Anne Hathaway on Slut Shaming

[lemondrop]

Heath?

feministing.com/2012/12/13/matt-lauer-is-gross-anne-hathaway-kicks-slut-shamings-ass/

Anne Hathaway went the Today show yesterday to promote Les Miserables (which I am ridiculously excited about like the big nerd I am). And Matt Lauer took the interview as an opportunity to be a disgusting, patronizing pig.

Hathaway had a “wardrobe malfuction” while getting out of a car at the New York premiere of Les Mis. Because our culture is gross like Matt Lauer, photographers quickly snapped shots of Hathaway’s crotch and then spread them all over the internet. And then Lauer treated the photos like they were news. He opened the interview with “Seen a lot of you lately,” which Hathaway gracefully tried to laugh off. But Lauer kept pushing, leaning towards her with a knowing look of paternalism *shiver*: “What’s the lesson learned from something like that?” You can just hear the question continue, “you naughty girl. Dirty, dirty girl.” Ick.

So what’s Hathaway supposed to say there? “Next time I wear Tom Ford to a premiere I’ll be sure to wear underwear so you can slut shame me about visible panty lines?” Awesomely, her response to Lauer’s question nailed the sexist culture in which these photos get non-consensually spread around, and in which a male interviewer thinks he has the right to lecture her on the subject:

Well, it was obviously an unfortunate incident. Um, I think— It kinda made me sad on two accounts. One was that I was very sad that we live in an age when someone takes a picture of another person in a vulnerable moment and, rather than delete it, and do the decent thing, sells it. And I’m sorry that we live in a culture that commodifies sexuality of unwilling participants, which brings us back to Les Mis, because that’s what my character is—she is someone who is forced to sell sex to benefit her child, because she has nothing and there’s no social safety net. And I— Yeah, so, um, so let’s get back to Les Mis.

Bam! Matt Lauer continued his condescension game by saying Hathaway’s response was, “One of the most creative turns of a question I’ve ever heard.” Here’s the thing, though: bringing this question back to Les Mis is kinda brilliant. Cause Hathaway’s right – the culture in which Fantine was forced into sex work is the same culture that slut shames a celebrity because photographers and media outlets are assholes. A culture where women’s sexuality is commodified regardless of any intent on our part, and then we’re shamed for being dirty sluts.

Lauer then tried repeatedly to get Hathaway to talk about her weight loss for the role. A topic she’s avoided because she lost weight to look emaciated and sickly, and she does. And she’s smart enough not to talk about how she went about doing that, probably because she knows about the dangers of our skinniness-obsessed culture (she even mentions that the weight loss impacted her singing ability). Matt Lauer, on the other hand, has no clue what it’s like to be a woman in a world full of gross patriarchal slut shamers like him.

[lemondrop]

I've mentioned quite a few times how terrible the Today Show is. This is just another disgusting example. I love, love, love how Anne turned it around to Les Mis.

[iheartvino]

I can't stand Matt Lauer.

I'm beyond excited for Les Mis. I've always love Anne Hathaway and that was a great answer to a really uncomfortable situation.

[cizzle]

Matt Lauer make 25 mill a year to act like that. +o(

[WOT?*]

Makes me like her more than ever. And him less so.

[cleo29]

I read a review that says she is awesome in the movie, which from the snippets I have heard, I can believe. I can't wait to see the movie and brava to her for showing such class when faced with such a crass line of questioning.

[nightandday]

She handled herself with such grace. God almighty, he is a pig. How gross to even ask such a question. I love her more now because her eloquent response made him seem like an even bigger ass.

[cahabalily]

I grew up watching ML and used to love him but the last ten years have just been horrible. I wonder if he's always been an ass and I didn't notice when I was younger or if it developed over time.



Sent from my SGH-T959V

[MWOS]

I was watching this while I got ready for work. It made me, as a viewer, extremely uncomfortable. My jaw dropped when I heard him ask that. What the fuck was he thinking??

[Deleted]

I fucking love her.

[lola]

Dec 13, 2012 19:21:53 GMT -5 @stpete said:

I would love to see that interview. Sounds like she was fantastic.

There's a clip on HuffPo. She's amazing.