K-Stew, I've got your back.

Last month when I received a text from a friend ( a friend very well acquainted with my love for Robert Pattinson haha) telling me that K-Stew had cheated on R.Patz  with the much older, married director of her most recent film, the first thing I thought,  was "::gasp:: That bitch!" The second was, "oh...so they really were together?" 

Because  I am a huge Twilight fan, I have never really liked Kristen Stewart.  Her acting, more so than anyone else's,  stood in the way of my finding complete satisfaction in the first three of the franchise's movies. She also never seemed like a genuinely nice person in her interviews or public appearances. I felt I could forgive her for only one of these faults.

Still  I felt no real ire as I called her a "bitch" in my thoughts (and responding text message). Like I said I never knew that her relationship with Mr. Pattinson had been "official" anyway and amusement was my most overwhelming feeling  as I thought about the serious flak Kristen was about to catch from the crazier set of Twihards out there.

Those Twihards outdid themselves. Poor Kristen.

Why am I blogging about this?

Well.

I have always hated the notion that a woman's purity is more important than a man's. This is a prevalent belief in the church... as if God or Jesus EVER intimated such an idea... And the outrageous public reaction to this "scandal" shows that a sexual double standard still operates in our culture to shame women and emphasize women's inferiority to men... Yes cheating is wrong, but how is it that the unmarried young woman has been much more reviled than the significantly older and married father of two?

I read a fantastic article today in which the author discusses how the whole "Robsten" debacle highlights this troubling aspect of our culture's attitude towards women and relates the issue to current politics.  Please read "Trampire:" Why the Public Slut Shaming of Kristen Stewart Matters for Young Women" by Nico Lang. It will make you a smarter person and all round better human being.

Seriously.

One of my favorite quotes"

"I'm not concerned for Kristen Stewart. She'll be fine, and this scandal will die down soon enough. The worst is already over.
  But for young women, the culture of slut shaming that the Kristen Stewart scandal represents won't go away. I might not be concerned for K-Stew, but I am concerned for all the young women today who are tuned into this scandal, ones who are learning that it's not okay to screw up, ever. Chris Brown can publicly beat the hell out of his girlfriend but still be played on the radio and win Grammys. However, if you ever cheat on your boyfriend, your life is over and no one will ever want to be associated with you. Almost no one will blame the much-older guy you cheated with, and it might actually make him more famous and help his career. Few will care that he was your boss and in a position of authority or that he may have have taken advantage of your youth and relative inexperience. Everything is your fault, and your life will be threatened over it."

I love when men are the authors of articles like this one. It gives me hope.