The rush to defend Renée Zellweger’s right to plastic surgery is another example of how female celebrities of color are treated differently in popular culture.
Mario Anzuoni / Reuters
Getty Images Astrid Stawlarz
When Renée Zellweger walked the red carpet at the Elle Women in Hollywood Awards last week with a face that many deemed "unrecognizable," the reaction from the court of public opinion was swift, relentless, and all-too-expected: What had she done to herself? And why? Her crime appeared to be plastic surgery, and many were quick to judge her for it. But what happened in the hours following was something remarkable and rare: The internet declared a mistrial. Numerous news outlets, including this one, rushed to Zellweger's defense, and the mirror that had been thrust so closely to her face swiveled around to reflect our own ugliness — namely, the impossible standards of beauty and youth to which we hold female celebrities, and the backlash said celebrities face when they go behind the back of Mother Nature to achieve them.
But the think pieces, tweets, and status updates begging us to just "leave Renée alone" don't represent a feminist shift toward a society that promotes fairer and more realistic expectations for the looks and choices of women in Hollywood. Rather, they illuminate our collective tendency to defend and protect a specific type of female celebrity — a white one.
