“Till death do us part.” Or until the ink is dry on the divorce papers. Divorce is never an easy topic to touch upon, but the media lives for juicy topics like that.
Last month, the media was buzzing with the talk of newlywed couple Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries. Love was in the air and gossipers couldn’t help but look at the world through rose colored glasses until the media found a way to blow up divorce scandals, breaking hearts everywhere.
After seven years of marriage, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez were getting a divorce. Shortly after this announcement, rumors were spread of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith separating. But before those rumors were proved to be false, people were saying that Anthony did not only cheat on Lopez, but he cheated on her with Jada Pinkett Smith. To think of this crazy love triangle could give anyone a headache.
Why do people care which stars are getting divorced? Face it, we love it. We love every minute of celebrity gossip because it is an escape from our own boring lives for those 20 exhilarating minutes it takes you to read a magazine. However, this is not the point. The point is, celebrities are people too; normal people who get married and normal people who get divorced. I know divorce to not be such a glamorous thing, but then why in the media is it portrayed this way?
When any couple is going through a divorce, their privacy should be respected. Whether you are a celebrity or not, you are entitled to this. Their business should not be publicized for the whole world to see, especially something so life changing and heart wrenching. But these stars have to walk around with a stone face for photographers because hiding their faces is never successful.
I am not saying I feel bad for celebrities. They signed up for this when they decided to get famous, I get it. However, I feel like when going through hard times like this, certain boundaries should not be crossed. Paparazzi should not be stalking them outside of their houses trying to get a picture of them crying.
Making up lies and adding raunchy pictures to magazine articles is just nauseating. Star magazine and others like it are infamous for this. They put the word ‘DIVORCE’ in huge bold fluorescent font on top of a scandalous picture of the accused partner cheating with some sexy nobody. This scene can be found on many gossip magazines, and the worst part about it is that it sells. It sells like hotcakes.
People cannot get enough of celebrity anything, and even though the average person would never want their own divorce public, they love reading about the heartbreak of stars and people who are not themselves. It’s a harsh reality to accept, but the quicker you accept it, the better because it’s not changing anytime soon.
The divorce rate in America is about 50% according to divorceguide.com. It is a lot more common today than it was years ago. This makes divorce more socially acceptable giving the media the green light to talk about it. Years ago, people would have been outraged to see this on the cover of a magazine, but today it is incredibly common.
Privacy is something celebrities give up when they sign up for the job. Some starlets don’t even have enough privacy to go to the bathroom. Reality stars get paid to have cameras follow them around living their everyday lives. I feel that just because they sign a contract doesn’t mean they are signing their soul to the devil. They should be able to cope with personal issues and family matters in peace.
Divorce is something that is no one else’s business but the separating couple’s. However, the media will make it their business and the whole entire world’s. I am sure that the media could even make getting a divorce look like the new fashionable trend. It is truly scary what a magazine, a television set, a computer, or a radio station can make ‘today’s breaking news.’
PHOTO COURTESY of allwomanstalk.com
