6.15.2009

One More Time with Context - pt 1

Friday was a sad day over at Jezebel.com. The allegedly feminist site ripped apart a fellow female with cruel insults and slurs. This artlisticle was posted, clearly intending to set Megan Fox up for criticism on the "progressive site." Commenters raged on for 6 pages, flouting their hatred, calling Fox stupid, putting words in her mouth... on a site that condemns body snarking, "slut shaming," and girl-on-girl bashing, and claims to promote acceptance, female friendliness, and understanding. It sucks. Megan Fox looks the smartest out of the bunch. She's honest, and she's very aware of what she is to the public. Eye candy for men, target of jealousy and hatred for women, joke for film critics and buffs. She knows she has a lot to prove. She shouldn't have to do that.

A real feminist cares about women, and doesn't set another female up as a target.

Instead of arguing with commenters who are clearly enjoying using Megan Fox as an outlet for their anger (take from that what you will), I'd rather discredit the underhanded and irresponsible reporting of the quotes on the blog. Note that the site links to only one source. Everything below that I've attributed to Jezebel appears as it did when posted by Tracie (who has written a lot of other great articles in the past) at 2:00pm on June 11, 2009. I haven't shortened or edited a thing, but you can find out for sure by visiting Jez (first link). So, I'm on a hunt for the original quotes as they appeared in publication. This may take awhile, here's the first bit:

Jezebel:
"I think that I'm so psychotic and so mentally ill that if I could tap into that I could do something really interesting." - Entertainment Weekly, June 2009

EW.com:
There are some actresses who started out as sex symbols and went on to serious careers. Is that your goal?
Like who?

Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron...
Angelina Jolie was always a Method actress. She'd been nominated for Golden Globes before she ever did Tomb Raider.

Okay, well, do you think you have a Monster in you down the road?
I think that I'm so psychotic and so mentally ill that if I could tap into that I could do something really interesting.


Jezebel:
"If there's no sun, I go batshit crazy." - Total Film, July 2009

Megansafox.com:
Finally, there's her rumoured involvement in Brit medieval flick Ironclad, set to shoot in England where Fox admits she had a seasonal disorder - "if there's no sun I go batshit crazy" - during the filming of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People "It's in the foetal stages of existence. That's something I'm interested in doing. And it'll be over there, with you people...is it sunny in the summer? How do you live?"


Jezebel:
"I haven't gone completely insane, but it might happen soon." - Entertainment Tonight, June 2009

etonline.com:
"I see some people who have to deal with in on an everyday basis -- I am not a Jennifer Aniston or a Britney Spears or even a Lindsay Lohan, you know?" she explains. "My pictures don't sell for that kind of money. But [of] the small level that I do deal with it, it is hard and there have been times [when] people don't want to hang out with me because they don't want to end up on the Internet. I sometimes just turn around and go back home and don't do anything and have to have someone go do my grocery shopping."

"I need to behave in a way and handle myself in a way that will cause people to take me seriously," Megan continues. "You can be sexy and be intelligent and be taken seriously, or you can be sexy and you can be out at clubs every night and not be [taken seriously]."

After a moment of reflection, she adds, "I haven't gone completely insane -- but it might happen soon."


Jezebel:
"I have no friends and I never leave my house." - Times of London, June 2009

timesonline.co.uk:
Handed fame and fortune at such a young age, your average starlet has two options: a) make the most of it while it lasts, date everyone in sight and hit every nightclub in town, or b) pick a good man, bolt the doors and hide.

Having dated Brian Austin Green, 35, a fellow actor, since 2004, Fox clearly chose the latter, more sensible, option, but she makes it sound incredibly hard. “I have no friends and I never leave my house,” she confesses. “You just have to make a choice to just refuse to be involved with things that could get you in trouble. It’s easy when you feel upset or depressed about something to want to go to a club and want to drink and want to build a disconnect that way. But instead I just force myself to sit and feel it and deal with it, and try and grow from it, because I don’t want to go down that path.

“And, yeah, it’s difficult. I’m one of the most isolated people in existence right now. But it’s worth it. Because if I wasn’t making that decision I would be throwing away my career.”


Jezebel:
"My weight fluctuates constantly—I don't really take good care of myself. I just sort of exist and survive." - Elle, June 2009

timesonline.co.uk
(NB: No luck finding the current Elle article online, but it's in here too. Also saw this attributed to the Sun. If anyone can send a scan of the article so we can see the original quote, that'd be cool.)
Her looks may have taken her a long way, but Fox says she won’t be selling her diet and beauty secrets to any glossy magazines. “I didn’t even train for this role,” she laughs. “Just quit smoking — that’s all I did. My weight fluctuates constantly. I don’t really take good care of myself. I’m not that type of girl, I don’t pamper myself, I don’t have a special diet, I just sort of exist and survive. Whatever happens, happens.”


Jezebel:
"I'm not trying to take Cate Blanchett down." - USA Today, April 2009

Transcript at smellslikescreenspirit.com:
For many young actors, Megan, being in “Revenge” would be like the pinnacle of their career. But you’ve hinted that, in the end, movies about shape-shifting robots are nothing to write home about. How do you define success?
Megan: I’d like to develop my skills to where I can be recognized as a good actress. That’s my end goal. It has nothing to do with the box office. It’s about peer recognition and critical acclaim, even on a small level. I mean, I’m not trying to take Cate Blanchett down. I just want to improve.


Jezebel:
"I'm so suspicious of boys-slash-men. I just don't like them or trust them." - Elle, June 2009

fashion.elle.com (still just a teaser quote on the site):
On maturing early: “I’ve lived the life of a 35-year-old since I was 18. I’m so suspicious of boys-slash-men. I just don’t like them or trust them.”
http://fashion.elle.com/blog/2009/05/elles-june-cover-girl-megan-fox.html

A few notes: the "batshit crazy" comments had Jezebelers angry about her making light of mental illness, and when one person said she might actually suffer from it to some degree, they simply responded with doubt and more anger.

The Cate Blanchett quote got some commenters angry. Too bad it wasn't in context, since it turns out it was actually a compliment.

No comments:

Post a Comment