Toxic: Women, Fame and the Noughties- Book Review (and Some Thoughts)
Toxic: Women, Fame and the Noughties by journalist Sarah Ditum, looks into the cultural phenomenon of the early 2000s, examining the rise and fall of female celebrities like Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan.
The book promised to go beyond mere celebrity gossip, and offer insightful social commentary on themes like misogyny, body image, the rise of reality TV, and the changing dynamics of fame. So, does Ditum achieve that?
Over the course of 350 pages, I found that Ditum examined the complex interplay between celebrity women, the media, and the public, and offered a nuanced and critical analysis of their experiences. She was able to expertly dissect how these women were both products and victims of their era, trapped in a cycle of manufactured personas and public scrutiny, all the while being subjected to the pervasive mysogyny. I liked how she avoided simplistic victimhood narratives, acknowledged the complexities of fame and the agency of those involved. It did have me reflecting back at that period of time where casual sexism and cruelty pervaded in much of pop media. Whilst, it is not good to put our current moral standards on the past, it does make you think of how much things have progressed, even if recently we do seem to be backsliding…
Chapter 1- Britney Spears
The author discusses Britney's rise and how she was the last big star of the more traditional era of media, through TV, radio and magazines. Once the Internet took hold and file sharing happened the music industry went into a decline. 1999 was the biggest year for music in America in terms of revenue with $14.6 billion earned from CD sales. Once Napster started that all changed and CD sales fell into decline with 2009 recording just $7.9 billion, less than half. That meant artists had to tour more so were in the public eye and consciousness more.
There was also a shift with more aggressive and antagonistic online media coverage and young women were more clearly targeted in the quest for content that would get clicks.
When Justin Timberlake and Britney broke up, the Cry Me a River video painted her as the scarlet woman but, from Britney's autobiography, she states that he cheated many times beforehand. The mood against her soured at the time and only recently has there been a reexamination of the situation, especially post #MeToo.
I read Britney’s autobiography last year and it was quite powerful. The amount of people who took advantage of her was unbelievable. Even her own family seemed to see her as a cash cow and I feel sorry for her as she had to deal with that nonsense on top of the media scrutiny. Luckily, people seem more switched on about mental health now so hopefully we can learn from what was done in the past.
Chapter 2: Paris Hilton
This chapter looks at the original 00s ‘It Girl’ Paris Hilton. Reality TV shows were big in this era and one of the big pioneers were The Osbournes but The Simple Life with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie soon followed and was popular. The show was on loop on MTV but I was never into it, the whole contrived schadenfreude thing never worked for me. However, it was a huge hit and with the leak of her private salacious tape and her laissez-faire wild girl persona she was everywhere but the tone was always a mysogynistic 'dumb blonde'.
After the various run-ins with the law, Paris focused on her business and built her own empire, only really emerging in the light of #MeToo to share her trauma of abuse at school. Since then, she's back in the public eye and seems more assured and confident and, after her abuse claim, more respected and understood. Paris left an undeniable mark on popular culture, influencing fashion, music, and reality television. She had the last laugh as she made a lot of money and attained the fame she craved but at what cost?
I'm glad that Paris is back as I always felt she was treated appallingly by much of the media. Sure, I don't know what she got up to but the time she served for drink driving should mean that she be allowed to live in peace rather than it be used as a stick to constantly beat her.
Chapter 3: Lindsey Lohan
When fame came for Lindsey with The Parent Trap, it brought a lot of attention on the actress. She was only 11 at the time and the fame, when it came, was so much more intense than anytime prior in her other films or modelling phase. With the disintegrating marriage if her parents she often felt like she was the one keeping it together for her 4 siblings and, when she went through puberty and matured, the constant scrutinity of her body and party lifestyle proved great fodder for celebrity media and bloggers.
What America was dealing with was the typical child actor problem of wanting to transition to more mature roles but being held back by the back catalogue and nostalgia for who you were.
As Lindsey partied and leaned into the percieved wild lifestyle, America seemed to be struggling with how to deal with who she was now. As her roles dried up she parties harder until 2007 when things seemed to go south for her, Paris and Britney.
Lindsey stepped away from filming for a while, appearing in fewer films of note and has only recently made a sort of comeback with Netflix romantic comedies.
I really like Lindsey's earlier films as she came across as a bit of a cheeky little pickle but someone you could root for. I saw the constant horniness the media had around her and feel sorry for how she was treated but am glad that she's back and seems to be happy.
Chapter 4: Aaliyah
This chapter looks at the talented Aaliyah and the problematic relationships she had with R Kelly. It looks at her talent being spotted and the alleged abuses she suffered at the hand of Kelly. Even though it was a well known open secret, most of the media decided to just concentrate on their respective music careers.
When Aaliyah moved record labels away from Kelly, she thrived and became a huge success, becoming more confident with her sound and self.
It seems like many in the music industry knew about the abuses but didn't speak up, letting Kelly get away with his crimes for longer than should have been allowed. I didn't really follow the R ‘n B scene back then, being more of a trance and indie rock guy, but even I knew about the allegations through Dave Chapelle's 2004 sketch 'Piss On You' music video skit from The Chapelle Show.
Ditum looks at how Stranger Danger was the main worry for much of the world but there was less emphasis on the fact that most abuse happened with people already familiar to the victim or, most likely, a family member. In England, we had a reckoning with Jimmy Saville after his abuses came to light with many people knowing about it but choosing to ignore because of his powerful connections to the establishment. Ditum looks at the prevalence of violence and abuse against black women, especially in the music industry with artists like Rihanna and Chris Brown, Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston and many others. She ends with a reflection that it was only when their star had started to fade and there was not that untouchable feeling surrounding them were these men brought to account after #MeToo and documentaries like Finding Neverland (about Michael Jackson) and Surviving R Kelly.
Chapter 5: Janet Jackson
The story of Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction was everywhere and even for someone like me, who doesn't like American Football, the half-time show nip slip became a huge story that dominated the news cycle. I liked Janet's work just fine, loving The Velvet Rope but not really knowing much else from her back catalogue except the single Rhythm Nation but the opprobrium shown to her seemed unhinged. Ditum looks at the outright aggressive and unhinged reactions of some of the people in areas of influence, including head of radio companies, media certification and people in certain political circles. She was effectively blacklisted.
In 2018, Janet Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as many in the public arena considered #MeToo and how she had been treated harshly.
Chapter 6: Amy Winehouse
The tragic story of Amy's meteoric rise and sad decline was constantly in the news and, even before her death, it seemed unlikely that she would make it to her 30s. She became a member of the 27 Club and her legend will live on but the constant media attention played a complex role in her story. While they amplified her music and brought her to global fame, they also contributed to the intense scrutiny and pressure she faced. The constant tabloid attention, focusing on her appearance and personal life, undoubtedly added to her struggles.
It's important to remember that Amy Winehouse was a human being first and foremost, an artist grappling with deep-seated issues. Her talent deserves to be celebrated, and her struggles should serve as a reminder of the importance of mental health awareness and compassionate treatment.
Chapter 7: Kim Kardashian
The story of Kim, a woman who wanted to be famous for the sake of fame is an intriguing one and a good indicator of the time in the mid 00s. There was a burgeoning of scripted 'reality tv' and The Kardashians was a huge part of that. I never watched the show but admired from afar how Kim and her family played the game and won. They have so many businesses and side hustles so good for them but Ditum looks at the culture that seemed to revel in the sex tape and the celebration of unattainable beauty standards. Coming a couple of years after the Paris Hilton tape, it seemed like the puritanical zeal around that was forgotton as the Internet had a meltdown about that and the pictures of the bottle balanced on her bottom.
Overall, I could care less about the Kardashians but the racist slurs and mysogyny against Kim and her family has been marked. They represent what is a complex issue which has roots in colorism and the objectification of women in popular culture. Whilst I don't condone their shilling of harmful 'dietary' supplements to young women, especially when they are bilionaires, I do dislike the nouveau riches attitude shown against a family who hustled at fame and won.
Chapter 8: Chyna
I didn't know Chyna as I stopped watching WWE back in the late 90s but it was interesting listen. Hearing about her early life, it was clear that Chyna had a difficult upbringing with apparently dysfunctional parents and attention from older men in her early teen years. However, she is presented as an unreliable narrator as her autobiography and interviews contradict each other. Whatever the case, it seems that it is the typical story of many wrestlers with steroid addiction, opioid pain relief and and falling star in her latter years. With the added pressure of the male gaze, Chyna seemed to feel a lot of pressure with her unconventional looks. However, once out of the WWE she went into the adult film industry as she could not seem to find any other work.
This chapter was particularly bleak as it seems that Chyna sought to go the Paris Hilton route to fame but with much less success. Her declining mental health and addiction to drugs proved too much in the end but, in light of the recent WWE allegations of misogyny, I wonder what protections were out in place to guard women like her from the predatory system?
Chapter 9: Jennifer Aniston
This chapter looked at the rise of one of America's Sweethearts, Jennifer Aniston. Tabloids and magazines constantly wrote about her love-life and, when the Bradgelina love triangle hit, it proved a boon for the rags. Jen was portrayed as lovesick but Ditum argues that her onscreen and offscreen life was part of a larger culture war about women's role in the workplace and the effect it was having on the family.
It's interesting as I have watched all of Friends loads of times and, even though some of the jokes are of their time, the tale of a group finding their way in a challenging world still has universal truths. Aniston's decision to forge forward with her career at the cost of having a family baffles many at the time but I see more women want to do this and why not? It's their decision and the need for patriarchy to rail against 'cat mothers' is deranged and weird. Their body, their choice. End of. Aniston seems to have bared the brunt of this reckoning at a time when this was just hitting the mainstream with shows like Sex in the City.
Ditum ends by concluding that 2013 was the end of the' upskirt decade' with Robin Thick's Blurred Lines coming caught up in a firestorm of controversy around its 'rape-y' lyrics and appalling video. Also, Taylor Swift calling out Tine Fey and Amy Poehler for their skit during the Golden Globes marked a turn when powerful women used their spotlight to advocate for better treatment from their peers. With the power of social media and youths turning to their phones to get their pop culture fix, the power dynamics shifted from legacy to new media.
Looking back at this period of time, I remember the febrile celebrity coverage in mainstream papers. There would hardly be a day where something unremarkable would be trumpeted as a huge deal for some celebrity. When some celebrities were turning 18, the weirdly gross glee with which newspapers and website would have a countdown to their birthday was creepy AF. I remember in the 90s thinking why were some section of the media perving on Charlotte Church, she was a teenager just trying to live her best life yet they had a counter each day tracking the date to her 18th birthday. That isn't normal and should never have been seen as such.
Whilst it is important to not impose our current norms of behaviour back at this time, recently re-watching some of the movies, listening to some of the music and reading some the magazines from that time, the mood seems to be one of febrile misogyny, toxic lad culture and casual cruelty. It's embarrassing really and I hope we have changed but I don't think we have all that much.
Overall, I found the book to be a powerful and thought-provoking work that challenges readers to critically examine their own consumption of media and their perceptions of female celebrities. Toxic is a compelling and thought-provoking read that offers a fresh perspective on a pivotal period in celebrity culture.
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