These Famous Women Were Demonized By The Media!

Back in the early 2000s, Pink was labelled as the "bad girl" of pop and was oftentimes pitted against the likes of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. The media not only painted a picture that Pink hated these girls, but treated the trio as if they were rivals competing for the spotlight.

Pink, later on, did an interview with People where she said that she actually "loved Britney", and that two were good friends. She also said that none of the girls wanted this media rivalry and that all of them were very supportive of one another despite what was being said. 

Whether you agree with her politics or not, there is no denying that Hillary Clinton was painted in an awful light! Following Bill Clinton's affair, it didn't seem to matter whether she supported or was angered at her husband, every move was wrong to the media.

Furthermore, her presidential candidacy in 2016 was a perfect example of an unrealistic standard she was held to, one that her male counterparts were not. Every speech, appearance, and campaign rally, Clinton was criticized for her voice, likability, and even what she was wearing. And that doesn't even count the horrible rumours spread about criminal allegations to discredit her platform and sway voters. 

The public loved her, those who didn't care for the Royal Family were enthralled by her beauty and her philanthropic work. But, despite that all, once she and Prince Charles called it quits the tabloids had a field day ripping her apart. It didn't seem to matter what she did, everywhere she went cameras followed, twisting narratives and interacting with the Princess as if she was an animal at a zoo rather than a beloved mother and friend.

It got to a point and so bad that in 1997, the world mourned the beautiful Lady Di after the paparazzi chased her down in France, causing a horrific accident that ended her life. 

In light of recent events, it should come as no surprise that Britney Spears makes the list. In 2008, Britney went from being the sweet girl next door, to a crazy and erratic star on the decline! Years later of course we are discovering there was a lot more to the story.

One of the saddest moments of Britney's past was getting chased by paparazzi so bad, she tried to hide in a diner. After begging people not to call it in where she was, they betrayed the young star. Later, photos came out of a young Britney holding her less than year old son crying, before running away with him on her lap in the car. She was deemed a terrible and unsafe mother, yet the truth of why she ended up in that position was conveniently left out of the tabloids. 

Despite being arguably one of the most loved First Lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama was not exempt from the media frenzy and was called horrible names during her husband's presidential candidacy in 2008, and throughout his 8 years run as President. 

Among the many things that were said about this philanthropic gem of a woman was that she "didn't look like a First Lady" because she worked out. Ironically, she then was also featured in political cartoons as overweight asking a skinny Barrack to "pass the bacon". And let us not forget she was deemed "unpatriotic" for talking about racial disparities as a Black woman in America. It seemed no matter what Michelle said or did, she wasn't doing it right!

Ariana Grande was the source of many tabloid attacks following the split from her boyfriend Mac Miller. Shortly after Grande and Miller called it quits, Grande and Pete Davidson linked up in a crazy whirlwind of romance. During their partnership, Miller passed away in his home from an accidental drug overdose, and while Grande should have been mourning, was left to deal with horrible comments from the media.

Newspapers and social media outlets alleged that Miller relapsed because Grande moved on so quickly, and it was because of her that he died. While that is obviously not true, we can only imagine the emotional toll that must have taken on a young Grande navigating such a terrible loss. 

Courtney Love has never been a saint, but despite her hard-core rock'n'roll attitude, Love had been subject to some harsh criticism that her male counterparts weren't. While doing nothing different than any other famous rockstar, Love was held to a higher standard and berated for being everything that her husband, Kurt Cobain, was celebrated for. 

Her success was often related to him, despite hitting the charts before they even married, and while Cobain was praised for being ambitious yet moody, Love was called opportunistic and messy. It got so bad, Love has been countlessly called a murderer by media outlets participating in conspiracies that Love hired a hitman to kill Cobain, and that his death was a murder and not in fact a suicide.

Yoko Ono was famously dubbed as the reason why the Beatles broke up, despite members denying this was the case. She was labelled as manipulative and witchy, and so awful that Paul McCartney couldn't stand to be around her.

It was because of this narrative that was so widely accepted that there has been a term coined and used called the "Yoko Effect". Ariana Grande and Courtney Love have been accused of this, and many other famous women.

Amy Winehouse was one of the greats, there is no denying that! However, despite being a musical icon, the media took things too far and often criticized the star for things she couldn't control, like her appearance and height. Eventually, Winehouse succumbed to addiction, and instead of being compassionate, the media ripped her to shreds.

When photos of the young star circulated of a frail-looking woman wearing bloodied shoes, the media degraded her, mocking her situation rather than finding ways to change a dialogue around addiction and abuse. Eventually, Winehouse fell ill and passed away from alcohol poisoning at just 27 years old.

And yet another example of a woman held to a higher standard than their male counterparts! One of the most iconic things to happen during a Superbowl, the notorious Janet Jackson nip slip! Instead of being held accountable for ripping off her top, Justin Timberlake was the brunt of hardly any jokes, while Jackson, whom he shared the stage with, was called demeaning words and made to apologize for something that wasn't even her fault.

Later on, Jackson stood up for herself and said she shouldn't have to apologize for an accident, and was banned from attending the following Grammy's, despite Timberlake attending and winning two awards. Not only was she a victim of a mistake, but she took all the vitrol and was a made a villain.