Cancel culture: a double standard

Like selfies or dating apps, canceling celebrities and influencers has become a natural part of modern culture. 

I’ve seen people successfully canceled and bullied off the internet. I’ve seen people canceled over and over again, and still have a platform. Canceling can be effective, but it’s skewed.  

There is constant discourse about the consequences of cancel culture; however, it seems like the only people suffering long-lasting consequences are women. 

What qualifies as a “cancel-worthy” action? Unfortunately, it depends on your gender. 

Many female celebrities are being canceled for wardrobe malfunctions, expressing their sexualities and being “annoying.” 

Many male celebrities aren’t being canceled for being rapists, racists and abusers. 

When you compare the vast differences in what's considered cancelable with celebrities by gender, the examples are endless.

Taylor Swift vs. Kanye West

Taylor Swift and Kanye West have an infamous history of feuding; however, comparing them as individuals highlights the underlying misogyny in celebrity hate and cancel culture. 

For the most part, Swift is often “canceled” and receives backlash for stupid things. 

Some criticism I consider warranted is regarding her carbon footprint and her lack of use of her platform in global conflicts and genocides. However, most of the backlash I see against Swift has nothing to do with this. 

I’ve seen more hate for Swift’s repeated five-second appearances on TV during Kansas City Chiefs’ games than I’ve seen hate for Kanye West’s brutal antisemitism. 

I’ve seen more hate for Taylor Swift’s dating history than hate for Kanye West saying slavery was “a choice” in 2018. 

Though Swift isn’t hurting for sales or listens, given what she's been hated for in the past, I believe that if she did anything to the degree West has, she would have little to no platform. 

West is on a stadium tour only months after he stopped his four-year antisemitic Twitter rant. West sold merchandise picturing swastikas, referred to himself as a Nazi and praised Hitler on multiple occasions. 

Despite this, many of my mutuals and peers have attended his recent concerts, and his concert turnout is overwhelming. 

Many defend West, blaming his actions on his mental health. Though I don’t disagree with that, at what point do we stop giving people, mentally ill or not, platforms to spread hateful and dangerous messages? 

Why is it that when it comes to West, it’s “separate the art from the artist,” but I’ve seen people hate on Swift’s music because she’s simply “annoying.”  

Apparently, in society, the only thing worse than a self-proclaimed Nazi is a woman existing. 

Sabrina Carpenter vs. Chris Brown

Sabrina Carpenter and Chris Brown are vastly different artists with no notable connection. Although they have one thing in common: they express their sexuality on stage and in their music.

The reactions to Carpenter expressing her sexuality are vastly different from those to Brown expressing his sexuality. 

During her Short ‘n’ Sweet Tour from 2024-2025, Carpenter faced brutal backlash for making sexually explicit poses during the performance of her song “Juno.” 

Critics began slut shaming Carptenter, and questioning her morals due to kids being at her concerts, despite the Short ‘n’ Sweet album being knowingly explicit. 

Chris Brown, on the other hand, is currently on tour, inviting women up on stage to grind on them. 

During his song, “Take Me Down,” Brown gives a female concert attendee an explicit and sexual lap dance. The public's reaction has been underwhelming. 

I have seen no hate towards Brown for choosing to flaunt his sexuality like this, despite Carpenter constantly facing hate for doing similar things. 

Not to mention the fact that Brown even has a career after his violent past of abuse and physical violence against multiple people, including Rihanna and Frank Ocean. 

The double standard is obvious. Once again, if a woman did anything remotely as severe as Brown, they would be torn apart. 

For the most part, male celebrities don’t face real consequences for brutal crimes, let alone for expressing their sexuality. 

Deshaun Watson vs. Caitlin Clark 

This sexist gap in celebrity backlash doesn’t just exist in the music industry; it’s also shown in sports.

Despite some valid concerns I’ve seen about WNBA star Caitlin Clark, I usually see overwhelming backlash over her attitude. 

Frankly, I’m not even a fan of Clark; however, I have seen more hate for her being deemed “insufferable” than hate for Deshaun Watson, an alleged rapist. 

Watson has faced 27 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and is still the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.

Was Watson kicked from the NFL? Of course not. He faced an 11 game suspension and a fine, then returned to the field immediately. 

The reception of his crimes and role on the Browns was skewed. Some were rightfully disgusted, while others defended Watson. 

Though a positive attitude and good sportsmanship matter, it hardly seems fair to chastise Clark repeatedly for her personality when Watson can play on his team with 27 allegations under his belt. 

People have short-term memories. It feels as if people stopped talking about Watson’s past because he is a good football player. 

While a female athlete gets constantly criticized for attitude and personality, Watson’s brutal history seems relatively forgotten amongst the sports world. 

But wait, there’s more

It doesn’t end there. When you look at individual celebrities and how their industries and society treat them, the examples are plenty.

Janet Jackson was essentially blacklisted from the music industry after a wardrobe malfunction during her Super Bowl Halftime performance, caused by Justin Timberlake. The backlash was overwhelming, and her career never recovered. 

Mel Gibson has yet to be held accountable within the movie industry for his extensive history of racist and antisemitic remarks, as well as domestic violence allegations. Gibson was initially dropped from his agency and projects in the early 2000s; however, he made a comeback and even won an Oscar in 2017. His career recovered after a few short years. 

Millie Bobby Brown is currently under scrutiny for adopting her kids. 

Drake just hinted at a brand new tour following being publicly accused of being a pedophile and having a secret daughter he doesn’t provide for, by Kendrick Lamar. 

The Chicks (previously the Dixie Chicks) were pulled off the airwaves all over America and effectively blacklisted after speaking out against the impending Iraq War in 2003. 

Armie Hammer recently returned to acting after a career hiatus following cannibalism allegations. 

The list goes on, and it isn’t getting better. 

Misogyny is perpetrated even by the highest-level people in our society. Female celebrities are slut-shamed, bullied and blacklisted. Male celebrities get comebacks, their actions are excused or they're met with public outrage for a little while before it ultimately fades. 

We need to be conscious of how we treat female celebrities versus male celebrities.