"News outlets with whom I do serious work, such as publishing op-eds about preventing HIV, empowering poor youth worldwide, and conflict mineral mining in Democratic Republic of Congo, all ran this “story” without checking with my office first for verification, or offering me the dignity of the opportunity to comment. It’s an indictment of them that they would even consider the content printable,"

Judd takes her PR stunts way too seriously. I don't doubt that she thinks she's a real force for change, but in truth, she's just a famous face. I think she'd have been better off just ignoring this crap and figuring that all publicity is better than no publicity--considering she's got a series to promote. Don't want to be judged on your looks? Don't work in front of a camera.

Well Ashley, perahps it is time you figured out that "HuffPo, MSNBC...tabloid press, and social media..." are worth about 0 minutes of your time. Some of us have already come to that conclusion.

She's absolutely right about one thing: Women are brutal to each other about appearances. I've never heard a man making catty comments about a woman's arm flab.

So many women can't just appreciate that another woman is beautiful, or accept that she's human on days when she's not so beautiful. It's frequently about assuring themselves that no REAL woman could be that pretty, and then mocking her relentlessly when she dares to be real after all.

This happens with women who aren't stars, too. I'm a healthy weight. I'm not what anyone would call super thin. I've had women make snide comments about how it must be nice to have all the time I have, because women with children can't possibly find the time to stay thin. Just wait until I have a baby! The implication is that being healthy and attractive is some shallow crap women do when they don't have real lives.

Don't want to be judged on your looks? Don't work in front of a camera.

We all have things about our jobs that we hate. I won't give her too much crap for bitching about this.

Ms. Judd should give them something to talk about by having her make-up artist add sutures and bruises to her face for casual appearances, or wearing masks, bandages and gigantic sunglasses when leaving the house. Not every day, just on Wednesdays. Every week.

The media and Internet commenters are quick to "identify" cosmetic surgery (and deem either the absence or existence of it pathetic). There are entire blogs devoted to nitpicking celebrity faces, comparing pictures from different events, and deciding who has done what. Any changes for the worse go in the "botched cosmetic surgery" bucket.

For this reason, I find her response interesting. She provides some reasonable explanations for changes in her face.

Also, she's right that the savage heckling is disturbing and worth talking about.

You put yourself in front of the camera, Amy, and you confronted a jackass who attacked your looks. I thought it was great.

Oh. Cause only actresses and models get judged for their looks. It never ever carries over into the real world, like into interactions with customers, clients, bossess and coworkers and stuff.

Good to know.

Godfather 2

I am so tired of celebrities whining about being criticized for their looks/habits/opinions. Yes, it must be just terrible to sit in your 5 million dollar Malibu home, wearing your 750 dollar Prada shirt, with a refrigerator stocked full of mineral water and fresh vegetables while you read mean things about your (never touched with Botox, I swear!) face.
Was it Joan Crawford who said, 'When they stop writing about you, then you need to worry"?
1) As Amy said, you choose this.
2) Give us, the peasantry, a little credit. When you haven't aged a bit in 30 years, don't you dare say "it's all due to drinking lots of water!"
Or, my personal favorite...Demi Moore claiming that her bigger, much perkier breasts were all due to pregnancy and breast feeding. Certainly not due to $20,000 and a good plastic surgeon...

If only my worst problems were as shallow and petty as those of Ms. Judds. Her beauty, talent, fame, fortune and tremendous luck in the game of life seem to be in a precarious position in her own estimation if having the adult version of schoolyard taunts lobbed at her would provoke such an extreme reaction.

The trials and tribulations of the rich and famous make me retch.

"I've never heard a man making catty comments about a woman's arm flab."

You've never been around gays much, have you? When I lived in LA they were harder on women than women were. The whole atmosphere was sick and I'm glad I got out of there.

Carol: Point taken. I amend that to hetero men.

I find it interesting that so much of the response to this seems to be "You're rich. I never want to hear you complain about anything." If we're going by that rule, then we all need to stop complaining about everything, because we're all rich by a lot of the world's standards. "How dare you complain that you work 14 hours a day to pay child support. There are starving people who would love to be able to feed their kids."

What's the cut-off income at which people are allowed to complain about their jobs?

I don't think Judd ever said this was her worst problem. It's a first-world problem, for sure, but so are most of our problems.

What's up with the whole fashion of puffy face on super skinny body? When did fat faces on anorexic bodies become a fad? Madonna is a classic example.

"When I lived in LA they were harder on women than women were."

My god I love the gays and their cattiness. If you can bitch it out with a gay you can bitch it out with anyone. (And trust me I bitch it out with the gays).

@MonicaP-

I wouldn't say it is an income level issue, it's more of a "how did you make all that money, honey" issue.

Ms. Judd made/makes her living based almost entirely on how she looks. Yeah, yeah, she has some talent. But if talent was the only driving force in Hollywood, 80% of those folks would be unemployed. We don't all go to watch Megan Fox because she can really burn up that Tennessee Williams, now, do we? (Or in the interest of fairness, can Chris Pine act at all?)

You don't get to make bazillions of dollars because you're hot, and then whine when the press focuses on your appearance in any form. Ms. Judd is famous because she is pretty. She only has a forum to whine in because of her looks. Take the bitter with the sweet, lady.

heh, I just read a little AFTER point 5 where she ties all this back to "The Patriarchy"™ so that everything can be blamed on men and how we make it all about looks.

>>>"That women are joining in the ongoing disassembling of my appearance is salient. Patriarchy is not men. Patriarchy is a system in which both women and men participate. It privileges, inter alia, the interests of boys and men over the bodily integrity, autonomy, and dignity of girls and women. It is subtle, insidious, and never more dangerous than when women passionately deny that they themselves are engaging in it. This abnormal obsession with women’s faces and bodies has become so normal that we (I include myself at times—I absolutely fall for it still) have internalized patriarchy almost seamlessly. We are unable at times to identify ourselves as our own denigrating abusers, or as abusing other girls and women."

:sigh:

she was doing pretty well there for a while, but serious? Blaming women's competitive nature on the gaze of men makes some sense, but if it is the case, it ain't the patriarchy, it's evolution.

But then evolution must also be a tool of the patriarchy, because it's all about procreation, and everyone knows that it's bad for women.

In fact, Human EXISTENCE! It must be bad for women! Because without women having babies, women cease to be, and that means that they are not valued for their own sakes, but for their ability to bear children.

Life certainly sucks.

She works in front of a camera, but she's entitled to point out catty behavior especially on the part of pseudo journalists. In fairness to her, she is one of the actresses who maintains a low profile and she has done extensive work raising awareness for sex trafficking and issues with children, poverty, and sex abuse.

Just because she is an actress doesn't mean the words don't sometimes hurt. Do we really want to take the attitude that she sits in her 5 million dollar mansion so somehow its ok?

Hey. Don't be stupid about this. Is there plastic surgery in Hollywood. Duh.

Is it required for everyone? NO.

The industry selects for striking features. Some people so employed really do look that way naturally. That is, without surgery or injections.

And anybody who has seen Jenna Jameson or Brooke Burke without makeup knows what that stuff can do for you. Now, imagine what a professional, like the ones who did Zhaan's face in Farscape, can do for a woman who just wants to look good in public!

So. Quitcher bitchin. That's just plain envy. You didn't get to pick the costume you're wearing to this party, but that's not an excuse to talk shit about people you just don't know. I hope you have the pleasure of meeting Tracy Scoggins, so that you might discover that Hollywood eye candy can be a nice person. Much nicer than people running their mouths about plastic.

Rad,

Jenna used to be uber beautiful when she was young. She really fucked herself up.

I'm all for plastic surgery but don't go overboard.

What KateC said, all of it.

Also Snakeman99:

> Godfather 2

Verily.

There's a special kind of pathetic to a Hollywood actress who complains about not being adored when she's aged. "Media outlets" certainly made things go well for her for no good reason when she was young and pretty. Did she really think there could be no backsplash?

There's a school of thought that Hollywood would be NOWHERE without supermarket tabloids. Comeuppance is half the magic! If all we knew of these people was their good times, showbiz would be intolerable. It's essential to see them hit the wall like the rest of us.

Pity the starlet who doesn't know that going in.

(Kidding! To Hell with 'er.)

(Next! Well Hello, Miss McAdams....)

Maybe this is why Sean Bean jumped from Dubrovnik's wall into the Adriatic when he saw her.

You don't have to be a movie star to be attacked for your looks. People always look for imperfections in beautiful people. This is amplified for movies stars, models, and other famous people, especially when we feel that thier looks have been an advantage.

Now the only people that complain about my big butt and hips are bratty teenagers. Most people say nothing or say that I have a great figure at 150 lbs.

When I was younger, skinnier, and a fitness fanatic trying to mold myself to feet the current standard of beauty, I never heard anything positive. My mother, sister, boyfriend, other women, a modeling agency, and even my boss said that I needed to lose weight. This was at 5'6" and 115 lbs or less - and I used to run 2 miles, do 50 pushups, and 200 sit-ups when I didn't have time for a full workout. I despise that people made my feel bad about some pretty nice attributes.

Now I can appreciate my curves (even if they come with cellulite and fat knees) and my round face - it takes a few years off.

Our looks change. Not every one fits "the look of the day". We have got to stop attacking each other.

I think that we need to redefine beauty. Healthy is beautiful. Embrace that.

I disagree with the idea that because she's an actor that she should expect this kind of thing. She is an entertainer. It doesn't mean that she should be exempt from common courtesy.

"Yes, it must be just terrible to sit in your 5 million dollar Malibu home, wearing your 750 dollar Prada shirt, with a refrigerator stocked full of mineral water and fresh vegetables while you read mean things about your (never touched with Botox, I swear!) face. "

She (and other celebrities) still are human beings, have a right to a certain amount of privacy, and don't owe the public anything but a good performance in exchange the money they pay for a movie ticket or a DVD rental. How does $7 at the theater give anyone the right to tear someone apart?

So. When do we blame Ashley for being married to Dario? Hiss, hiss!

Excellent point, Rad. Ladies and gentlemen (but mostly ladies), for your viewing pleasure: Dario Franchitti.

She enjoyed the gratifying adulation the world bestows on the beautiful, AND she did good things with it. Now we must crow victoriously when she falls.

Judd isn't complaining about getting fewer roles because her looks have faded. (Her career seems to be doing pretty okay.) She's talking about spectators tearing her looks apart like vultures while others jeer.

Gossip rags weren't always like that, were they? "Time for her husband to leave her"?? I don't remember this mob mentality that a woman should be shamed for getting older. I think that has more to do with the anonymous participation of "fans" and the pseudo-journalists publishing what they see in the comments.

No. When these people stepped out of the pages of People and Us and put their faces in front of mine, and shoved their political, social and moral opinions in front of me, they became topics of conversation.

The choice was theirs. I'm certainly no celebrity stalker. They can shut up and act and I'll pay up and watch - or not.

All of us have chosen careers that have perks and downsides. As a nurse, I get to save lives and watch potentially devastating situations become occasions to rejoice. I also have been bitten, barfed on, peed on, and have had to clean feces off my uniform more times than I care to count. But guess what? That icky stuff comes with the job and I know that. If I don't want to get vomit on my scrubs, then I need to stop doing my job and find another career. Same goes for Ms. Judd. You don't want People Magazine picking you apart? No one chained you to your acting career, darlin'.

As for actors being human...due to some connections with friends and family members, I've gotten to spend time around several celebs, and I've found that they are usually immature, narcissistic, whiny, demanding, and just flat out mean. There are, of course, exceptions. Jamie Lee Curtis was lovely an gracious when I was lucky enough to meet her. But by and large, they are miserable people. So pardon me if I don't har any sympathy for them when an 8x10 of them looking like dog crap shows up on the newsstands.

UW Girl, vomit on your scrubs is intrinsic to what you do. What about disappointments that nurses face that not everyone knows about, and that could be addressed with some public awareness? How about abuse from patients who don't understand how triage or insurance works? Or that you are understaffed? What about the crap you deal with from unprofessional doctors?

If a nurse writes an article talking about these things, the public response should be "Don't be a nurse then!"? I mean, I don't think so. It might change how I conduct myself in the ER.

Your interactions with a few celebrities does not qualify you to say that, by and large, they are miserable people. There is no one type of celebrity, and everyone has bad days. Anyway, whether Judd is a saint in real life or she throws puppies under trucks has no bearing on what the media are writing about her face.

Amy,
Didn't you have a friend a few years back who had to work Ms. Judd on a humanitarian project and didn't he keep a journal decribing all of her nuttiness? If it wasn't you, it was someone else and from what he wrote, this woman is exactly what UW Girl describes. She was demanding and paranoid. Doesn't surprise me that she looks at these articles and is bothered by them. Wasn't he forced by the charity to remove that post? I wish I could remember his name because it was really funny and every time I see her, I think of that guy and his journal.

Actually, @Insufficiant Poison, people tell nurses all the time if they don't like the work, they should find another job. From arrogant doctors to demanding patients...believe me...every nurse has been told "If you don't like it, go be a [secretary, lab tech, etc.]" But again, I stay because I love what I do and I recognize that every job has parts of it that suck.

My argument is that Ms. Judd seems to want all the perks of being a celebrity (the money, the publicity - for her charity work too, which is commendable), but she doesn't want any of the negatives that come with it. And I say, we ALL have pluses and minuses to our lives. Deal. Ms. Judd has plenty of money, an interesting career, a happy marriage to a handsome man, and she's unhappy that a few people are calling her chubby?

Laugh it off, kiss that husband, and drive to work in your Lexus.

As I indicated, UW, I think those people are in the wrong. To follow that line of thought is to say you should never try to effect change if it's possible for you to just go elsewhere.

Sheepmommy,

It was Josh Trevino who went on the trip with Ashley to Africa. He was forced to take the offending article down but it can be found at Free Republic if you Google for it.

> Gossip rags weren't always like that, were they?

Yes, essentially, they were. They were not so brazen as a 7th-graders Hollywood blog from Kansas City might be today, but neither were old-time media so voraciously exploitative of a pretty girl's cheekbones. (...Used now to sell burgers, breakfast cereal, school supplies, etc.)

> I think that we need to redefine beauty.
> Healthy is beautiful. Embrace that.

That can never, ever happens. Those feelings have many purposes. Your volitional fulfillment is among the least of them.

And... Props to Swissy for sharing the "patriarchy" stuff, because I was never going to follow the link.

I can't imagine anything more nourishing to the forces she declaims than a typical hillbilly girl who comes to Hollywood and hires an agent to put her high cheekbones in films about gamines in danger for an audience of lonely-idiot women scattered across five continents. She LOVES the patriarchy like few women reading these words will ever be permitted to love.

MonicaP and I.Poison are making lots of sense.
I'm grateful that Ms. Judd has the moxie to stand up and tell entertainment industry parasites to get a life. She's playing the role of a mature mother out to find her son. She can look any way she wants and still bring tons of value. I don't hear anyone commenting about how Sean Bean looks these days. (Although having your head stuck on a pike can be somewhat challenging to recover from.)
The louder she says, "Judge me for me for what I do, not how I look," the better for all of us.