Last night, Juno and Inception star Ellen Page proudly announced she’s gay. She did so at the LGBTQ youth conference in Las Vegas. Congrats to her for coming out on her own terms and in her own way. But was she forced into the announcement?
In her speech, Page mentioned the “crushing weight of Hollywood beauty standards” and specifically an article on the E! website that wondered why Page insisted on dressing like a “massive man” and questioned whether the actress was “actually homeless.”
One guess what E! did to that article after Page’s speech. Yup. They scrubbed it off the web. Luckily, someone was able to get a screenshot.
Look, I understand E! is popular among young women with absolutely zero going on in their own lives who enjoy keeping up on celeb culture but the network contributes little to the pop culture landscape. They report on celebrity news while simultaneously pushing their own homegrown and horrendous personalities. Occasionally they’ll run the movie Knocked Up because the network is prominently featured throughout the flick. The channel is home to hours of acceptable bullying.
Network execs, and Joan Rivers, will make the argument that these are celebrities and scrutiny is all part of the package.
Bullshit.
Make fun of a celeb dressed like a giant tampon on a red carpet all you want but don’t take aim at a young woman just running out for groceries and call it “reporting the news.” A celebrity knows where the cameras are but sometimes has no idea where the cameras aren’t. And also, if you’re going to call an attractive and talented young female a “massive man”, at least have the balls to keep the article live and own up to your hateful agenda.
Thankfully, Ellen Page was strong enough to face the scrutiny and use it to make a tough decision a little easier. I feel bad for those women in Hollywood who won’t be able to do the same and crumble under the intense pressure of the Hollywood spotlight.
But that’s exactly what outlets like E! pray for because the fall of a star is much better for business than the rise.
Chris Illuminati is writer, father and certified asshole. Follow him on Twitter or check out more of his writing on his official website.