It’s only been a few months since Ariel Winter from Modern Family got the internet in a fluster with her gym pics and now she’s tweeted something to get the morality police all up in arms – or as we say in modern lingo: the girl’s been slut-shamed.
It’s 2018 and so far it seems not a lot has changed from 2017’s Year of the Instantly Offended – we’re sure it’s going to appear on calendars soon.
So what could Ariel have done to cause such an outrage? Well, from the response of the keyboard warriors involved in this story, which I’ll take inspiration from – it looks like she’s tried to pull a funny.
As an actor who has won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series four times, and nominated a further three times, you’d think Ariel could throw around the funnies like it’s nobody’s business.
Unfortunately, she put out a tweet yesterday that admittedly won’t get Tina Fey, Amy Schumer, Carrie Brownstein or Sarah Silverman quaking in their boots for their next bookings, but the happy clappy folk of the internet took it harder than Richard Spencer getting punched square in his racist face.
So what kind of image could a lady like Ariel post to the internet to cause such offence? Obviously none of the above because I’ve yet to get to the point, but you can see from her social media posts, she sure knows how to post an image no different to the kind that anyone else would post.
It’s one rule for celebrities and another for everyone else. Trust me, I’m a struggling writer, I know this one all too well.
Ok, so before you get bored, I’ll cut to the chase. Ariel posted the following pic. And the patriarchy came out in full force…
Err…
If you think that’s harsh, you want to see what some of the replies said:
Call it slut-shaming if you want, it’s pretty much tomato/potato when it comes down to language in the 21st century. Whatever anyone says or writes – but generally as in this case – whatever women say or write, it’s going to be called out for something that it’s not or interpreted in a way that’s going to get someone triggered or in the need to share their sense of moral values.
And now everything is online at the scrutiny of everyone there’s all the more chance it’s going to happen more regularly.
Here’s hoping 2018 brings about some positive change.
Tim Horner is a sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated with a BA Journalism from University College Falmouth before most his colleagues were born. A previous editor of adult mags, he now enjoys bringing the tone down in the viral news sector.