http://nypost.com/2014/03/27/a-working-moms-open-letter-to-gwyneth-paltrow/
I'm sure some of you have heard about the controversy surrounding Gwyneth Paltrow's recent comments about how difficult she has it working fourteen hours a day filming, while mothers with "regular" 9-5 hours have it really easy compared to her. I am not writing to villainize the well-known actress; rather, I am more interested in the obvious flaws with the statement and their consequences. The letter above was written by a full-time working mother who was particularly concerned with the spread of such opinions. In class, we have discussed how important celebrities' roles are in the everyday functioning of the country, and many people will espouse or lend credibility to a statement just because it came from a celebrity's mouth. If people really take to heart what Paltrow is saying about the relative ease of being a full-time worker and a mother, then the stigma on working mothers (especially minimum-wage single working mothers) will only grow worse. As the letter mentions, nothing about this lifestyle is particularly easy. Paltrow only focuses on actual shift hours and does not consider any other outside factors, such as that she, unlike many couples and single parents, have a staff to take care of her children and handle things like meals and transportation that many people in this country have difficulty affording. She also disregards how difficult the job economy is, as her job (at least for the time being) is much stabler in comparison, especially for women who are discriminated against in the world of business. In my opinion, this represents a world view warped by privilege. However, Paltrow is not the only celebrity who has shown such tendencies, and hopefully the environment and circumstances that create such views will be analyzed and criticized more than the actual celebrities themselves.
I think it's a pretty bold statement for Paltrow to claim that she has it easier than working moms. Unlike many working mothers in America she doesn't have the pressure of holding a 9-5 and then coming home to work a second shift, taking care of household duties. It's a huge problem still that even if both parents are working full-time jobs, the household duties still fall on the mother.
ReplyDeleteLike Molly said, I think Paltrow made an extremely bold statement in this. As someone who has a background in acting, I understand that it is not a simple career, but it is preposterous to assume that it is more difficult than any other job that a woman does. And there is also the fact that because of her career, Paltrow makes much more than the average working class woman does or the woman who comes home from working her 9 - 5 job to work her second shift as wife and mother. I think it is important to understand the intersection between class, race, gender, etc. when honestly being able to say that "your job is harder than someone else's..."
ReplyDeleteI think this was a check your privilege reply for Paltrow.
ReplyDeleteI understand that living a high profile life is not all glitz and glam, but as such a well known actress, she has to be that much more careful about what she says. Everyone says things they shouldn't, her mistakes just get plastered on covers of magazines.
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