Judging: it’s something we’ve all been a victim of, yet we still judge others on a daily basis. We’ve been taught by the media to judge others on a first look basis instead of by who they actually are on the inside. This is portrayed by the fact that people seem to have very strong opinions of celebrities whom they’ve never met, because of what the media says about them. In Donald Spoto’s High Society, he uncovers this phenomena through the portrayal of Grace Kelly’s life and career through all of it’s peaks, pitfalls, and put downs by the press. For example, even though the press portrayed her as cold and distant, Grace Kelly was a kind, down to earth women who hated the media attention that misconstrued her, just like many celebrities today.
Grace Patricia Kelly was born into a wealthy catholic family in the 1930’s that would never be accepted into the upper class of the wealthy elite in Philadelphia because of their religious affiliation. Grace’s mother was the disciplinarian of the family who taught her children to control themselves, to hide pain and disappointment, to suppress their emotions in public, to disguise effort and to strive for perfection without seeming to do so -- and Grace was her star pupil. Once she became famous, though, her mother’s teachings became a hindrance, as she was criticized by the press for seeming cold, distant, and uptight. However, the real Grace was the exact opposite.
The real Grace was a kind and loving individual who had a lifetime hatred of racism that developed from her tender and fatherly feelings towards the Kelly’s African American chauffeur, “Fordie”. Grace believed in treating everyone equally and with respect, and she went so far as to storm out of the restaurant she was attending when an African American singer, Josephine Baker -- whom she didn’t know -- was denied a table. The two became fast friends and many years later, when Grace was the Princess of Monaco and Josephine lost all of her money, Grace let her stay in an apartment in Monaco and helped her get back on the stage. Unfortunately, Josephine died not long after and Grace made sure that she was given full french military honors at her funeral in Paris before being buried in the Cimitière de Monaco in Monte Carlo. Grace also loved to help people and was passionate about developing an appreciation for the arts in Monaco and throughout the world. She founded her own charity in 1964, the Charity for the Arts -- which is now called the Princess Grace Foundation, and it awards scholarships to help assist emerging talent in dance, theater, and film. Grace was also one of the first celebrities to support and speak on behalf of La Leche League, an organization that advocates breastfeeding, and she organized a yearly Christmas party for local orphans in Monaco as well as creating a garden club for them.
Even though the media depicted her as cold and distant, and her luxurious lifestyle and noble stature as a princess cemented this image in public imagination, just about everyone who worked with Ms. Kelly said she was one of the most down to earth people in Hollywood. Her co-star in To Catch a Thief, Cary Grant, famously said “In two senses she didn’t have a bad side -- you could film her from any angle and she was one of the most untemperamental, cooperative people in the business,” (page 55). Also, Grace was revered by the public as a model of beauty, but her childhood insecurities kept her grounded. As a kid, Grace was often sick and frail and she was not allowed to do all of the things that her siblings did, so she reverted to arranging flowers, writing poetry, and putting on plays with her dolls -- she even used different voices to portray different dolls. When asked about her childhood, Grace replied “I never felt pretty, bright, or socially adept, and all that talk of sports, politics, and business [during her parent’s social gatherings] left me cold,” (page 17). Grace was also fiercely independent and wouldn’t accept any of her family’s wealth once she moved to New York to pursue acting. Her younger sister, Lizanne, recalled her telling the family, “If I can’t have a career on my own, by my own means, I don’t want one at all,” (page 39-40). She also didn’t care as much for material things and awards; when asked if winning an Oscar was the most exciting moment of her life, Grace instantly replied, “No, not at all -- it was the day that [her first child] Caroline, for the first time, began to walk,” (page 197).
Grace had a long hatred of the media and their portrayals of her and the people she cared about that stemmed from the many rumours about her love life -- many of which were untrue and a few of which very nearly destroyed her real relationships. Upon her departure from the spotlight, she admitted, “I never really like Hollywood. Oh, I liked some of the people I worked with and some friends I made there, and I was thankful for the chance to do some good work. But I found it to be unreal -- unreal and full of men and women whose lives were confused and full of pain,” (page 140). Along with the media’s representation of her, Grace was often portrayed as a marble statue in her shows and films -- someone to be revered rather than loved. Similarly, her husband, Prince Rainier was depicted by the press as a playboy and someone who would never settle down and produce an heir -- however the two were able to bond over their shared experiences with the media and their issues with the public attention and bombardment of their personal lives. Ironically, the pair was able to keep their relationship fairly private and their engagement announcement came as quite a shock -- primarily because their relationship grew mainly through detailed letters with only a few face-to-face meetings, and the relationship went on for only 7 months before Rainier proposed. The author of High Society, and a personal friend of hers, Donald Spoto captured Grace and the public image of her perfectly when he wrote “To exploit a cliche: Grace was far more than just a pretty face,” (page 6).
In today’s society we are just as harsh to celebrities, if not more, than people were of Grace Kelly. And if Grace is any example, it’s that you can’t judge people based off of what the press says about them. Celebrities today are seen as eccentric for being unique or standing up for what they believe, while other celebrities are praised and worshiped when they’re not the best person in real life. A prime example of this is Taylor Swift, who’s judged by the media for being “high maintenance” because she’s dated a lot of guys and tends to write break-up songs. However, there are plenty of women out there who have dated more guys than Taylor has, and the only reason her actions are called to attention is because she’s famous. Another celebrity who’s seen as crazy and outrageous is Lady Gaga, but her insane fashion choices often overshadow her kind and generous heart. Lady Gaga has founded the Born This Way Foundation, which seeks to empower youth and inspire bravery, along with contributing to the It Gets Better Project and supporting the MAC AIDS fund.
However, some celebrities deserve to be criticized more and held responsible for their actions. There are many celebrities that have been caught using illegal drugs who were not punished as much as they should have been and were let back into the spotlight after rehab (which was often unsuccessful). For example, celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen are known drug users who are critiqued for their careless actions, but they’re still making money off of their fame and Charlie Sheen was given his own show even after the shocking revelations of how far his drug use went. Although, to be fair, both celebrities have been to rehab before and Lindsay seems to be cleaning up her act nowadays, but Charlie appears to be the same old Charlie Sheen he was before, despite his claims of not being crazy anymore. Similarly, another celebrity who’s known for having a drug problem is Demi Lovato. However, unlike Sheen and Lohan, after going to rehab Lovato pulled herself together and now speaks freely about her struggles and how she overcame them in the hopes of helping others who are struggling or are in the same position that she was once in. Demi was able to clean up her image and regain the fame that she once had and, instead of using her past as an excuse for carelessness, she uses it as a tool to assist those in need of wise words from someone who has been where they are. Even though she is known for her period of drug use, Demi has grown past it, in contrast to Lohan and Sheen, and is now deserving of the fame she is given.
In the end, celebrities are normal people just like everyone else, and they mess up as humans tend to do. However, as a society we see celebrities screw ups as something deep and personally harmful because of the platform we give them and the scrutiny they are put under. I’m sure that if you were to look it up, you could find an article about what Justin Bieber ate for lunch today or why Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick are fighting again. Justin probably doesn’t want to be stalked by paparazzi and I’m guessing Kourtney and Scott don’t want their relationship issues displayed all over the world, just as Grace Kelly hated the press who poked into her love life and displayed her as an “ice princess”. Because every single one of them is human, all relationships have conflicts and fights, and not everyone who’s given the spotlight is worthy of it. It is our job as humans to block out all of the noise and static of Hollywood and focus on the things that are real and the people that are right in front of us.