Are celebrities portrayed an ethical way in the media?
The media depicts celebrities in a way where they promote a false image, thinking they are genuinely happy when in reality this is all inaccurate. This sets unrealistic goals for the audience, and it becomes a way for us to set standards of how we should feel, act and look like.
We always find ourselves comparing one another, celebrity or not. We are consumed by the idea of who has a better life than us, from the clothes they wear, where they live or their wealth status. This is idealised, not real.
Let’s take this man for example, Will Smith.
He is a hardworking actor, that is best known for his features in “I am legend” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air“. And cmon, who doesn’t love a bit of movie classics, am I right?
Smith is one of the most richest actors in the world making him a billionaire, where he lives in a 42 million dollar mega mansion along in Calabasas. The father of three has loving kids that support him, and don’t you forget about that ‘Jada and that Will love‘!
But life isn’t all about that right?
Smith doesn’t always have the brightest smile on his face all the time. The media for sure portrays it, as he goes through his own personal life struggles, but slowly opening up to his mental health. This is living proof that sometimes we can’t always judge a book by its cover.
The world watched Smith listen to his wife tell him on live that she had another affair, and people laughed at him.
And now, the 2022 Oscars have not been one to forget for him either. Walking up on the stage and slapping Chris Rock for making a comment about Jada Pinkett- Smith’s alopecia, this will be a never forgotten media aspect.
“Will Smith just f—king smacked the s—t out of me,” – Chris Rock
Will Smith sat back down in his seat before yelling, “Keep my wife’s name out your f—king mouth. Keep my wife’s name out your f—king mouth!”
This insights us on learning the real definition of toxic love. Jada humiliated Will, degraded him, belittled his character just for the world to comment on their relationship, family, so she could still be relevant on her show ‘Red Table Talk’.
She also would have encouraged Will to act on her behalf of the Oscars, as it shows he was literally laughing straight after Rock read the script, and blurted the joke aloud.
Will Smith’s mental health has deteriorated and his actions at the Oscars purely show the dark place he is mentally. This is a cry for help, considering he has been through emotional abuse for decades and all it took was this.
Smith released a new trailer for his new releasing series in 2021 ‘Will Smith: The Best Shape Of My Life‘, and it shows the actor opening up about his own personal struggles with mental health.
“But what emerges is a Will Smith that you’ve NEVER seen before. A Will Smith who realises that what he needs to work on most is his mental health.”
This is proof that real life is not what it seems and that we never really know what anyone is going through. We are all interpreters in each others worlds by not actually noticing that someone may have the same similarities in life as you.
Will Smith’s life experiences and situations will always remain controversial and inspiring. We are all different individuals that continue to have different ideas based around life which allows us to interpret the image through our own morals, ethics, teachings and beliefs.
References:
Digital Spy. 2021. Will Smith opens up on mental health struggles https://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/a38116600/will-smith-mental-health-struggles/ [accessed 31 March 2022]
Weekly Us. 2022. Will Smith and Chris Rock’s 2022 Oscars Incident Over Jada Pinkett Smith: Everything to Know https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/will-smith-and-chris-rocks-oscars-2022-incident-everything-to-know/ [accessed 31 March 2022]
Images retrieved from:
Image one – Wikipedia. 2022 Will Smith https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Smith [accessed 31 March 2022]
Image two – Know your meme. 2021 https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sad-will-smith-entanglement [accessed 31 March 2022]
Image three – Weekly Us. 2022. Will Smith and Chris Rock’s 2022 Oscars Incident Over Jada Pinkett Smith: Everything to Know https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/will-smith-and-chris-rocks-oscars-2022-incident-everything-to-know/ [accessed 31 March 2022]
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