Actress, writer and producer Renée Zellweger, known for her roles as Bridget Jones in "Bridget Jones's Diary" and Dorothy Boyd in "Jerry Maguire," has written an essay that tackles tabloid journalism.
"In the interest of tabloid journalism, which profits from the chaos and scandal it conjures and injects into people's lives and their subsequent humiliation, the truth is reduced to representing just one side of the fictional argument," Zellweger wrote in an article published on the Huffington Post. "I can't imagine there's dignity in explaining yourself to those who trade in contrived scandal, or in seeking the approval of those who make fun of others for sport. It's silly entertainment, it's of no import, and I don't see the point in commenting."
The 47-year-old actress started off by saying that she is lucky to have the opportunity to do satisfying work, something that is worth the price of having a public life. This means, at times, having to keep silent despite being humiliated and also knowing that silence can likewise result in a bigger problem.
She discussed how the current culture expects people expose themselves for publicity and have their most private issues televised. Because of this, people who choose privacy are deemed as "a suspicious character" and that they supposedly have something to hide. Silence makes one vulnerable to ridicule as well as "to having the narrative of one's life hijacked by those who profiteer from invented scandal."
She wrote about how headlines put emphasis on "the implied variables meant to determine a person's worth." This includes just about everything - weight, ageing, clothing, laughter, smile, and more - and it implies that people must be able to meet the accepted physical requirements in order to avoid ridicule and be valuable in their profession.
"The resulting message is problematic for younger generations and impressionable minds, and undoubtably triggers myriad subsequent issues regarding conformity, prejudice, equality, self acceptance, bullying and health," she wrote. "Ubiquitous online and news source repetition of humiliating tabloid stories, mean-spirited judgments and false information is not harmless."
Zellweger suggests that media focus more on important matters rather than on judgements and misconceptions. She said that people can talk more about why there is a common interest in seeing others humiliated and ridiculed because of personal appearance, and how this affects the younger generations, as well as how even legitimate news outlets have "become vulnerable to news/entertainment ambiguity."
"Maybe we could talk more about our many true societal challenges and how we can do better," she concluded.
Zellweger will be seen in a new film, "Bridget Jones's Baby," to be shown in theaters this September.
