If you follow the celebrity world at all, you have probably heard about the newest May-December romance scandal between 16 year old aspiring actress/singer Courtney Stodden and her husband, 51 year old actor Doug Hutchinson. Courtney hasn't done much up until this point but a smattering of YouTube videos that are tragic in a Heidi Montag sort of way, and Doug is most famous for his role in the Green Mile in which he plays the mean prison guard who doesn't put the sponge on the guys head before he electrocutes him.
Nobody cares what I think, but... there are a lot of factors at play here that are being lumped together to make one issue. There is the 35 year age difference, the fact that she seems to be overtly sexual for an underage girl, and the whole concept of marriage and that they are claiming to be in love. To me, none of these things are related to the other and you have have both positive or negative opinions on all 3 aspects separately.
First, their 35 year old age difference. This doesn't bother me at all, and to me it isn't a sign of any wrong doing here. People fall in love. They both have said they believe God brought them together, and I honestly believe they think He did. I am all for Age Gap Relationships (AGR's) because I think that they actually have a lot of aspects to them that make things easier, and I don't doubt for a second that these 2 really did want to get married. Plus, her parents had to sign a consent form and unless they are really terrible people, they obviously believed in this relationship too. The general public needs to get over the fact that people with age differences have sex, date, and fall in love. Inter-generational relationships are no different than homosexual or interracial relationships... if you don't like it: don't be in one.
Next, Courtney. Yes, she's a train wreck. She seems like she's on tranquilizers in most of her interviews and she is way too overtly sexual... but she's 16. If someone interviewed me at 16 I bet I probably seemed like a disaster, too. She's young and doesn't know much... but in a way that actually makes her love of Doug and her passion for her future sort of inspiring. Love and career are 2 huge things that people twice her age barely have figured out. I am worried by the people who are quick to write her off... with the state of Hollywood today, she's no worse or better than any of the other garbage out there and she deserves the opportunity to suck as much as the rest of them. Is she crazy? Probably. But if she is, she had these issues way before marrying Doug.
Lastly, their love. I think that it's probably real. It's true that Courtney has a lot of desperation in essence- she clearly wants to be famous any way that she can... but marry a 51 year old guy? If she thinks it's as disgusting as some of the couples critics do, there's no way she would have agreed to marry him. I think she really wants to be famous, but she doesn't seem like the kind of girl that would live 24 hrs a day with a man she thought was gross to do it... there's no way she's that good of a liar! Doug and Courtney would have gotten just as much attention if they just casually dated, so why the need to make it official if not for love? Also... she was a virgin before they got married, which takes some sort of scruples (especially when you look like her!) and she seems to be very happy with her life now. If your goal is to be a major celebrity, the first person you call isn't usually the creepy supporting actor in a decade old Tom Hanks movie... she must know it's going to take a little more effort than that to become a star. As for him loving her- why not? She's sexy, funny, ambitious, quirky, and a clean slate. Women Doug's age come with a lot of baggage usually... if he wanted a fresh, fun relationship that maybe someday included kids... or even just flexibility.... there's no question why he'd look to Courtney. AGR's are complicated but they can also be pretty basic: 2 people that can't find what they're searching for in the places they typically look.
I don't think these 3 issues can be piled together when making an educated decision on how you feel about them being together. People in relationships get to be themselves and they get to be their age... it doesn't effect their love. Super smart couples who are the same age can fail just as easily as Doug and Courtney, and do every day. As far as this case, and any other unconventional couple is concerned, I say judge the pieces as pieces and remember to have some respect. (This does not mean you can't roll your eyes every once in a while...)
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