Washington
(ANI):
Celebs
like
Amy
Winehouse,
Britney
Spears
and
Heather
Mills
are
excessively
condemned
by
the
media
because
of
their
sex,
according
to
a
female
academic.
Kirsty
Fairclough
of
the
University
of
Salford
will
argue
at
a
conference
on
June
25th
that
female
image
has
been
undervalued
through
tabloid
journalism
and
paparazzi
photography.
Giving
the
examples
of
Winehouse
and
Spears,
whose
troubled
lives
have
been
heavily
publicised
in
the
media,
she
will
argue
that
female
celebrities
are
"routinely
condemned
for
their
perceived
excessive
lifestyles
and
their
disregard
for
the
apparent
rules
of
femininity
through
extreme
diets
or
weight
gain,
drug
abuse,
supposed
lack
of
fashion
sense,
and
an
'unfeminine'
need
for
fame
and
attention".
According
to
Fairclough,
there
is
a
"paradox" in
society's
views
of
women
in
the
limelight.
"On
one
hand
female
celebrities
crave
freedom,
but
on
the
other
hand
they
still
pander
to
conservative
ideas
of
sexuality
through
what's
been
called
'raunch
culture',"
Contactmusic
quoted
her,
as
saying.
"Women
are
routinely
condemned
for
their
behaviour
in
the
media
but
this
isn't
just
misogyny
the
bitching
culture
tends
to
be
about
women
against
women.
It's
a
real
step
backwards.
"The
media
circus
may
have
reached
saturation
point
with
Britney
Spears,
but
I
predict
it
will
get
worse
with
other
celebrities
before
it
gets
better," she
added.