It's been four months since a Virginia jury found Amber Heard guilty of defaming her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. Never mind that Depp was also found liable for his lawyer's comments about Heard, the court of public opinion fell firmly in favour of the Pirates of the Caribbean actor.
Much has been written about the online nature of the trial, which was televised and available for anyone to watch along at home, mainly in the form of extremely edited TikToks. This enabled viewers to form parasocial relationships with Depp and Heard alike, as the former was lauded as a lovable scamp for eating sweets in court, while many survivors – including, it has to be said, myself – relived their own trauma according to their perception of what Heard endured.
Following a lacklustre comeback appearance at the VMAs and reports of celebrities “unliking” his Instagram post about the trial, much of the fervour surrounding Depp has – mercifully – died down, even to the extent that one Twitter user released a statement apologising for their tweets about Heard during the trial. As individuals – whether in favour of Heard or Depp – start to reflect on their participation in the toxic discourse surrounding Depp v Heard, it's worth considering the ramifications of the trial on society as a whole.
In the past few days, another case involving a male celebrity suing his ex-partner has dominated much of the headlines. Brad Pitt is currently suing his ex-wife, Angelina Jolie, claiming that her decision to sell her stake in their previously shared estate, Chateau Miraval SA, was an attempt to “undermine” his investment and cause him “gratuitous harm.” As part of her counter-claim, Jolie has alleged that Pitt was physically and emotionally abusive to her and their children during a plane trip in September 2016.
[The incident was investigated by the FBI in 2016, resulting in authorities ultimately deciding not to press charges. Pitt has not publicly addressed these claims. However, the BBC reports that a source close to Pitt told the publications that the claims are false.]
While many have come out in support of Jolie, there's also been a disturbing undercurrent of misogynistic rhetoric in which Jolie is compared to Heard. One Twitter user tweeted a screenshot of a news story about the Pitt/Jolie case with the caption, “Looks like we have another #AmberHeard,” while another wrote, “Now tell me the difference between Amber Heard and Angelina Jolie apart from their age difference: husband snatching, knife loving, blood carrying, public manipulating, tears faking, news planting, narcissistic and vindictive personality traits, playbook of men hating agenda. etc.”
Meanwhile, TMZ reported that “Jolie is on a smear campaign against Brad Pitt,” and YouTube is awash with videos sensationalizing the conflict for clicks, one of the top entries for ‘Angelina Jolie’ on the video-sharing platform is a clip titled, “Angelina Jolie RAGES For Being Compared To Amber Heard In New Video.”
The comparison between Jolie and Heard is an uneasy one because, yes, there are similarities between the two cases, but instead of focusing on how men navigate allegations of abuse, many are using the similarities to discredit ALL victims. As Cat Cardenas, a writer and photographer, points out, "Since the trial, "another Amber Heard" has become shorthand to call women liars for speaking out about abuse or just for being "unlikeable." In the last month it's been used against Meghan Markle, Evan Rachel Wood, Olivia Wilde, and now Angelina Jolie, predictable and disgusting."
X content
Angelina Jolie is not the only celebrity to be compared to Heard in the aftermath of Depp v Heard – in fact, court documents from the trial itself show that Marilyn Manson previously referred to his wife, Lindsay Usich, as “Amber 2.0” (via People).
This is particularly disturbing given that Manson is currently in the process of suing Evan Rachel Wood for defamation after she alleged that he groomed her as a teenager, manipulated her, and abused her for years. Responding to the allegations, Marilyn Manson shared an Instagram post saying, "There will come a time when I can share more about the events of the past year. Until then, I’m going to let the facts speak for themselves.”
It's easy (and perhaps weirdly comforting) to believe that this troubling rhetoric is limited to A-listers who, if they're going to be discredited and victim-blamed, at least get to endure it within luxurious confines. But it's just not the case: in September this year, a man named Sean Lloyd was sentenced to two years and four months in prison for attacking his ex-partner. Her victim statement, which was read in Leeds Crown Court, described how she thought Lloyd would strangle her to death and that he had her saved as “Amber Heard” on his phone (via Yorkshire Live).
Clearly, this issue is not limited to Hollywood.
Carmel Offord, who works for Independent Domestic Abuse Services, spoke to GLAMOUR about the impact of Depp v Heard on survivors, noting that "The public response to the defamation case filed by Johnny Depp against Amber Heard was a disturbing demonstration of why so many victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence feel unable to access support or report to the police.
“People were quick to choose sides, treating the trial like a sport, cheering, and jeering from the sidelines. Victim-survivors tell us that this is one of the barriers to them speaking out, they fear they will be disbelieved, judged, and their credibility questioned. Many will understandably be concerned about another, very public, case dominating the press and media.”
It's creating an environment where bisexual survivors are less likely to seek support.
Carmel described that “The Brad Pitt vs Angelina Jolie trial could have a similar impact on victims and survivors,” adding that, "In both cases, the use of language to describe women who make allegations of domestic abuse is of particular concern, with some people suggesting that allegations are made out of spite or vengefulness. This is a fundamental misunderstanding of domestic abuse victims and survivors. In reality, it is very rare for people to make false allegations.
"As a society we are precariously positioned; progress that has been made to reduce the stigma of speaking out about domestic abuse is facing a backlash which threatens to roll us back into the dark and secrecy of years gone by.
"It takes immense bravery and courage to speak out about abuse and it can be very worrying to share your experiences not knowing how people will respond or what exactly will happen next. The public simultaneously applauds the courage of victim-survivors whilst also subjecting them to levels of scrutiny that are not replicated in any other area of life or with any other crime.
“Whatever our individual thoughts on these trials, we have a responsibility to victim-survivors everywhere to model a rational and considered response and to encourage people to speak out about their experiences assured of their safety. The alternative is too grim to consider, a society where victims and survivors dare not speak of the abuse and violence for fear of repercussions, yet perpetrators are emboldened to continue with impunity.”
Finally, Carmel adds, “IDAS have always stood for victims-survivors and continue to work tirelessly to challenge misogyny and other outdated attitudes and beliefs that underpin violence and abuse. We need you to stand with us and show anyone who has been subjected to the horror of domestic abuse and sexual violence that we are here, and we will listen.”
Why are we still punishing surivors?
GLAMOUR also spoke to Deniz Uğur, Deputy Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, who said, “Much of the reporting of [Depp v Heard] was not only triggering for survivors but also played a role in reinforcing harmful stereotypes about victims, while showing a complete lack of understanding or empathy for the impact of trauma on victims.
"Reporting and online content making light of Heard’s allegations of sexual violence – allegations that were upheld by the UK courts – and minimising the impact of controlling behaviour is incredibly harmful. These stereotypes ultimately deter victims from coming forward to report abuse, embolden perpetrators to abuse with impunity, and undermine our collective ability to end violence against women and girls.
"The scale of disinformation we saw online relating to the Depp-Heard case is shocking. Many social media users engaging with this content online are children and young people who may not be equipped with the knowledge and information about power, control and inequality to challenge what they’re hearing and seeing. We urgently need the government to commit to prioritising preventing violence against women and girls from ever taking place, including through adequate funding for RSE in schools and multi-year public attitude campaigns, if we are to challenge these harmful beliefs and end violence against women.”
For more information about emotional abuse and domestic violence, you can call The Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge on 0808 2000 247, or contact IDAS here.
For more information about reporting and recovering from rape and sexual abuse, you can contact Rape Crisis.
If you have been sexually assaulted, you can find your nearest Sexual Assault Referral Centre here. You can also find support at your local GP, voluntary organisations such as Rape Crisis, Women's Aid, and Victim Support, and you can report it to the police (if you choose) here.
We investigate.
For more from Glamour UK's Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra.
