Yesterday
morning, I noticed that Pamela Anderson was “Trending Now” in the corner of
Yahoo’s home screen.
I
immediately thought, “What in the world could Pam be doing now?”
Of
course I thought the worst. “Another sex video?” (I saw the first one. Ahem. Whoa.)
If playing the word association game with her name, noteworthy isn’t one that
comes to mind for me. I clicked.
The
trending headline was “Pamela Anderson Runs NYC Marathon; Tweets Pics.” Of
course she tweeted pictures. It’s another celebrity media stunt.
I
scanned the article searching for her time. 5:41:03. That’s slow. People I know
finish in less than 4:30. Many finish under 4:00. Some even qualify for Boston.
I
also needed visual evidence so I scanned the web for picture proof. She actually ran it and, indeed, looked exhausted. Then exhilarated and proud.
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| nydailynews.com Now we're talking! |
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| dailymailuk.com I'm sure we'd all look like this... |
I was most certainly judging her. I had the audacity to mock her the next day like a pompous, Monday morning quarterback. Yes, I did.
As I sat on my fat ass Sunday morning, Tribune strewn casually around me, coffee cup in one hand and a Quinn’s fudge covered donut in the other; Pam Anderson ran a fucking marathon. Not only did cover 26.2 miles at a pace of 13:01 miles per hour (better than I could do), she’d previously set up a donation page on CrowdRise.com for Haiti raising $76,000 in her effort.
Who am I to fucking judge anyone?
I don’t know her at all. I don’t know how she lives
her life. I don’t know whom she loves or, maybe more importantly, who loves her
back. I certainly know she’s managed to stay out of the tabloids in recent
years (I perpetually scan the rags in checkout lines). She’s raising a couple
of boys as a single mom. I remember that.
In my own eyes, this had unfair written all over it.
Judging is my biggest pet peeve. I hate when I’m the target
especially when people don’t know me (it’s worse when they do). I've been on that end. It’s
hurtful. So I try very hard not to do the same.
Why was my immediate reaction negative? Because she’s
made a few mistakes in her past? If she were a non-celebrity, I would never
know about them.
And how can you not
make mistakes living life? I’ve made more than anyone I know. And what would I
do if my back shelf closet skeletons or worst mistakes were accessible over the
ether for all to know and judge? I wouldn’t handle it well, I’ll tell you.
“When I finish the race,
whatever people’s perceptions of me, this is what I’ve done for a great cause,
hopefully inspiring others to do things like this,” she told ESPN. “Everyone
has their war stories about being in marathons. But I just think, ‘You know, it’s
a great way to see New York.’ Running the marathon is definitely one of the
crazier things I’ve done in my career… I know Hef [Hugh Hefner] is really proud
of me!”
Hef? Okay, maybe she should stop while she’s ahead. Gina!!!
(Did you know that Pam’s shorn her long, flowing, sexy
blonde locks in favor of a “pixie cut”? I didn’t.)
I am no better than Pamela Anderson, sex tape or not.
Yesterday, I sunk to a superficial low and felt crappy about it.
Note to shelf: Don’t judge those you don’t know.
Correction. Don’t judge anyone. You don’t walk in their stilettos…
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| Tweeted after the race and exactly how I would look ;-) nydailynews.com |
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Head over to Yeah Write where we're free to be you and me (or Pam!).
I thought the exact same thing when I heard she was running. But the truth is, anyone who finished a marathon is a fierce badass, whether they used to be a Playboy Bunny or not.
ReplyDeleteEXACTLY!!!!! Anyone!!!!! In my eyes, she's now a total badass! Maybe being a playboy bunny was fun stuff. I'll never know but she does. Good for her, I say!
Deletei say, go her. i always liked her. i watched that dumb show VIP and liked how she could make fun of herself. regardless, it's somehow in our nature to judge. not pretty but human, i guess. or at least human for me as well, but i may be sub human. ;)
ReplyDeleteMe, too! I've always thought she was funny when I've seen her on Letterman or whatever. It's a temptation. I don't know; does it make us feel better, more superior maybe? Not pretty for sure. I hate it because I've been on the judged side many, many times. I guess we try harder each day. We are only human. (You are NOT sub-human or are you? That would be cool! ;-))
DeleteI love this post Gina! It's the first I've heard about her running the marathon. I tend not to pay attention to that stuff.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stacie! I didn't know until, like I said, I saw the "Trending Nows". If it's not on the web (or Yahoo's front page), I usually don't know about it!
DeleteGirl I was judging too!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the support ;-)
DeleteI tend to do this a lot too, but I never noticed until now. Especially when it comes to Miley Cyrus... I just can't help it.
ReplyDeleteI'm still not over the Miley thing and I don't even know what "twerking" is (did I even spell it correctly?). I never want to know...
DeleteI'm trying to help it. Judging is a personal thing for me.
I loved, loved, loved this post Gina! We are all so judgmental by nature. I had the exact same thoughts as you when I heard this. However, I didn't then reflect upon it in the brilliant manner you did. That's what separates you as a kind, empathetic individual. Taking the time to really second guess your judgment and try to put yourself in that person's shoes is something we should all do. I try to practice the advice of Atticus Finch as often as possible, but certainly I am guilty of bitchy, snap judgments about others (as if I'm perfect -- ha! so far from it). I thought this piece was AWESOME! Thanks for sharing. Hopefully folks will be inspired by your words and try to put themselves in the other persons shoes (or stilettos) more frequently.
ReplyDeleteAngela! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You are very kind. And I am very sensitive to how others feel. Plus I've been on the wrong/short/bad side of judging for no reason (or even a reason). I truly felt crappy because she didn't have to do anything. She could have just written a check and sat on her ass. Or done nothing at all.
DeleteI hear you on the Atticus Finch! We are all guilty of something because we are human, after all. And we make a whole bunch of mistakes if we are living life.
"Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes." Oscar Wilde (simplistic but true because we learn from them, hopefully.)
I often do think about how life might be for someone else before I act/react. Can't help it.
And I love stilettos. I'd give hers a whirl but they're probably a size 7. Too small for me!!!
I agree with Angela. I don't know if it is possible to never judge anyone. It's what you do after that counts. Your self-reflection is admirable.
DeleteIt's possible not to but probably not all the time. I'm trying. That's my thing. Thanks, cynk.
DeleteI did a 5 k in 40 min...yeah...sucky...but for an asthmatic who loathes running, I was all, hell yeah! Now it would take days....the nearest gym is 45 min away (the 2 local ones shut down). My goal is to get a home treadmill or eliptical.
ReplyDeleteWe do whatever we can. Not everyone is cut out to run. I hope you get one of those!
DeleteIf you ever see me in stilettos feel free to judge me.
ReplyDeleteWill do! Feel free to judge me, too, if you ever see me in them!
DeleteI used to write about celebrities, but I found myself becoming more and more judgemental, so I had to quit. It's so easy to judge Pam for being slow, but when did I last jog? No, seriously. When? I can't even remember :)
ReplyDeleteI don't write about celebs, not often, but I'm sometimes skeptical about motivation. That's where my judgment started. The slow comment was part of my own nasty slide. I run/workout a lot so it didn't begin out of envy or her pace. I would never even attempt a marathon for several reasons. Mostly due to lack of desire and my body wouldn't hold up. Frankly, I could not do it!
DeleteKudos to Pam. I respect her for her determination and tenacity and for her apparent motive.
I am the same age as Pam and ran my first (and likely only) marathon two years ago. When I saw the story, I immediately scanned down to find out her time. Mine was god awful since an injury had prevented me from finishing the final, and most crucial, weeks of training. But I beat Pam. Hell yeah, I did! I am embarrassed to admit how happy that made me.
ReplyDeleteI am with you on the judging thing. We all do it. I give you credit for recognizing it.
I salute anyone who has crossed that line. Running or walking. I've walked that much in one day. It's hard work!
DeleteIs it bad for me to say I'm glad you beat her? Congrats you badass!!!
Thanks. I try, then fail, then try again!
I have to avoid tabloids, because I too have a tendency to judge, and it's not one of my more attractive qualities. :/
ReplyDeleteI've been known to obliviously hold up a checkout line with my nose glued to a page. I'm mostly into the pictures though. It's harder to "fake" a photo (sometimes)!
Deletefantastic post! I would've done the same thing: snarked while snacking, and then felt guilty. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteI noticed the err in my ways mid-fudge chew!
DeleteThis is great--I catch myself doing the same thing, but I don't tend to call myself out on it like you did. (That donut sounded amazing.)
ReplyDeleteI call myself out on things first (in my mind) because I can beat myself up better than anyone!
DeleteMy first reaction, I'm sad to admit, is that I immediately thought about Baywatch. Boo! This is good lesson--don't judge!
ReplyDeleteDid you see Matt Lauer dressed up like Pamela on Halloween? Scary!!!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJudging others is so easy, but stopping yourself takes more thought. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI know when I'm being bad and always try to stop myself. Doesn't always work...But thanks!
DeleteI'm guilty of that sometimes too and I have to catch myself and tell myself to cut it out. I hadn't heard about this, but if I had, I'd have thought the same thing. Image can be a traitor. But she's a badass for sure. I can't even fun around my block without getting winded.
ReplyDeleteI could never run that far. Walk, yes. I have to tell myself to cut a lot of things out!
DeleteI think there are certain people who we just have this visceral reaction to. Pam is one of those for many people. She cultivated that dumb sexy blonde bombshell image, and unfortunately she gets some blowback for it. I agree with the above, that it was quite right of you to pull back on your initial reaction and reassess. That's really all we can do. Everybody judges. It seems to be an inherently human trait. Your self-analysis is a beautiful thing.
ReplyDeleteI agree! Unfortunately she's is quite bright. I guess I shouldn't say unfortunately. Fortunately she is bright. Made her money from her image. We don't know her personally. I'm sure, to those who know her, she's far from what she portrays. Some people are and some people aren't. Some people, you get what you get. I find that refreshing most of the time. Pretending all the time is hard and no one gets to know the real you that way.
DeleteThanks!
I get what you're saying, because I go back and forth between judging her and feeling so proud of her. Then I think How the FUCK did she run with those melons hanging from her chest?
ReplyDeleteIt's fun to go back and read posts I haven't seen since I responded to the last comment, or didn't because I forgot!
ReplyDeleteThe lesson for me here is still the same almost four years later. Do not judge. You don't know their life or challenges.
On another note, this post was composed when I was writing a LOT! It's apparent to me in how it flows. I want this back and understand the practice that must go into it. Winter goals!