Celeb Idolising and Victim Blaming: Why are we so quick to condemn Amber Heard?

Anyone who knows me will tell you how much I love Johnny Depp. From the moment the credits rolled on the first ‘Pirates’ film, my adolescent eyes fixated on the screen in awe, I followed him and his career religiously.

Second only to a fierce devotion to Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny received my unwavering love and respect – I didn’t particularly care that his films weren’t revered masterpieces on the Godfather level or that his slurred, randomly British accent confused me more than GCSE maths. From ‘Finding Neverland’ to ‘Sweeney Todd’ (lets not mention the frightening mess that is ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’), he had his hooks in me deep. It is only the recent media storm regarding his divorce from Amber Heard which has made me stop and question whether it’s time to grab the pliers and forcibly start to peel away the levels of my devotion.

For those of you (unlike myself) who have a life and tend to stay away from the swirling abyss of celebrity gossip, 52 year old Depp has found himself at the centre of a domestic abuse storm, thrown at him by his wife of 15 months, Amber Heard. Despite none of us knowing much at this point – we certainly are not aware of any indisputable facts – the overwhelming message has been clear: Heard is a gold-digging liar.

We will never be privy to exactly what went on behind the doors of Depp’s million dollar Hollywood home. However, our eagerness to condemn the actress points to a disconcerting trend within modern society: the tendency to blame the victim on the grounds that she must be a provoker, if not an outright liar, because the accused is such a good guy.

Ex-partner Vanessa Paradis has published a letter, claiming the father of her children to be “a sensitive, loving and loved person”, who finds himself a victim of “outrageous allegations”. Daughter Lily Rose brands him “the sweetest, most loving person I know”. Comedian Doug Stanhope’s recent column rages that his friend has been “manipulated, set up and made to look like an a**hole” by someone who has “f*cked with him at his weakest”.

As with most celebrity scandals, ‘The Daily Mail’ has been the paper demanding the most answers, and its readers voiced their well informed opinions with these top rated comments:

“Are you kidding me??… this is the most publicity she has ever had and she’s running away with it.”

“I’m so sick of this woman… she’s just trying to slander him”

“Honestly, I feel bad for Johnny. The last thing you want is to be labelled a woman beater when you aren’t one. I don’t buy Amber’s story.”

Indeed, a simple “I believe her” received 583 downvotes and only 245 upvotes, signalling the fierce condemnation angled at Heard, whose photographic evidence does not seem to be enough to quell the anger of Depp’s pitchfork-wielding fans.

It is not for me to decide upon the basis of a few pictures that Heard is a helpless victim at the hands of an evil abuser whose status elevates him above and beyond the parameters of punishment. I wish to question why we, upholders of an apparent common justice, choose to immediately vilify a woman whose story of domestic abuse is certainly not beyond comprehension.

Johnny Depp, lovable and talented as he may be, has a history of alcohol and drug fuelled violence. In 1994, New York’s Mark Hotel found itself at the centre of a media storm, when the actor bizarrely blamed an armadillo hiding in a wardrobe for $10,000 worth of damage to his room. Whilst the armadillo surprisingly never materialised, Kate Moss certainly did – the supermodel was Depp’s girlfriend at the time and significantly admitted to arguing with the drunken star on the night. In 2012, he admitted to a kind of “self medication” with drugs, whilst he was forced to insist he doesn’t “have the physical need for alcohol” the following year. The actor’s image is hardly squeaky clean, and whilst this does not imprint the stamp of ‘woman beater’ upon him, it does mean we should think twice before dismissing Heard’s claims as ludicrous, especially as many of the accounts she describes Depp was so drunk he doesn’t remember.

Many of the justifications for loyalty to Depp stem from Paradis’ aforementioned letter, detailing how in the 14 years she lived with him, he never laid a finger on her. Similarly, the actor’s first wife, Lori Anne Allison, has materialised to describe him as “a soft person”. To this, I would ask: does a thief steal indiscriminately? Does a murderer snuff out the life of everyone he meets? Whilst I acknowledge that these analogies are hyperbolic, they point to something very significant – Depp’s treatment of his ex-partners has little to nothing to do with his treatment of Amber Heard. Character references are important and I grant that the testimonies of his ex-partners made me pause and wonder how this relationship could be so different.

But people change. Relationships change. There is nothing to say that the Johnny Depp from 2016, still dressed to the nines as Captain Jack Sparrow, is the exact same person as the man who first donned the dishevelled dreadlocks and worn leather hat thirteen years ago. In-turn, that Johnny Depp may experience feelings and emotions drastically different to the Johnny Depp who won us over with his shy Edward Scissorhands back in 1990. And so on. In the complicated world of human growth and interaction, there is nothing to say that what is true for one relationship is true for the next.

Heard finally filed for divorce after Depp apparently threw an iPhone at her, this proving the final straw which brought about the end of their short-lived marriage. The actress found herself criticized, however, for a series of proceeding events: for not filing a police report, for demanding that he pay her monetary support and for smiling in an Instagram photo just hours after. But these events do not completely discredit her. 1 in 4 women will experience some sort of domestic violence in their lives, and with a society so quick to condemn a victim as a liar and a fraud, is it really any surprise that Heard, like so many others, chose not to immediately file a police report? Maybe her demands for money are unwarranted and misguided, but when you’re faced with a man who made your life a living hell, wouldn’t you want to milk him for every penny he’s got? Another common issue with modern society is our insistence on the veracity of social media, the belief that every little thing we post on Facebook is the holy grail of truth. A picture of Heard smiling, with her hair deftly covering her growing bruise, could be a sign of her manipulative, conniving ways… or it could be the smile of a broken woman who is grappling with the fact that the man she loves has hurt her and that her marriage is over.

The story is always deeper than it seems. Personally, I am inclined to believe Heard, for all the reasons I have listed and for the evidence that every day seems more and more irrefutable. However, this is simply my gut feeling. There is absolutely no way for me to irrevocably know what went on between these two celebrities, and it is of course plausible that Heard is every bit the master manipulator.

But more important than a messy divorce between two beautiful, privileged people is the frightening undercurrent that rumbles beneath the surface: the idea that someone’s status as a loved and revered person grants them immune to scrutiny, and that someone whose support pales in comparison is branded simply a gold-digging liar.

How can we possibly be surprised, then, when we hear of domestic abuse victims hiding their cuts and bruises and cowering in shame? How can we sit there and demand that they have the strength to come forward and share their story, when so many are tossed aside and condemned when they do just that?

In the midst of all this, there is only one truth: every man, woman and child who comes forward to tell their story of abuse must be taken seriously. Surely that is a cornerstone of modern society; surely this should go without saying.

All that remains is to ask: when will it be enough? If Amber’s allegations are completely fabricated, she should be punished for ruining an innocent man’s life and career and she should stand as an embarrassment to all domestic abuse victims. But at least we can say we did all we could. At least we can stand proud and say that we listened and we empathised and we supported.

Because after all, if it’s true, the vilified Amber Heard has been exposed to a barrage of undying support for the very same man who has kicked her, punched her and verbally tormented her for years.

And when will it be enough? When Depp comes forwards and finally admits it, eyes full of tears and a regret that his fans will eagerly lap up?

Will you believe her then?