Indiscriminate hero-worship disregarding the humanity of the icon
There are an ever-increasing number of posts and links shared on Facebook proclaiming or defaming certain celebrities as feminist icons. It is all too easy to banally ‘like’ and be swayed by a particularly persuasive and well-written article, regardless of its stance. Very rarely do these articles give a definition of what they deem to be feminist, a politically charged term with varied meanings to different individuals.
It often appears as though the argument regarding the credibility of female celebrities as adequate icons stem from discussions around Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. These two famed women represent a very black and white juxtaposition of the ways in which femininity can be construed. Debates surrounding this extreme dichotomy often question whether or not these polarized versions of womanhood adequately portray what it means to be a successful and confident woman. On one side, there is Marilyn, the curvy blonde bombshell whose infamous quote “If you can’t handle me at my worst, you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best” is the tagline for innumerable Facebook statuses and profile pictures. Then, we have Audrey, the demure and pure brunette, famously informing the world that she believes in pink and kissing a lot.
Both of these quotes are taken entirely taken out of context, and context matters. What matters more, however, is the categorization of any human being and placing them under a specific label, such as damaged and seductive, or demure and poised. To define anyone, even celebrities, in absolute terms in entirely unrealistic, and demeans and degrades their humanity. Nothing in life is concretely black or white and it is therefore unrealistic to try to place individuals in these definitive boxes. Moral absolutism – a view that certain actions are absolutely right or wrong – limits our understandings and our experiences. Individual perspective matters.
It could be argued that Gandhi was misogynistic in some of his actions, or it could be pertinent to draw attention to the fact that Martin Luther King Jr. cheated on his wife. Everything is relative, and it is crucial that we do not lose sight of the humanity behind venerated and idolized celebrities. This is not to celebrate the mistakes famous icons make, but it is also not to blindly condemn them. There is no infallible good, or infallible evil.
To summarize Marilyn as a depressed drug addict, or Audrey as a sweet, virginal and naive girl, completely disregards their mortality and their complexities as individuals. Instead of asking whether or not they represent adequate feminist icons, answer this: can any individual perfectly represent the complexities and variations needed for indiscriminate hero worship? Maybe instead of trying to compartmentalize and classify women as acceptable icons or not, we should rather understand them as imperfect and complex human beings.