the feverish pitch was remarkable. She was booed offstage at the convention; critics have called her “Frizzilla,” “despised,” “an irritant” and slammed her as obsessed with her personal advancement. The last one might be particularly important. It grates on us that a woman might prioritize her own ambition. As Clinton herself has noted, her favorability ratings have dipped to shocking lows when she's run for president, but when she's been quietly, unobtrusively serving ― say, as Secretary of State ― we just love her.
We hate these women, often, all the more because they aligned themselves with feminism and then proved flawed. Through the Trainwreck lens, it's obvious why there's no mercy for female error. In an early chapter, Doyle traces how groundbreaking feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, who had a highly unconventional and dramatic romantic history, was reduced to a crazy, unstable slut after her death ― a narrative that overshadowed her work so completely that the feminist movement itself screeched, temporarily, to a halt. “As Wollstonecraft went,” Doyle writes, “so went her cause.” And because her shaming had harmed the women's rights movement, women resented her flaws the most: “[I]t was women, in fact, who increasingly drove the shaming of Wollstonecraft, in an effort to avoid being associated with her disgrace,” she argues. “The only way for a woman to engage in feminism at all, it turned out, was to actively participate in the shaming.”
Women, as Doyle states at the end of her book, have never had so much opportunity to speak out, and yet this doesn't mean the book on trainwrecks has been closed. Simply being spoken of in public as a woman was once considered deeply shameful, but to this day, women who ask for our attention, our vote, our money ― women who have the gall to exist unabashedly in public ― make us unsettled. “Women who have succeeded too well at becoming visible have always been penalized vigilantly and forcefully, and turned into spectacles,” she writes in the preface ― and that hasn't changed.
We hate these women, often, all the more because they aligned themselves with feminism and then proved flawed.
Perhaps the closest women can come to living in public without being torn apart by the public is to guard their private lives so carefully that their mistakes can't slip out ― an approach that, as Doyle shows with Spears, can catastrophically collapse. For now, Beyoncé exists mostly, to her fans, as an unobtainable artistic icon, not a woman who sits for interviews and goes clubbing. We have nothing to critique but her carefully crafted art, which no one can revile for being slutty, needy, try-hard, calculating or pathetic ― it's her art. Elena Ferrante, the author of the smash-hit Neapolitan novels, hid her identity entirely, writing under a pseudonym to avoid her personal life becoming the public's focus instead of her writing. We love them for not seeming to want anything from us, our attention or our affection. They're just giving us their art and staying out of our way.
We're vigilant, of course, for that illusion to shatter. It inevitably does, and both women have been under siege; Beyoncé has had her moments of mass critique and Elena Ferrante's identity was recently revealed by a New York Review of Books report. When it does finally shatter, Trainwreck suggests, there's rarely any warmth left for our once beloved women stars.
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