In our modern age, there is no shortage of media to interact with. Most websites, social media platforms or streaming services are only one click away. The entertainment industry has perfected its craft, offering up what seems like an unlimited number of TV shows, movies and music.
Interact with enough of the industry’s products, though, and you may start to notice a pattern — women are never held to the same standards as men. Whether from comments by netizens on a blurry celebrity video or movie directors purposely placing less importance on female characters, it is clear that the entertainment industry has a problem.
Marvel’s new television show, “Agatha All Along”, arrived just in time for the Halloween season. Following the titular witch Agatha Harkness and her newly found coven, the show makes for a fresh and exciting watch that feels completely new to the Marvel universe. While projects in the MCU have always been popular, this particular piece has brought in a large following at a time when interest in the MCU has been slowly dwindling.
Part of the reason this show is so successful is its diverse cast of characters, many of whom are played by well-known actresses. The show also connects with modern audiences by having strong main characters who are queer. While this is not the first time that there have been openly queer characters in a Marvel project, it is certainly the first time that a titular character’s main story involves a past love interest of the same sex.
The show has been getting a lot of attention on social media platforms. Notably, many people have been talking about the fact that Agatha, Rio and Billy Kaplan are openly queer. Interestingly, though, most news outlets and social media posts have chosen to give more coverage to Billy’s character than Agatha’s.
In the second episode of “Agatha All Along” Billy Kaplan, at this point known only as “Teen”, receives a call from his “Boyf.” He did not pick up the call, but those two seconds of screen time were all that people on social media needed to post countless videos theorizing about the — at the time — alleged queer relationship.
Conversely, in the first episode, Rio tells Agatha that her black heart beats only for her. Other than theories emerging about Rio’s identity, news sources avoided writing about the obvious tension between the two characters. By avoiding talking about a lesbian relationship, the media shows that, whether subconsciously or not, women’s stories are less important. Misogyny is still rampant in the entertainment industry.
This is not a problem that is specific to “Agatha All Along.” It is also prevalent in many parts of the entertainment industry. Chappell Roan, who has been heavily scrutinized by the media in the past months, is perhaps the most poignant example. The singer has firmly set and communicated her boundaries and the media have crucified her for it ever since. Think pieces about why celebrities like Roan are naive and unreasonable for expecting their fans to respect their privacy have become common all around the internet.
It is important to note that when male celebrities speak up for themselves in a similar manner, the media tends to veer in the other direction, emphasizing the importance of mental health and online etiquette. For example, when Kit Connor was pressured to come out by fans of his TV show “Heartstopper,” the media was clear in its stance that the mental health of celebrities is a serious issue that should be taken into consideration by the general public.
Most recently, Roan told a paparazzi at a red carpet event that he owed her an apology for a previous rude comment he made. This should not be a big deal. Yet comment sections of the video are filled with people claiming that she was out of line. Because the event was for Olivia Rodrigo’s documentary premiere, it was apparently inconsiderate of her to stand up for herself so publicly.
The argument that celebrities should be considerate when addressing their own boundaries is one that is used exclusively for women. If they decide to speak up, it is not the right time.
There will never be a right time. Chappell Roan simply cannot win. If she were to stay quiet and not speak up for herself, surely there would be a group of people insisting that by staying silent, she is teaching her young fans to not advocate for themselves.
Why are photographers and paparazzi even allowed to continue speaking to artists in this manner? The majority of people do not seem to question the actions of the people who are actually being incredibly rude. I have never seen an instance of a man on the red carpet being called nasty for sticking up for themselves.
Hugh Grant was interviewed during the Oscars by Ashley Graham on the red carpet and was quite dry in his responses. While some comments under the video questioned if he was rude, the majority simply laughed and defended him saying he is just British. When Cara Delevigne gave an interview in the same dry manner, she was deemed rude and cold by the interviewers.
And it is not only the speaking up that is the issue. If I search the names of female artists like Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo or Sabrina Carpenter on TikTok, after only a few scrolls I am met with videos of them being ranked with other women in the entertainment industry.
Chappell Roan is certainly not the first woman who has been lambasted by the media for expressing her opinion. It feels like every month an old interview of a female celebrity is dug out from the depths of the internet and scrutinized under a lens. Anne Hathaway has been through this numerous times. Most recently, one of the interviews from her “Les Miserables” promotion went viral where the interviewer asked her to sing her responses and she refused.
It seems odd that we as a society are still enforcing the belief that women should always be amicable, even when they are uncomfortable. Whether they are ignored by the media like Agatha Harkness or seemingly burned at the stake for sticking up for themselves like Chappell Roan, it is undeniable that the media is still deeply rooted in its misogyny.
Raquel Padin-Nicholas is an English major who enjoys writing about pop culture. Email her at [email protected].