Depp v. Heard; Courtroom Case or Societal Struggle?

Nayat Menon

The Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation case began on April 11th 2022 and concluded on June 1st 2022 with every moment scrutinised and dissected by people across the world. As the case progressed, online articles and social media posts spoke volumes about the support Johnny Depp was receiving. However, the case has brought to light two very important existing problems that I’m going to elaborate on in this article.

The first of these issues is toxic masculinity. Toxic masculinity is defined as “a set of attitudes and ways of behaving stereotypically associated with or expected of men, regarded as having a negative impact on men and on society as a whole.”

According to Healthline, traits of toxic masculinity include themes of:

· Mental and physical toughness

· Aggression

· Stoicism

· Heterosexism

· Self-sufficiency

· Emotional insensitivity

To date, men have often been forced to repress their emotions in order to act in a specific way that coincides with societal expectations and conforms to traditional gender roles. We come across it in our everyday lives but it’s most commonly dismissed due to its frequent use; “man up” has been a phrase used for decades to the point at which its often overlooked, whereas in reality it implies that one can be more or less of a man based on their behaviour, which is fundamentally wrong. Similarly, “no homo” has more recently become a means of justifying any affection from one male to a male friend, since the societal standard for masculinity requires attraction to a cisgender, straight woman. Anything that could be interpreted differently comes at the risk of threatening one’s masculinity. We as a society have become desensitised to these phrases just because they’re commonplace in our everyday lives. As a result, men are often not seeking the mental help that they require so that they don’t appear ‘unmanly’. For decades now, 75% of suicides in the UK have been men and it is the biggest killer of men under the age of 50. However, only 36% of referrals to NHS talking therapies are for men- it is an ongoing issue that not enough focus is placed upon and it’s one that must see immediate change.

During the defamation case, an audio recording was played as evidence against Amber Heard. In the recording, she clearly said “Tell people it was a fair fight and see what the jury and judge think. Tell the world, Johnny. Tell them, ‘I, Johnny Depp, I’m a victim, too, of domestic violence, and it was a fair fight,’ and see if people believe or side with you.” The words speak for themselves. It could be argued that toxic masculinity has made it easier for female domestic abuse perpetrators to victimise themselves, placing their trust in our social archetype which automatically links violence and aggression with typical masculine characteristics. However, by openly expressing his experiences of domestic abuse in a high profile case such as this one, regardless of their validity, Johnny Depp has broken apart the generalised expectation of what a “real victim” looks like. He has demolished the wall that previously prevented male victims from sharing their experiences of domestic abuse, to provide them with the opportunity to come forward and express themselves freely, without the pressure of societal standards looming over them. The surge of online support for Depp has undoubtedly further boosted the confidence of male domestic abuse victims across the world and reinforced the idea that they no longer will be frowned upon or discriminated against based on gender norms. But how can we further support this change? Clare’s Law, also known as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, allows anyone to ask the police and obtain information from them about a partner in order to protect themselves from the risk of potential abuse. This enables people to feel more secure in their relationship and is extremely beneficial, but could the name “Clare’s Law” be hindering male victims from utilising the service since it can be seen as targeted towards women? Should policymakers adjust this to ensure it’s more gender-neutral?

Although this case benefits male victims who are suffering as a result of toxic masculinity, it is also counter-intuitively being used as a means of worsening misogyny. This is the second prominent issue I’d like to highlight. On the one hand, there has been overwhelming media support for Johnny Depp which as previously stated, can have a considerable positive impact on society; on the other hand, the excessive negative remarks made against Amber Heard that have been expressed online have caused misogynists to be even more misogynistic, exposing their apparent hatred and distrust towards women in general. It seems like the significant outburst of support for Johnny Depp has provided a means of blanketing blatant misogyny, since there is currently a blurred line between unfeigned support for Depp and support which stems solely from the urge to side against a woman. Due to majority of domestic abuse cases originating from women’s claims against men, misogynists have seized the opportunity, especially after Depp’s win, to make unsubstantiated claims about women. There has a been an increase in online posts and articles which accuse women of constantly making false allegations in order to gain financially, and to lower the man’s status/reputation in hopes that society will believe them. According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), 73% of domestic abuse-related victims in 2021 were female. Of course, this figure only accounts for those who opened up about their experience, but since the outcome of this case, there’s cause for concern that we might regress to a time when matters involving female domestic violence victims are trivialised and almost disregarded by a large proportion of the population. As a result of Johnny Depp winning this case, there’s a chance the ‘Me Too’ movement will also be ultimately undermined in a similar manner and for similar reasons. All in all, the mountain of hate Amber Heard has received from misogynists will deter women who desperately require help from seeking it.

In the long term, the ideal outcome we hope to see from the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard case is that men are better supported and encouraged to open up about their experiences, while simultaneously, women are not demotivated to do the same. The huge amount of media scrutiny during this case has brought to light the impact of social media on public opinion and societal views in general. It has also shown the massive influence it can have over how cases such as domestic violence are perceived and creates the opportunity for both positive and negative change.