I’m sure everyone who has internet or has seen the tabloids have been made aware of the impending divorce of one of Hollywood’s most talked about marriages. You might be asking, “Why is this important?” People get divorced all time and Hollywood is no exception. The only reason these people’s personal lives are dominating headlines, as opposed to the divorces of all of your friends and colleagues, is because they are in movies or on magazine covers. All of this is true. However, the reaction to this news and the following revelations about the marriage, including evidence of domestic abuse, say rather damaging thing about our culture. If you haven’t guessed by now, the marriage underlying the magnifying glass is that between actress Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. The headlines came out coupled with news of Depp’s mother’s passing, as well as a horde of sexist, bi-phobic, and troubling claims from the public, putting all of the blame on Heard. The cultural dialogue happening around the divorce of one of the most famous actors in Hollywood is disturbing to say the least, and only continues the perturbing pattern of misogyny so present in the media and those involved. With words like “whore,” “gold digger,” and “liar” being the mass majority of the general public’s knee-jerk reaction to the news, we have to look at what those words are actually saying and how they highlight a prominent issue prevailing in our society, especially Hollywood.

Usually what falls under the blanket of “celebrity gossip” wouldn’t make my definition of headline news, but in this instance, I think it’s important to pick apart not so much their personal lives, but how the world reacted to them. When the couple got together and then got married, people were already taking out their hourglasses to count down the seconds till they would get divorced. Not because of a shotgun wedding, or even a fast paced relationship, but rather because of Heard’s age. Heard, currently 30 years old, is 22 years younger than the 52-year-old Depp. That age difference would normally reflect poorly on the older persons part, but in their case, Heard was placed under immediate scrutiny, not just by Depp fans, but in newspapers and tabloids. Already, people started associating her person with the worth of their relationship, insisting that he only married her because she was young and beautiful, blind to the fact that this is a person they’re talking about, not just an image. They insisted that once he grew tired of her looks, he would leave her, never even recognizing that she’s not an object to be tossed aside at someone’s desire. She’s a person with a personality, thoughts, and feelings to go along with her “looks”.

This immediately reeked of sexism, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. Their relationship lasted longer than those people thought and all the name-calling cooled down, for a short while. That was until this past week, when the news of their filing for divorce made headlines. You couldn’t open any form of social media without hearing about it, nor read a comment without someone asserting their opinion about it. The news came on the heels of the announcement of the death of Depp’s mother and some of the first reactions called Heard “cruel” for her timing. Then, when it also came to light that Heard was arguing for spousal support, the conversation expanded. She was now not just “cruel,” but a “vapid” “gold-digger” “opportunist,” who was only in it for the money. Of course, the young and up and coming actress would have no other interest in entering a relationship with an older man other than “money.” That possibility was absent from the comment section of any of these articles. Contrary to most of the public’s belief however, no matter how much money, most young women who’s careers are taking off are not interested in “settling down” and getting married. To them, however, she was just a “trophy wife” married to their idol and favorite actor. She couldn’t possibly have her own career aspirations that didn’t include being “Johnny Depp’s wife.”

Not long after, more and more news started to come out about the couple and their divorce. Depp’s team immediately released a statement before any of the other articles came out, saying “Given the brevity of this marriage and the most recent and tragic loss of his mother, Johnny will not respond to any of the salacious false stories, gossip, misinformation and lies about his personal life. Hopefully the dissolution of this short marriage will be resolved quickly." Granted I’m not here to play detective, but usually one does not release a calculated statement like that, a statement perfectly garnered to shift the public opinion to paint Heard as a liar, anticipating the claims that would follow before they even happened, if there was no basis of truth in the “stories.”

Soon following, gossip sites, and eventually news sites, started posting articles detailing Heard’s filings at court, including reports of domestic abuse. The most recent propelled Heard to file for a restraining order in the wake of a confrontation reported at their home, where an argument took place and things got verbal and psychical, including Depp throwing a phone at Heard’s face. The cops were called but at their arrival, Heard didn’t wish to make a statement. A photo then emerged of bruises on Heard’s face, which were still there when she emerged to attend her hearing at court the day after.

The names she was called before only worsened. Now, in the wake of a victim of abuse stepping up and speaking her truths, she was a “liar” and an “attention seeker.” The sheer amount of work being put in by the public in attempt to discredit her was astounding. All the while, articles stating “On the bright side, one of Hollywood’s top babes is back on the market,” was the narrative on Depp’s side of the media. Heard was ripped apart further when articles came out to the tenfold, claiming that the proud and out bisexual actresses’ ‘lesbian’ friends were causal for putting their marriage ‘on the rocks’ and that her sexuality was to blame. Besides the blatant victim blaming coming forth, the sheer amount of bi-phobia surfacing was alarming. The bi-phobic, hyper sexualized trope claiming that bisexual people are simply ‘greedy,’ insinuating that their ‘lust’ can’t be satiated in a relationship because of their sexuality, was being used for “evidence” of a fault in their relationship. Heard was demonized for having friends who’s sexual orientations happen to be gay, and for her own bisexual identification, both facts of which have nothing to do with the matter at hand.

The framing of queer sexualities as ‘deviant’ by these articles and comments only reveal just how long the fight for equality still has to go. Heard coming out as bisexual, a sexuality so often suffering from erasure and discrimination, was empowering to a lot of young people, especially young women. In a world where other out and proud actresses like Anna Paquin are asked in interviews if being in a relationship with a man makes them “straight,” it’s clear the main stream culture is still completely in the dark as to how bisexuality works, how common it is, and how offensive their blanketed ignorant assumptions are. For young bisexuals, the more actresses that wore the label proudly the better. Their sexuality, for once, was starting to feel like it was becoming accepted and normalized. When A-list stars on your television tell you that they're feeling the same feelings you are, they not only give you someone to relate to, but confirm the validity of your feelings. Heard stepping up, unabashedly, and becoming a hero, idol, and inspiration for others was vastly inspiring. In the wake of all of this, this inspiring notion was ripped apart. Her sexuality, and the sexuality of many others, was demonized and used against her. The part of her that has no relevance in the situation, the part that many people took solace in, was being twisted and exploited to confirm to a narrative which is increasingly dangerous and offensive to portray. How harmful is that for young people to see? These young individuals who already feel looked over and invalidated in society for their sexuality just had their worst fears confirmed. These insinuations only instigate the assumption that her sexuality is even necessary to bring up, as if it somehow would excuse the clear abuse allegations. Her sexuality is not the issue here. Abuse, and the dialogue surrounding it, is.

Society’s need to immediately point fingers in her direction reeks of misogyny. When, point in case, if she were the “gold digging liar” that they are painting her out to be, this whole situation wouldn’t be in her benefit. Johnny Depp is a powerful name. To deny this is just naive. He’s one of the biggest names in the industry, her field of work, and to speak against him is incredibly brave. The situation doesn’t favor her. As made clear, the public doesn’t favor her. In fact, in the wake of her speaking out, the sexism multiplies as female specific derogatory terms like “whore” and “slut” are projected at her, and Depp remains, for the most part, untouched. He’s currently playing shows with his new band, not sloshed down under the weight of backlash that Heard is facing. This is so dangerous. It’s the reason why abuse victims are often so scared to come forward. When their claims of abuse aren’t taken seriously, when an actress in the public eye’s claims aren’t taken seriously, how are they supposed to find it in them to speak up. Where’s the hope that there will be justice? The bias against them is profound and only denotes how rigidly patriarchal our world still is. While Heard and victims of abuse across the board should be getting support, first and foremost, she is being questioned, ridiculed, and accused of everything in the book. The public’s reaction only work hand in hand to set her up to be the person Depp’s statement is painting her out as, a ‘gold digging liar’. In a picture (which frankly needs to stop circulating) of her breaking down in the car just after her court hearing, one can see that this isn’t easy for her and it isn’t going to get an easier. While all of Depp’s fans and the world backpedal and talk about how you can’t be sure of anything until it is “confirmed” and how, for the moment, these are “just allegations,” they are increasingly quick to confirm and point fingers at Heard without any “proof.” This will be along hurdle for her to overcome, and she’ll need all the support she can get, as she becomes the next target for the misogynistic narrative our society is so hell-bent on telling.

Depp's identity as a cultural icon is also a part of this narrative. Abuse doesn’t matter when it’s one of your favorite actors. It’s a pattern that runs throughout Hollywood and our culture. In a world where artistic merit and worth means more than what a person did, people are quick to overlook and dismiss problematic, dangerous, and undeserving icons for heinous acts they’ve committed. If he’s an attractive, talented, or popular straight male, who has carved himself a name in our culture, then he becomes untouchable. The world becomes blinded to anything they’ve done, yet the females in these situations always suffer. Just look at Woody Allen. Abuse claim after abuse claim, all pretty undeniable, yet he continues to be allowed to make whatever movie he wishes, premiering them at prestigious festivals like Cannes, and inciting A-list actors to hop on board with his productions. Or just look at the current state of Broadway. In a season proclaiming it’s proud diversity, a convicted child molester, James Barbour, is playing the title role of The Phantom of the Opera, one of Broadway’s most popular and long running shows. In these cases, many of which where there’s straight proof of the crimes, these men are still allowed to work again in their desired fields and frankly, they shouldn't be allowed to. What repercussions do they ever face? As hard as it is to make a movie, as hard as it is to be a performer, they’re still easy jobs. They are people’s dream jobs. Jobs many would kill to be able to do, most of which are just as capable and talented as these men. They face no consequences. In Barbour’s case, where his conviction was a result of an incident that occurred at the ‘stage door’ of his show, with an awaiting and adoring fan, he was then literally allowed to return to his position of power that he abused before. If a teacher was a convicted offender, they wouldn’t still be allowed to teach. Why does this not apply to those that work in the art field? Allen continues making films where his salacious personal life is basically paraded and consumed as art, as every film features a problematic relationship between a young woman and a much older man that's continually romanticized. People like Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg flock to work with him, despite their past instances of being sympathetic to social issues. These are established actors who continue to work with him, actors who are A-list celebrities and have a plethora of scripts thrown their way every day, yet they actively choose to make a movie with this man and defend him.

Only some brave and confident souls like Susan Sarandon are bothering to say what the rest of the world and industry seem so scared of. She named Allen for what he is, insisting that he “sexually assaulted a child” to a full room of reporters at Cannes, which nearly silenced the whole room. Moments ago, when it all seemed lighthearted, everyone was ready to play along, but when someone speaks the truth, everyone cowers. Why so scared? This mindset is dangerous and only works to hurt victims in the future. Heard’s case is one of many, and she’ll be knocked down again and again, all while trying to seek some justice. In all honesty, her bravery coming forward is awe-inspiring. To see such a young actress naming her abuser and coming forward, when said abuser is an older and more powerful figure in the pubic eye and in her line of work, is heartening, for it’s not an easy task and, as characterized by the majority reaction, is a massive risk. The fact that she’s taking it without hesitation is incredibly brave, and one can only hope that the dialogue around this cultural phenomenon, where famous, rich, and talented white men become untouchable and their female counterparts are shredded and demonized, starts to shift and it’s pure misogyny comes under some much needed scrutiny. For victims everywhere, it shouldn't be the cultural norm for them to be discouraged from bravely speaking out. While Depp may be an icon, he’s not exempt from criticism. He’s not sacrosanct and nobody should be.