One of the hot topics the ladies discussed at the table today on "The View" was the old "double standard" dilemma brought on by a recent Twitter storm directed at Talk Show Host, Ellen DeGeneres. DeGeneres tweeted a photo of her with Katy Perry and wife, Portia De Rossi with the caption, Happy Birthday @katyperry! It's time to bring out the big balloons!
Double standard much?
Given the recent Harvey Wienstein scandal, the talk show host's tweet seems to have hit a nerve, with many stating that her behavior is not acceptable because, had a man behaved the way that DeGeneres behaved, they would be bashed -- or worse. DeGeneres then received a barrage of negative responses. Even Piers Morgan chimed in, tweeting that if a man made the joke, Ellen would lead the cries of "sexist pig."
One tweet even called Ellen, Ellen Weinstein.
Agree to disagree
The ladies seemed to have mixed feelings about the tweet. Sara Haines stated that the tweet was actually a play on lyrics to one of Perry's songs but that she wasn't personally offended by the tweet.
Haines went on to say that she also felt that because Ellen and Portia are gay, it's more important that people who are gay are normalized and you see that they are just like us and that the photo does more good than bad. Paula Farris didn't seem to take any issue with the tweet either, stating that all 3 of them are friends.
Sunny Hostin and Meghan McCain both seemed to take issue with the photo. Hostin stated: "I just never think that sexualizing and objectifying a woman is ever funny." McCain also shared Hostin's sentiments by saying "I'm not a skinny girl and I've had really big boobs since I was 15 and I think sometimes people think it's like a party trick of some kind. I remember a really good friend took a picture like that on my birthday and I was like, 'can we not make a face when I'm holding a martini and wearing a low cut dress?'," said McCain.
McCain also said that there is a big difference between a photo on social media and sexually assaulting someone.
Paua Farris did admit though that if a man had done that, she'd feel intimidated. Whoopie Goldberg spoke out, saying "It's bad timing." She went on to say that they all know Ellen, and what we're talking about and what she's doing in the photo are two separate things.
Even though the ladies seemed to be divided about the topic, they all did seem to agree on one thing, that the reason the tweet sparked so much outrage is because people are now paying attention to sexual harassment due to recent events. McCain added that she is glad we are finally having these conversations.
What do you think of Ellen's behavior? Is this a double standard? Comment below.