Advertisement
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071219/NYW522)
"Heath Ledger's death is being treated with kid gloves, for instance, yetBritney Spears is afforded no privacy at all in dealing with her issues," Roysaid. "It's as if there are jackals at the gate just waiting for her to commitsuicide. It's a travesty."
Advertisement
It seems that male stars get a pass when they are in trouble, but femalestars are practically drawn and quartered if they have real human needs andproblems. "Not only do the women have to deal with an impossibly high bodyimage standard, but they are savagely attacked when they don't meetexpectations on that front," Roy said. "Add this pressure to perhaps apre-existing mental disorder and you have the makings of a very torturedsoul."
Because Heath Ledger was a wonderful actor and highly respected, no onewants to delve too deeply into his death. The same was true of Owen Wilson'srecent hospitalization.
But many of the women have had their mental health and substance abuseissues paraded before the world. "Though women sometimes express pain moreopenly than men, they also deserve some respect and understanding that theydeal with enormous pressures that are simply different than men's pressures inthis Industry. They are human beings too," Roy said.Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), clickappropriate link.Rebecca Roy, M.A., MFTIhttp://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=71114
SOURCE The Industry Therapist
