The internet’s reaction to a thing is always inversely proportional to who is doing it. Is it a man? He must be not just commended but outright celebrated. A woman is doing it? Well, did she have to? Could she have done something else? Was this the best time for her to do that thing? And, of course, JLo’s recent wedding to Ben Affleck is getting the same treatment, with most of the negative comments aimed at the superstar – and her dating history, showing the sexist true colors of many online.
Lopez and Affleck just confirmed to fans that they tied the knot, with Lopez sharing some candid shots from the wedding as well as some loving words in her newsletter. “Love is a great thing, maybe the best of things — and worth waiting for,” the icon said, a reference to the fact that she and Affleck were first engaged to be married in 2002 and a breakup, and a marriage for each afterward, they have now found their way back to each other, twenty years later.
There’s a large contingent of the internet that finds the Bennifer craze beautiful and a sign that love finds a way. There’s, of course, another quite large section of it that wants nothing to do with the two. Which, you do you, especially because they keep quiet and move it along. But the worrisome part of the internet is the people who have taken to criticizing Lopez for entering into her fourth marriage, especially as some of those people are quick to celebrate male celebrities with the same dating history as Lopez, a clear sign of sexism.
Let’s make one thing clear – Jennifer Lopez is free to date and marry whoever she wants. She’s free to do so as many times as she wants. And no one’s opinion on who she’s marrying, or the number of people she’s dated, should affect how she lives her life. The same, of course, goes for male celebrities, but that doesn’t even need to be said. People are always quick to respect men’s decisions. It’s only when women decide to do whatever they want with their lives and their bodies that the internet – and even the government – have a problem with it.
If there’s something that can be said about Jennifer Lopez is that she believes in love and she believes in marriage. And we wish her the best on this new adventure she has chosen to embark on. That’s what real feminism is about, supporting other women’s choices, whether you agree with them or not.