Tulisa: X Factor judge, one third of urban band N-Dubz and lest we forget, tabloid favourite.
Tulisa: X Factor judge, one third of urban band N-Dubz and lest we forget, tabloid favourite.
Amid controversy over setting up an £800 cocaine deal, Tulisa has never been one to shy away from scandal. As a result, Tulisa has been at the forefront of arguably unfair ridiculing from the British press, with tabloids taking great delight in the pitfalls and plight of the young ‘celebrity.’ She is no doubt a divisive figure but why do the media insist on depicting her in an unfair portrayal as a good-for-nothing ex-council housed, drug addict?
Could it be that Tulisa’s working class roots are something to do with the media’s intense dislike of her? Described by tabloid headliners as a ‘queen of the chavs’ and ‘council estate Barbie’ to name but a few, the focus on Tulisa exemplifies the ‘divide and rule’ strategy used by governments and media to encourage readers to document her latest happenings, diverting them away from the real issues happening right under their noses.
Perhaps it really is her working class roots which have something to do with the media’s intense dislike of her. After all, we never hear bad press attributed to Pippa Middleton, who currently is living off the fame of her sister and has never worked a day in her life yet her current ‘prestige’ has allowed her to remain unscathed.
The same goes for her sister. Kate Middleton is responsible for taking feminism a huge step back, something that aggravates me no end. I’m not entirely sure how a woman whose financial means solely depends on her husband and her husband’s family is a role model or inspiration in any way yet if you were a reader of daily tabloids, it appears that everyone and their mother wants to be her.
Yet, Tulisa, who prides herself on getting out of her working class, the tabloids relish in attempting to take her down a peg. When politicians are found to have been drug users as in the case of Boris Johnson, it was light-humoured fun and with models such as Kate Moss and Cara Delavigne, it is pass and parcel of their glamorous lifestyle. Why are politicians and models deemed to be outside of the rules which people like Tulisa fall foul to?
It is somewhat unfortunate that the media’s portrayal of her has translated down to the masses who view her with a mixture of disdain and contempt. I can count many people who enjoy taking great delight in yet another controversy Tulisa is involved in. Yet how many people can boast to having a career that includes an incredibly successful band, a similarly successful solo career and a stint as an X factor judge at 24?
Instead of fostering antagonism towards a woman who deserves to be celebrated after using her talent (you can decide whatever that is) to leave the deprived and impoverished town where she grew up, the media have a responsibility to stop using divine and rule tactics and trying to set up celebrities so that they can equally gain headlines, mass profit but more importantly, try and ruin working class people’s careers.
What do you think? Is the media’s portrayal of Tulisa fair? Have your say in the comments section below, on Facebook or on Twitter.
