My Two-Cents on the GLEE-Q Drama

Even though last night's episode of Glee was a repeat, that didn't stop the FOX musical from getting some serious buzz and backlash thanks to some photos from November's GQ that hit the 'net. For those out of the loop, stars Lea Michele, Dianna Agron, and Cory Monteith graced the cover, and some folks were not happy with the pics. Fair warning: some (OK, most) of the photos are not safe for work.

Photo Credit: GQ

The big controversy around the pictorial focused on the fact that female stars, Michele and Agron, were wearing far less clothing than their male counterpart, which caused the conservatives to pitch a fit. I'm not going to pretend that there's not a clear double standard involved. Cory got to be fully clothed through out the entire issue, while Dianna and Lea were in skimpy "schoolgirl" attire that fuels the fire of so many fetishists. I'm not really condoning the choice, but GQ IS a men's magazine, and I doubt many of its readers want to see Monteith's abs. Was it a wise decision? Probably not, but I can kind of see the logic.

I'm not really surprised that the right-wing nut jobs at the Parent's Television Council got their panties in a wad over Lea's panties because that's what they do. They're repressed hypocrites, so you really cannot blame them. What has surprised me is how many fans have bashed Lea for the pics. Almost every site I've been too has tons of comments about how ugly she looks, or how she's trying too hard, or how she's not classy like Dianna, etc. It really blows my mind how biased some people are when it comes to Michele.

Yes, I've read how she's a "diva" and so forth and so on, but I don't know her and I doubt 99% of the people bashing her know the first thing about her either, yet they get off on slamming her for every little thing. It seems like writing catty comments about Lea is the in thing to do. At the start of Glee she was too chubby, now she's too skinny. She makes jokes that are taken out of context, and shes's a bitch. She shows her boyfriend affection in public, and she's a slut. She's poses in her undies, and she's a desperate hussy. She can't win, and I feel bad for her. Too bad some people, like the douche nozzle that is Ted Casablanca, make a living by tearing others down.

Photo Credit: GQ

Back to the GQ hub-bub. It probably didn't help Lea that Dianna was also a part of the photoshoot because the latter can apparently do no wrong. Now, I don't want to turn this rant into a Lea vs. Dianna debate because both are stunning in their own ways. It just seems like people are willing to ease up on Dianna while skewering Lea. I do admit that Dianna's pics were a little less risqué, but she was involved and just as responsible as her co-stars. Apparently, the firestorm got too hot which prompted Agron to post her thoughts via Tumblr. Her words were the epitome of class, and I'm glad that she was proactive, but the haters still had to point out that she didn't have to apologize but for some reason Lea does. People should let Dianna's words speak for her and her alone, but instead they use them as ammunition to throw at someone else. I just don't get it.

In the end, none of them should have to apologize. Sure, they went along with idea, and struck the poses, but isn't the magazine ultimately responsible for which pictures made the cut? I doubt Terry Richardson only took 15 pictures during the shoot, and I'm sure the editors picked a set that would cause the most commotion, but it doesn't matter because it's all Lea's fault.

All of this crap has just reminded me how much I hate celebrity gossip, and I'm kind of kicking myself for getting sucked in. I guess I'm all worked up because I'm a fan of Lea's, she's one of the reasons I started watching Glee, and it bums me out how people love to pick her apart for just walking down the street. Maybe my thoughts would change if I ever met her, but as far as I know she hasn't done anything to warrant this kind of venom. Leave Lea alone!