Is there a double standard when interviewing celebrities?

WRITTEN BY ASHLEY TANHA

BY IZZY RINGMAN FLORES

The beauty about talk shows is that they let the audience connect with celebrities on a deeper level. However, while talk shows give us the chance to do this, they also blind us from noticing the differences between comedy and misogyny. Many talk show hosts are getting called out for sexualizing female celebrities while interviewing or talking about them.

A recent example is a famous Ariana Grande interview: “Ariana Grande on New Single ‘Focus’ + Near Death Experience and Relationship Goals” from Power 106 Los Angeles posted nine years ago. In this radio show, the two hosts asked her if she would pick makeup or her phone to use one last time. The sexist nature of the question made this interview soundbite go viral. It was obvious that Ariana was flabbergasted by the question at hand, which led her to express how wrongful that statement was. Another viral moment from this show happened when the hosts spoke out to Ariana by saying “Ladies, learn!” and she responded with “Boys, learn, c’mon!” Within the comment section, it was clear that many people were on Grande’s side by complaining how long they were keeping this up, no matter how many times she tried to shut it down. The more exposure this interview got, the more respect Ariana received. These comments started many online conversations about how men and women are perceived differently in media and society – in this case, talk shows.

Another example of an uncomfortable experience was the one Taylor Swift encountered in a red carpet interview. “I just wanted to show the legs cause as I was telling you ahead of time, you’re gonna walk home with more than maybe just a trophy tonight… I think lots of men,” said Nancy O’Dell, the Entertainment Tonight female reporter. This proves people, regardless of gender, participate in misogynistic stereotypes without being aware of it. The concept of internalized misogyny is best explained by a Western Washington University article by Kira K. Means titled “Not Like Other Girls: Implicit and Explicit Dimensions of Internalized Sexism and Behavioral Outcomes.” Means explains the term by stating “internalized sexism occurs when women apply sexist messages heard throughout their lives to themselves and other women.” This showcases that while men have set the ground rule for misogyny, women can reinforce stereotypes and bring each other down.

Another example involving Taylor Swift in the industry is related to her songs. Since many of her lyrics are about her dating life, individuals have criticized her for her dating history, making her defend herself over and over again. Swift has been known to stand up against sexism. Back in 2019, Tracy Smith interviewed Swift on CBS Sunday Morning, and Swift explained the difference between men and women in the industry. “A man does something, it’s strategic. A woman does the same thing, it’s calculated. A man is allowed to react. A woman can only overreact,” Swift said. Here, she showcases the double standard that men and women have within the industry. Men can date a lot of females and get called a womanizer or a charmer, while a woman does the same and gets called nothing more than negative names. Men can flaunt their expenses and get called successful, while a woman does the same thing and gets called a gold digger or a ladder climber.

To elaborate, men in the industry have a very different experience. For example, during interviews, men rarely get questions about their love life and more so questions about their lifestyle and career. While in comparison, women get asked about their love life or their scandalous actions.

A side–by–side comparison is an interview from Vanity Fair of a lie detector test with both Shawn Mendes and Sabrina Carpenter from 2021. In these interviews, Vanity Fair divides their questions into categories, and their first one is “life.” As far as Shawn Mendes’ questions go, they ask very little about his girlfriend at the time, instead asking more about his experience with doing laundry. With Sabrina, it was all about her drunk experiences and who she thinks is fun to be drunk with. This is brought up as the questions for women are constantly the same while the questions that men are asked have a wider shift. This can be a larger issue if no change is made and could make more female celebrities dislike coming on talk shows.

In conclusion, since more individuals are active on social media, now is the time to really start paying attention to past interviews to learn what questions are not okay to ask so as to not recreate the same mistakes. This way, interviewers can learn how to build more healthy relationships with celebrities and to help beat the misogyny that exists in the industry.