The Demonisation of Amber Heard is Misogynistic

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably aware of the current court case between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. Johnny created a defamation case against his ex-wife, seeking damages of $50 million. This is after Heard wrote an Op-Ed for The Washington Post in 2018, speaking up about her experience being a victim of domestic violence. Whilst she never publicly named Depp as her abuser, Depp’s team believe that it cost him his career, as well as ruining his reputation. Heard has since countersued Johnny for $100 million in damages. So, what’s the big deal?

The testimonies from both Johnny and Amber are severely upsetting, as they both share their experiences with domestic violence and abuse (from one another). Their obviously toxic relationship was picked apart by the media, yet there was a clear problem with this.

The way people spoke about Johnny Depp, compared to Amber Heard was truly horrifying. Amber was humiliated, bullied and accused of lying about her experiences, whilst the infamous Depp remained untouched.

Shocking, considering London’s High Court found the claims that Depp was a ‘wife beater, substantially true, the internet seems to rule in his favour. On TikTok, #JusticeforJohnnyDepp trending, with around 12 billion views. #JusticeforAmberHeard on the other hand has 44 million.

This is not the only issue surrounding the online persona of the case. Amber is being relentlessly bullied, with #AmberHeardisAPsycho, #AmberHeardisAnAbuser and #WeJustDontLikeYouAmber being used to promote hateful content about her.

Psychologist Dawn Hughes testified that Heard suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, at the hands of Depp. This disorder was triggered from violence and sexual assaults, some of which Amber discussed whilst on the stand. A psychologist hired by Johnny’s team stated that Amber was faking her symptoms of PTSD, instead showing clear signs of borderline and histrionic personality disorder, however Hughes disputed these claims.

The fact that a psychological professional felt comfortable with calling Amber a liar is hugely worrying. There is endless evidence to show that Johnny has caused Heard significant trauma. There is no need to undermine that. Especially not when Depp has a history of violent behaviour. Something we are yet to explore.

Heard was in her 20s when she met Johnny at age 58. He was a significantly older man, someone that everyone knew and loved - with a distinguished career and reputation. Amber on the other hand was much more anonymous to the Hollywood lifestyle. You’d be stupid to think there’s not an issue here already.

Let’s put it simply. The young, queer woman is being torn apart, whilst the hugely successful, older, straight, white man is being celebrated. A man who has a history of violence and questionable behaviour.

With clear evidence of Johnny’s violence towards Amber, why are we so Pro-Depp?

What bothers me the most about the way this case is presented online, is how demonised Heard is. This situation is being used to promote misogynistic ideas – ideas that women are not to be trusted or believed. I have seen endless posts being shared online, mocking Amber Heard and the current case, but none showing how we can help victims, how to spot signs of abuse or even supporting charities for domestic abuse. People seem to forget that this is a real-life court case, not something for them to make jokes about.

The idea that society cares more about ‘false accusations ruining men’s careers’ rather than the history of gendered violence, particularly towards women, is truly harmful. 1 in 3 women around the world experience some form of violence. In England and Wales. It is estimated that 1 in 5 women will experience rape in their life, and 1 in 20 for men. 1.6% of rape allegations end in conviction.

These numbers are shocking. This continues to prove just how common these matters are – only 2-10% proving to be false. So, whilst accusations could always be incorrect, the likelihood is that they are true.

Amber Heard is not setting feminism back 50 years (unlike the comments under a reddit thread). You and your misogynistic ideas are.

Society doesn’t truly understand domestic violence. The fact that people are putting Johnny on a pedestal is scary. ‘He wouldn’t hurt a fly’ and ‘I want to hug him and tell him that everything will be okay’ are just two of the TikTok comments I have seen. Bear in mind, this man has a history of worrying behaviour. Something I will delve into later. People have travelled from all over the world to support Depp, waiting outside for hours, just to catch a glimpse of him.

Dr Jessica Taylor, from Victim Focus, tweeted: “The fact that a man going into court to face his ex-wife, giving extremely graphic testimony of sexual assault and abuse is met with gifts, fans, banners, women crying and men high-fiving him is pretty jaw-dropping no matter your views on this case.” This further explains just how odd Depp’s behaviour around the matter is, treating it as a fan meet-up almost.

People seem to be making light out of such a serious situation; a Starbucks in California put out two tip jars, one with Depp’s name on it, the other with Heard’s, allowing people to ‘vote’ as if it was some kind of joke, rather than a real-life event involving serious abuse. As you can imagine, the jar with Johnny’s name on was filled, whilst Amber’s barely touched.

Amber Heard’s every move is picked apart by the public. She has been accused of not acting like a ‘real victim’. This is so incredibly detrimental. The idea that a woman recounting her experiences of abuse (true or not) are being analysed by random people online is odd. Her reputation is being destroyed for simply not fitting their idea of a ‘victim’. This makes me worry for the future of women coming forward about their experiences.

The fact that you can’t speak about your past trauma without being told you are lying concerns me. If she cries whilst on the stand, people claim it’s her attempt at ‘acting like a victim’ and hoping to gain sympathy, yet when she shows no physical signs of distress, she’s a monster and a liar.

Eighteen-year-old Sara spoke to Insider about the double standard seen: “all Amber’s moves on the stand are being dissected and the victim-blaming going on right now means that if she cries, she’s acting… if she doesn’t cry, then she wasn’t abused.”

If you go onto social media for even five minutes, I guarantee you’ll see at least one post relating to the court case (most probably in Johnny’s favour). The courtroom footage is being used to mock Amber, whether it be her appearance or simply using her testimony to create memes. The complete destruction of sympathy that we are seeing makes me lose hope for humanity.

NSync member, Lance Bass, joined in, mocking Amber by re-enacting her testimony. If it came out that everything, she said was true, how would you feel, knowing you poked fun at a woman discussing the time she was abused? Chris Rock, a comedian, played a part in the bullying of Heard too: “Believe all women, except Amber Heard.” The fact that thousands are already doing this, yet famous men felt the need to use their platform to do the same is terrifying.

I spoke to Esme Leach, aged seventeen, where she discussed her views on the matter: “It’s like people are forgetting it’s a legal process about domestic abuse not just some joke for them to observe… It’s so scary when they edit him…. they’re like ‘oh he’s so hot’ (in reference to his reactions to Amber’s testimony).”

It’s ironic that a seventeen-year-old can see how wrong the idolisation of Depp is, but the fifty-year-old women travelling 300 miles to see him outside of court cannot.

Twitter, Instagram and TikTok are swarmed with videos of people imitating Heard, her facial expressions, her outfits, producing content that attempts to prove she is lying in some way. The online growth of cancel culture is proving more and more toxic every day. Misinformed people continue spreading hateful content, therefore allowing more people to jump on the bandwagon of spreading negative comments about someone.

Amber Heard was made to have her rape testimony televised and live streamed to billions. Forced to re-live the trauma, to be so vulnerable and this is how she is treated in return.

I am so often asked by men, why I still fight for feminism. This is why. If we were truly equal compared to men, this whole trial would have ended with Depp behind bars.

We cannot just blame those who post harmful things online about Heard, the people who own and profit from the social media platforms should be held accountable. Jack Dorsey earns money from the demonisation of Amber Heard on Twitter. Mark Zuckerberg gets richer and richer, every time people use his platforms to terrorise a woman. The wealthiest are gaining from this catastrophe. They could stop this. They could make a change. Yet they don’t.

Dr Charlotte Proudman, a lawyer who specialises in gender-based violence told The Independent: “It is never acceptable to mock a complainant of sexual violence. Let’s not forget that Amber Heard was found by a High Court Judge… to be a victim of domestic abuse at the hands of Depp… The memes … send out a strong message to survivors that if you speak out, you could be laughed at and ridiculed, this might discourage women from seeking support…and they might be reluctant to report abuse to the police.”

There’s no denying that people are conditioned to hate women, cultivating a community of misogyny. Twitter users post photos of Depp’s behaviour during Heard’s testimony, smiling and laughing to his team, whilst Amber recalls times that she was physically abused by him. One TikTok even used lyrics to a song, implying that it related to Amber and Johnny’s relationship – the caption read: ‘He could have killed you, he had every right.’

These people are not the jury or judge, so why do they feel that their horrifying opinions deserve to be seen. Surely saying a man had the right to kill a woman is just as bad as any of the things that either Depp or Heard did.

May I add, in England and Wales, two to three women are murdered each week by their partners or ex-partners, so this idea seems completely tone-deaf.

Whether you believe Amber or not, wishing death on her is horrifying. But hey, incels will be incels.

There’s a concerning double standard, further showing just how sexist this anti-Amber agenda is. Johnny admitted to sending horrifically worrying messages to his friend (about Amber). ‘Let’s drown her before we burn her!!! I will f**k her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she’s dead.’ I repeat. He ADMITTED to writing such graphic messages about the woman he would later marry. If he was comfortable saying this over text, I wonder what was said directly to Amber.

You really believe an innocent man would say such things?

Other comments Johnny made about his ex-wife were full of sexist and worrying threats:

- ‘Hopefully that c**t’s rotting corpse is decomposing in the f**king trunk of a Honda civic”

- ‘She has no talent and when her t**s start to sag and her face gets wrinkly, no one is going to be interested in her for anything.

- ‘We’re married and now I can punch her in the face and no one can do anything.’

Despite people online, claiming Johnny would ‘never hurt a fly’, he was arrested in 1999 for threatening photographers with a wooden plank. In 1989 he was also arrested and charged with assault and mischief, after getting into an altercation with a security guard. Gregg Brooks filed a lawsuit against Depp in 2018, claiming her was attacked by Johnny on set. Actor Ellen Barkin, Johnny’s ex, claimed that he threw a wine bottle at her in 1998, when filming together. She stated, ‘he’s just a jealous man… controlling.’

Johnny also has a strange history of defending and having friendly relationships with problematic people. It honestly confuses me when he’s labelled a ‘southern gentleman’ after openly supporting Roman Polanski. Depp insisted that Polanski was a family man, ‘Roman is not a predator… he is not out on the street.’ Polanski later pleaded guilty to sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl.

He also opened up about his friendship with Marilyn Manson, someone with multiple sexual assault allegations as well as racism. ‘I once gave Marilyn Manson a pill so that he would stop talking so much,’ Depp testified, laughing to himself.

He continuously engages in relationships with far younger women. Questionable, right? It’s almost like he feels the desire to be in control. To have the authority, something that easily leads to abuse.

Depp has a documented history of drugs and alcohol addiction. Video evidence has shown that he does indeed become violent towards Heard when under the influence. You can view this here.

This is all proof that the patriarchy rules society.

Depp can seemingly get away with anything, whilst women, not so much. People still believe that men are untouchable when compared to women.

The fact that so many people speak about this case, only knowing half of the story is a problem.

The fact that Amber Heard has been turned into a meme is a problem.

The fact that I have to write this is a problem.

If people commenting on the trial truly cared about domestic abuse, they wouldn’t be acting as they are. They would support the feminist agenda, working hard every day to achieve the equality between men and women. They would endorse feminism, which works to undo toxic masculinity and the idea that men cannot be abused by women. But instead, we see people discrediting females instead, turning their lives into a joke. This then meaning less women will feel safe to speak up about their experiences. We are going backwards as a society and must move forward, working hard to disenable the systemic sexist bias.

Yes, the jury voted in Depp’s favour, but, are we really expected to believe that the jury was impartial?

That they weren’t swarmed with anti-Amber propaganda left right and centre? Like us all? It is so easy to be manipulated by the media, especially when everyone seems to have such an opinion. I don’t blame them for being swayed by this, it’s just simply unfair. Especially when considering that the jury was predominantly made up of men. Studies even show that men are more likely to accept rape as myths and associate more blame to victims than women do.

Depp lost his attempt to overturn the ruling that found him an abuser. Was the outcome of this trial not good enough for you, or must be continue until he is able to be called ‘innocent’? This trial was simply proving that Amber defamed Johnny by discussing her assault experiences. It was not an abuse case as such. So yes, he won, but not regarding being innocent. Just in regard to being an abuser, but a rich one.

Instead of praising Depp, hold him accountable. Remove him from this strange pedestal that he is put on. The way we talk about and idolise abusers is never okay, despite their gender, age, lifestyle etc. This is one of the first domestic violence cases between celebrities to be so publicly broadcasted.

We will be discussing it for years to come. The least we can do is analyse the way we discuss such crucial matters. Once you are well informed, you realise that the treatment of Amber compared to Johnny is simply the product of sexism. The way the media exploits real lives is shocking.

So, whilst you may call Amber Heard crazy, I stand with her. I am honoured to be a fellow ‘mad woman’ as Taylor Swift would say. You can keep supporting the pirate that you liked as a kid, but don’t come running back when you come to your senses. What’s done is done. The modern media has destroyed Amber and I can’t even begin to imagine her pain.

The demonisation of Amber Heard is misogynistic.