In the Saturday Supplement, the Diva Dirt team will aim to discuss a news story, a televised event or other relevant and current topics. The objective, like the average weekend newspaper, is to offer more indepth and lengthy discussion.
Talks of Divas in the media has been ample and well… I’m striking while the iron is hot. A woman’s personal life is her personal life, whether or not she may be in show business. And don’t you try to tell her any differently. However, when it comes to the disesteemed offense of “Dating while Diva,” is there a double standard?
We’ve seen this trend more recently this past week. In break of some rather personal news, Superstars like Batista will be called “man-whores” by boasting their alleged sexual prowess to the masses… while Divas such as one Kelly Kelly will receive just as much, if not more criticism for being spotted in a harmless social engagement. The very same can be said for Divas like Michelle McCool who have been accused for dating for power. It seems as though the Divas can’t catch a break when it comes to relationships outside of the ring.
Recently, it was reported that Batista has courted none other than Raw’s Rosa Mendes. The reaction to the story was universal. “What a pig/sicko/pervert…how disrespectful…women are not to be objectified.” So on and so forth. It became apparent that the Animal plows through Divas like cornfields, and Diva fans were none too pleased with the discovery. Somewhat of an outpour of outrage and disgust commenced as news broke on the Internet. Some even suspect that Rosa’s success on Raw can be somewhat attributed to any passed relationships she might have attained. Whether or not there may be any truth to that, there is little question that men like Batista have major pull backstage. So, what’s the appeal?
Backpeddling even further, in sight of this trend, one could easily pick out many similar instances. There is no doubt that “Miss Misdemeanor” Michelle McCool endures plenty of objection from the WWE fans based purely on hearsay or tales of her trysts on the Internet. There has been question of her position in the company due to these “rumors,” as well as her seemingly high spot within the Diva hierarchy.
Spiraling news of the altercation between Rhaka Khan and Kurt Angle has also been reciprocated with almost identical reception. It goes to show that some will even go as far as to pose blame on the victim. With fans often howling insults at Divas (without a second thought) just for how they choose to express their personal lives, it seems as if regardless of whatever a female wrestler may accomplishment in the ring, the fourth-wall stigma of a personal relationship can and will always follow her.
An aftermost victim of this onslaught would be repeat offender, Kelly Kelly. The Diva is no stranger to online speculation of her romantic… situations. Just yesterday, she was spotted rather innocently with Hollywood actor, Jeremy Piven on the streets of New York City and at an NFL game the night before. Pretty innocent, one would think? However, the story was hit with an invasion of derogatory and belittling terminology toward the Diva under headlines. Insults that were so easily slapped onto a man bragging to the world about his liaisons had now found themselves attached to a woman dating someone with whom she simply enjoys sharing her company. The disrepency is almost repugnant.
So, what happens when the tables are turned? What happens when the woman holds the power, and the man falls under the “opportunistic” role? Well, we have seldom seen this in the Divas division, however history will dictate that it does indeed happen. The “Billion Dollar Princess,” Stephanie McMahon-Levesque is notorious for many things, her marriage to Triple H being one of them. In this instance, the flack is received most by the partner rather than the Diva. Though, even with the bit of role reversal ensues the accord between “affair” and “affirmation.” Still, the relationship will be placed under question.
Which begs the question: is there a double standard at play here, or can it all be attributed to a zest for social standing or power?
No two circumstances are exactly alike, and ideally it can go either way. Unfortunately, we see situations like these more skewed to the Divas’ disfavour. It happens, but not often do we see the shoe on the other foot.
People will always speculate; being “dogged on” comes with the territory of being in the spotlight. It’s all about how a Diva carries herself and chooses to respond to such belligerence. An example of someone who counters ignorance with poise and class, look no further than the current Women’s Champion Michelle McCool who never cowers from a disparaging remark thrown her way. Often putting her own humorous spin on her situation, she is inclined to respond with a sassy rebuttal of her own.
So, whether it be by getting caught in a web of rumors or by being romantically linked to a Superstar or even by being photographed with some man candy on her arm, a Diva will face many hardships in the public eye. That withstanding, self-assurance goes a long way. Relationships are challenging enough, but the added pressure can be overcome. Moral of the story? Let s(he) who is without sin love cast the first stone.
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21 Comments
Great one Tiffany.
I feel like relathionships in the entertainment industry can’t only be seen as “love stories”, everyone wants to be on top, everyone wants a taste of the delicious fame.
That said, I feel like people complaining about Michelle’s position on SmackDown comes out as childish and ridiculous. The woman has got something called talent, and her acting/mic skills have improved a lot, she deserves to be top heel at the moment.
Kelly Kelly hanging out with Jeremy Piven is a different story, I couldn’t care less about it, it’s their freakin life, I don’t find it cute but I also don’t find it awful. It’s a girl hanging out with a boy, on the other way, the age difference is a bit big, and when i first saw the pictures I immediatly thought Kelly was selling herself to a Z-List celeb, right now I regret some of my words “COUGHslutCOUGH”, but I still don’t understand how someone would find it amusing, I simply don’t give a smurf about it!
As for Batista, I have no problem with what he has done, I have a problem with his attitude towards the whole thing, it’s like he threats women as trophies, it’s just really honey-go-back-to-the-cave!
It’s always sticky–Superstars are usually told that Divas are “off limits” and only the really over guys can date them. It sounds like a prostitution service, to be honest. Thus, those who aren’t at the top and still date a Diva get ribbed to all hell. Kudos to any of them that can make it work regardless.
I won’t ever not think of Batista as a skeeze with the way he airs out his personal life like he’s checking off a “macho” list. You’re old enough to be a father to most of them, and you ain’t no George Clooney, sir.
The Batista thing still irks me. I don’t care who he’s slept with, or how many more women may be stupid enough to risk another kiss-and-tell from him. But it’s not as if he holds the Divas hostage until they do sleep with him, ya know (it takes two, and all that). I think it’s just his lack of dignity – it definitely says a lot where his self-esteem is an issue though.
LOL “It sounds like a prostitution service” Sad, but soooo true :P
I think, if anything, some of these women need help if they actually do say to themselves “the only way I can progress career-wise is to sleep with X”. Although I couldn’t honestly say I’d think any differently if in the same position.
I don’t think the Divas dating the Superstars is THAT much of a big deal. But to me…it seems like the Divas will date a Superstar because she’s afraid of what happens if she doesn’t. For example…Batista’s a top star in the WWE. Maybe the Diva he courts is afraid that if she doesn’t ‘say yes’, then she’ll be put on the backburner or even fired? This could most likely be untrue, but that’s just what it seems to me.
I think palaceofwisdom has hit on something that has the potential to be very true in 99% of Diva/Superstar relationships. IMO there’s so much pressure on the women to be thin, beautiful, athletic, sexy…then you add in the prospect of becoming a jobber and buried if you turn down someone who has a lot of pull like Batista. It’s degrading. Vince and Co can say that they’re ‘family friendly’ and Maria can say that cleavage is now frowned upon but leopards don’t change their spots that easy. Lets not forget how many women have had to have their turn ‘cavorting’ with Vince on camera before they may or may not be given a push. Personally, if I were a woman in the wrestling business, I’d stay away from dating any of the guys – if the relationship goes south, not only do you have to continue working around that person, but there’s potential that your own career will suffer and rumors being started about the relationship (if the guy’s someone like Batista who likes to brag and give details). So much sexism still abounds in this industry, dating a co-worker does nothing to help improve things.
I’d have to disagree with you there, palaceofwisdom. I would agree that there’s a double standard, or even added pressure backstage… but I somehow refuse to believe that there is someone holding these girls at gunpoint, ordering them to sleep their way to the top. If it does come down to compromising your morals in order to be on t.v., well…that is a decision the Diva in that position would have to make.
There are people (both male and female) with opportunistic motives, especially in the wrestling industry. These girls know what they’re doing. I can’t say I buy this whole “Divas being victimized” theory. When it comes to any woman “sleeping at the top,” at some point the woman would have decide that her career is of more importance to her than her ethics. Correct? Big Bob gets what he wants on the side, and Little Susie gets her 10 minutes of fame. It’s a two-way street.
“That said, I feel like people complaining about Michelle’s position on SmackDown comes out as childish and ridiculous. The woman has got something called talent, and her acting/mic skills have improved a lot, she deserves to be top heel at the moment.”
I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’m not a fan of Michelle because I don’t think she’s very good and find her to be one of most the boring performers on the roster. Who she dates and her personal life in general is none of my business and has no barring on my opinion of her talent/ability.
Some people seem to hate her as a person. I think that’s wrong and pretty sad, but those haters should not be confused with people who merely are not fans of her work.
@chrisP – True that, but one thing is not beeing a fan of her work, I never was a fan of Lita’s or Trish’s in-ring work, but I’m capable of understanding why people loved them and I’m capable of admiting that their work was pretty darn solid, but I’m still not a fan. Saying that Michelle’s in-ring work is bad IS childish, not beeing a fan isn’t.
“Saying that Michelle’s in-ring work is bad IS childish, not beeing a fan isn’t.”
I think her in-ring work is decent and her best asset. I don’t think she’s the worst or best wrestler of the women, but there clearly are people who think she’s awesome or don’t like her at all. Really, though, most wrestlers split the fans’ opinions like that. Lita is another example. She’s either amazing, decent, or sloppy, depending on who you ask.
@ chrisP – One thing is the opinion of the masses, the other is the truth. Many people like Maria, many people don’t, in the end the truth is that she’s not a good wrestler. Some people loved Ashley, most people hated her, in the end the truth is that she was a terrible wrestler. Many people love Rosa, many people don’t, in the end the truth is that she’s not a great wrestler. Many people think Eve is a better wrestler than Layla, many people don’t, in the end the truth is that Layla is the better wrestler.
So yes, opinions change, but facts don’t.
So, it doesn’t matter what people think, they have a choice to either accept the truth or live in denial while telling everyone that Maria and Ashley rulez
As far as am concerned, its up to the Diva/Superstar who they wanna date. If K2 wants to date a hollywood star, then go head, she had a enough hardship when Test died. Michelle well am not gonna really comment on her relationship with Taker, cos untill she started dating him , she was just another Diva search loser who was offered a contract with WWE. Plus i hate her , so am gonna stop right there. As the saying goes ” It takes two to Tango”, but i really do think Batista is trying to sleep with every Diva on the Roster. He has already slept with Melina, K2 and Rosa Mendes , and he now has his eye on the bella twins. I Honestly wont be suprised to hear more stories of Batista banging the divas.
But u are right about depending who a diva/superstar is dating can affect the carrer. Like i said a few lines up, before michelle dated taker, she was just another diva search loser lucky enough to get a contract with WWE. Now that she is dating him , not only did she become the first ever Divas Champion, she also became the first Diva to hold both female titles after beating Melina for the womens championship.
But Tiffiany u missed out one Diva that had her carrer turned upside down over night, all cos she kissed another man. That Diva am talking about is none other than LITA! She and Matt dated for 6 years, and even when matt turned his bk on Lita (storyline wise) noboday honestly cared as the fans loved them. Yet it wasnt untill it was reveled that Lita had cheated on Matt with Edge (in real life) that ppl cared. Everyone (except true lita fans) started hating her with a passion and calling her all the names under the sun. But the point am trying to make is the fact that before she cheated on him, she was one of the most respected female wrestlers in history, little girls (inculding me and i still do) looked up to her and they wanted to be her. Yet once she turned heel and fans knew about what had happened, all the respect that she had build up over the years with the fans was throwing out the window over night, all cos she kissed another man. When Lita gave her retirement speech she was right it saying that if it was not for her the divas off today would not be where they are now (tho today’s storlines are slowly going back to the way they were before lita came to WWE). I mean Lita is my fave diva off all time, yet cos of one little thing, her carrer changed over night, no one cared about what she did in the ring anymore. All the fans cared about was making her life a living hell. But as u said Tiffany depened on who they are seeing, depends on what happens in there carrer, which i honstly think is wrong.
I was just kind of wondering who made “PedroPedroso17″ the end all be all of ‘truths’ as far as who’s a good wrestler and who’s not… Because it does matter what people think because everybody is entitled to an opinion.
jamboslilangel – Lita and Edge had an affair, not just a kiss, you have to be naive to believe they just kissed… I think the reason people went so crazy about that whole situation with Lita, Matt and Edge – was because they never thought that Lita would do such a thing as cheat on her long-term boyfriend and because everyone thought of them as such a great couple. And the people who already disliked Lita found even more reason to dislike her because of it. Their “hero” became just another cheater in many peoples eyes.
It’s always double standards from one Diva to the next – the Lita marks defend her to the hilt despite the affair with Edge – but perhaps if the likes of Michelle McCool or Kelly Kelly had done that – they’d be called every name under the sun and villified for it. So that’s not right either.
Just because Michelle McCool is dating The Undertaker don’t presume that’s why she has been pushed – there has to be some talent or ability there aswell in order to be given runs with the Womens and Divas Championships. At the end of the day, we have seen women dating high-powered men in WWE before and it didn’t stop them being suddenly released or not given a big push (The Kat and Jerry Lawler for example).
@Manda – I do think people’s opinions count a lot, people have different opinions on some wrestlers, people have different opinions on many things. But like I said, facts can’t change, you can love Maria and think she’s the best, but she isn’t. Some people love the Pussycat Dolls and they still suck!
I love Sex A nd The City: The Movie, but I know it sucks!
Everybody is entitled to opinions, as long as they don’t live lala land thinking Ashley is the best wrestler ever.
Okay, there you go making those kind of statements again. Saying the Pussycat Dolls suck is YOUR opinion. And saying you love SatC, but know it sucks is based on… what now? It was one of the biggest movies last year so like… your logic if baffling me. Unless your some kind of industry professional who’s done your research and sent out surveys and done polls and focus groups, you can’t say something sucks with such gusto and say it’s a cold, hard fact. Because whatever you’re saying… it’s not the truth. It’s your opinion.
And… I’m not Ashley’s biggest fan by any means but that last statement, you’re basically saying everybody is entitled to an opinion as long as it’s not glaringly wrong and contradictory to what everybody else thinks.
I’m not arguing, btw, lol. Just trying to wrap my mind around it.
@Manda – I understand where you’re comming from, but only because most people love it, it doesn’t mean it’s true. SexAndTheCity was a big movie last year, but the critics disliked it. PCD have a great amount of fans, but the critics think they’re just dancers singing terrible music. Maria is loved by most people, but wrestling critics [DivaDirt for example] aren’t fans of her by any means.
I rather believe the critics [people that are aware of what they're talking about and studied to get where they are] than the majority of people of nowdays.
Again, I do understand your point of view!
wow amazing blog tiffany…
for me…mccool is a great wrestler and she worked her aS to the top n deserve to be a champ but i think dating someone like the undertaker helped her too…i mean she is very good but as a “total package”..there are other divas who deserve to “make history” as they say and talent dont seem to be the only key..
being the first to win the divas title and the first to hold both titles is a big deal isnt it?!
Kerry246 – Yeah i know they had an affiar, it was just easier to right it that way. But u do make a gd point.