Joyce McFadden: Hillary and Britney: Of Caucuses and Carcasses

In Alex Williams' Sunday New York Times article "Boys Will Be Boys, Girls Will Be Hounded" she asks, "Is there a double standard for stars who behave badly?" Williams goes on to compare the inequities in the coverage of male and female celebrities' tribulations. Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Amy Winehouse, Anna Nicole Smith and Paris Hilton, each emotionally impaired in a different way, have had their woes resolutely plastered on every one of our entertainment shows and magazines. On the other hand, stories on Heath Ledger, Owen Wilson, Robert Downey Jr., and Kiefer Sutherland are far fewer and have shown more restraint and respect. On this dynamic Williams and the editors of US Weekly , People , the producers of Entertainment Tonight , as well as the two publicists for Madonna and Ben Affleck all agree. The article includes a quote from Beverly Hills psychotherapist Rebecca Roy to explain part of what fuels this engine. "...troubled male stars, like Robert Downey Jr. are ... (link)