I will begin by saying that in the end, it is an issue that should be settled in court. On the matter of Amber Heard versus Johnny Depp regarding domestic abuse, it should be a private matter between two individuals who were once married.
Of course, when one is a critically-acclaimed actor and the other is also a respected actress, things are written out in the public. And the common narrative with these are what’s bothering.
When a woman cries out against violence, she’s portrayed as lying, manipulative, and only out to extort the man for his money. Immediately neglecting the fact that she filed police reports. So many lies can only go so elaborately.
And the accused, is a pious, loving family man. He’s never been like that, ever. As if people don’t change or suddenly switch natures in their life.
The way the people are presented and how the accusations are flying is another sickening look at how we portray one another. A woman who is up to no good, a benevolent man who is always the victim of the situation.
In O.J. Simpson’s civil court testimony regarding the murder of his wife, Nicole Brown, he had even gone as far as to say that a photo of her face covered in black and blue marks was all just makeup. A locked safe containing diary entries and documents of all the times he had beaten her up, said otherwise.
Here was O.J. Simpson, father and football legend, who won the Heisman Trophy the same day his first daughter was born. Loving and a man making amends for his mistakes.
Here is Johnny Depp, named the sexiest man alive twice, multi-million dollar actor and loving father to his children. His child says so, one of his best buds says so.
And the women who go after them are often viewed as someone off their rocker. Psychopathic cases who cause or fake injuries to get their way.
Here is Ke$ha Rose, crying in court, asking to be freed of her contract, just to be free of her abuser. And yet, she’s nothing more than a liar. No matter how several people, also within the industry, came forward to discredit the image of Dr. Luke.
There are so many versions of the truth, and yet, we still insist on the same story.
As if we are so scared to lose our heroes to the shortcomings of humanity. We are so quick to bring down women to the limits of their sexuality.
As justice is being sought, we hope to revise the stories. As People publishes photos of Amber’s bruised face, we’re faced with reality, not a story. Yes, A-listers are human too. Yes, domestic violence exists in all classes. And no, it’s not your typical man-woman story. The truth never looked at gender and sexist standards.
Art by Dorothy Guya
Follow Preen on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter