This summer, “Wonder Woman” broke box office records and helped pave the way for success in films both directed and led by women. Despite this, many refused to watch or support the film because the lead actress, Gal Gadot, was deemed problematic by a vocal portion of audiences.
Deeming celebrities problematic has become a new and vicious trend, especially noticeable online. In the case of Gadot, many people are concerned that she is Israeli and served two years in the Israeli Defense Forces.
Even though service in the military is mandatory for all Israeli citizens over the age of 18, many interpret her service as a rampantly anti-Palestine statement. Lebanon even banned the film because of Gadot.
In 2014, she made a Facebook post denouncing the actions of Hamas, but she has otherwise stayed silent on the subject.
While she did denounce Hamas, instantly demonizing her and labeling her as anti-Palestine is taking a simplistic stance on a very complex and nuanced issue. It also generally ignores the fact that her military service was mandatory and that Israeli citizens are not responsible for the actions of their government and military.
Gadot is not the only celebrity facing online hate and harassment because of actions deemed unfavorable by audiences.
Popular celebrities that are often deemed problematic include Taylor Swift, Halsey, Benedict Cumberbatch, Emma Watson, Jennifer Lawrence and many others. Online communities will seek out specific things that these celebrities have said or done, even if they happened many years ago, and demonize them for their actions.
The problem is not necessarily that people think that a celebrity is problematic because of his or her actions. Sometimes, it is necessary to point these things out, especially in the case of celebrities who are alleged sexual abusers like Casey Affleck or in the case of others who display real hate and danger towards others.
The problem arises when someone decides that nobody is allowed to support or engage with the work of said celebrities due to their status as problematic.
Those who choose to like these celebrities are also urged to boycott them. In the case of Gal Gadot, many took to Twitter to encourage others to boycott “Wonder Woman” and the rest of her work.
Someone’s character cannot be immediately judged from the films, music and other content they choose to engage with – especially because the actions and statuses of many of these celebrities cannot even be found unless specifically searched for online.
It is completely fine to choose to watch a movie without thoroughly researching the past actions of every actor beforehand.
It is important to be a conscious fan and consider the words and actions of people who are famous. It is also okay to choose to stop supporting a celebrity if his or her actions bother you.
The important thing is to stop looking for every small detail to obsess over the lives of these celebrities. The truth is that everyone is problematic sometimes, and if people tried to dig up the things we said years ago in brief moments of ignorance, most of us would be just as guilty.
It is completely okay to support and engage with content from these celebrities and to let other people do the same.
emmagetz@indiana.edu
@emmaagetz
