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After a public spate of fairly vicious commentary about Ashley Judd's looks, particularly regarding the above photo, she posted a response - and it is fantastic. (Please, read the whole thing.)
When will we finally have had enough? When will we stop judging people for how they look RIGHT THIS MINUTE and start remembering who they actually ARE? We are damaging women, relationships, children, men, teenagers, our perception of ourselves, our view of the past and our view of the future, the very fabric of our society by our refusal to stop allowing the media to tell us what is attractive and what is not; to reject the overwhelmingly common belief that people are worth no more than what they look like. How is it that we continue to be so FOOLISH?
We must stop. We simply have to.
I've never thought much about Ashley Judd - I thought she was pretty, a good actress, interesting family, but that was about it. Now, after reading her letter, I respect and admire her so much - she's smart, clear-eyed, and responding in an articulate, appropriate, confident manner to a personal attack and serious issue. A friend and fellow blogger recently posted a very funny, satirical (or is she serious? You decide) write-up on our collective tendency towards jealousy, and I'm starting to see that she has a point. Is there any reason for malicious gossip and irresponsible 'journalism' other than jealousy? I don't think so - it's not like calling out someone's age or a perceived 'flaw' is in any way news.
It's interesting how often lately I've heard people reminding me that we must not judge others, and all the thinking I've been doing about the importance of not making assumptions. How can anyone look at the picture above and not see a beautiful woman? And if she looks different than she did a month (or a decade) ago, why doesn't anyone ask if there's a reason? (Have any of us NOT seen that illness can change a person's appearance?) And why isn't it OK/normal/accepted/appreciated that we change as we get older? The gleeful disregard for facts, healthy discussion, and common courtesy tells me that yes, these commenters and interviewers and 'reporters' are jealous - jealous, and invested in the false trope that we have allowed the media (and each other) to impose on our world that 'image is everything.'
IT'S NOT TRUE. We are all worth so much more than what we look like. Ashley Judd's measured response proves to me, for example, that she is much, much, more than just a pretty (puffy) face - and she shouldn't have needed to write about it for anyone to believe it.
"The insanity has to stop, because as focused on me as it appears to have been, it is about all girls and women. In fact, it’s about boys and men, too, who are equally objectified and ridiculed, according to heteronormative definitions of masculinity that deny the full and dynamic range of their personhood. It affects each and every one of us, in multiple and nefarious ways: our self-image, how we show up in our relationships and at work, our sense of our worth, value, and potential as human beings. Join in—and help change—the Conversation." - Ashley Judd (If you haven't, read the article.)
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