by Amelia Chong
Gabby was just two days shy of turning seventeen. Like all teenagers, she had celebrities whom she looked up to and fangirled about. One of those celebrities was the main actor from The Fault in Our Stars: Ansel Elgort. Gabby decided to challenge her luck and messaged the actor, hoping to gain a wish for her upcoming birthday. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that she would receive a reply, much less getting her hands on his personal Snapchat which led to meeting the well-admired celebrity in real life. However, her blissful dream soon turned into a scarring nightmare that will be etched in her memory as in a cruel twist of fate, the actor sexually assaulted Gabby to the point where she was “sobbing and in pain”.
Gabby’s story is not an uncommon one. In fact, Gabby is one among an ocean of voices who have been silenced over decades of sexual assault cases. Victims are often left completely shattered and broken, yet they are the ones who are constantly on the receiving end of criticism.
“He would never do such a thing unless you seduced him!”
“How could you have been so stupid?”
“You should have never worn those if you did not want to be assaulted.”
Such are the words sent towards the victims to bear in addition to the trauma that they have to shoulder for the rest of their lives.

The Shield of Wealth and Fame
Bryan Singer, Roman Polanski, and Bill Cosby. While these are names that may be respectable in their own ways, they are also names that serve as a massive trigger to the victims they have assaulted.
Celebrities are often looked up to and serve as role models in the minds of the younger generation; despite that, we have seen countless of them who have committed atrocious acts get away vindicated and unscathed.
One way of how celebrities quash sexual assault allegations is by paying off the victims. In some cases, these fame-indulged people dangled the opportunity of flourishing in the entertainment industry in the victims’ faces to lure them into submission. In other cases, cold, hard cash is slid under the table in order to silence victims after the assault.
Thanks to the opportunities that have sent them climbing up to the untouchable steps of the social hierarchy, celebrities have a number of shields up their sleeves, the first one being wealth. They would use money to ensure that they build up an impenetrable defense in court if victims decide to file a lawsuit against their perpetrators. Lawyers working for those celebrities would exploit any vulnerabilities the victims may have; for example, their residency if they are immigrants. Anonymous threats are another weapon frequently utilized to intimidate victims into dropping lawsuits.
The second shield, fame, comes in handy when the celebrity under fire wants to make an emotional appeal. Fans of the celebrities do not want their role models to be portrayed in a bad light and would then flock to defend them, which is often how the victims get criticized. The strength of diehard fans can sometimes be enough to overpower the impending lawsuits. Another aspect of how fame works as an impervious armor for celebrities is by drowning out the prosecution with new works-in-progress, that will be or have been put out by the celebrity, to cloud the public’s judgment. As a result of this, people are quick to dismiss the legal issues surrounding the celebrity, and the awareness gained regarding the illegal act committed is swiftly swept under the rug.
Naturally, there are a lot more aces up the sleeves of these ‘superstars’, but it goes without saying that the sum of all those cards will always topple the victims unreasonably.
The Scales of Justice

law
(n.) a rule, usually made by a government, that states how people may and may not behave in a society, and often orders particular punishments if they do not obey
-Cambridge Dictionary
The law is said to be on the side of the people; it is said to be the protector of justice. According to the law, actions that endanger or traumatize another life are stated to be illegal. One of these actions just so happens to be (surprise, surprise!) sexual assault.
Each country has its own sentence for various crimes, but one thing they have in common is the tendency to let criminals off with a light sentence due to ‘good behavior’ or behind-the-curtain transactions. This is a flaw in the system that needs to be fixed:
Celebrity or not, every one of us must obey the law.
Celebrity or not, every one of us falls under the power of the judge’s gavel.
Celebrity or not, anyone who commits a crime is a criminal, yet judges have decided time and time again to turn a blind eye towards the misdeeds carried out by celebrities. Not only do we see this appalling bias play out in cases of sexual assault, but in all types of crimes.
Ted Kennedy, Alec Baldwin, and Naomi Campbell are among many names that have been let off with extremely light and unjustifiable punishments for crimes as serious as assault, sexual assault, and even manslaughter. We have seen a fair share of celebrities go unreprimanded for committing crimes and misdemeanors, so much so that we have become numb to such occurrences. One would think that a crime committed by a prominent figure would tarnish their reputation when in actuality, the criminals gain more recognition.
Take for example the R&B singer, R. Kelly. After a sex-tape of him and an underage girl surfaced, two of his albums shot up the charts despite the fact that the albums were released a year and three years before respectively. Quoting Andrew Wallenstein, the President and Chief Media Analyst at Variety Intelligence Platform, “Not only is there no such thing as bad publicity, bad publicity is often the very best publicity.”
I have said this once but I will say it again: Celebrities are often admired and regarded as role models and aspirations for our youths. What these figures do and how they carry themselves is of utmost importance as they would influence millions of children and teenagers in their notions. Letting a celebrity off the hook for crimes is telling the future of our world that it is okay to transgress the law. Celebrities should be held at a higher standard of conduct and morale as they wield the powerful tool of influence in shaping the mindsets of the younger generations.
The law cannot be on the side of justice if it is partial to wealth and fame.