As Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni continue to wage war in the court of law and public opinion, Jo Frost explores the worldly values of fame, celebrity and reputation and why Jesus chases after a very different prize and invites us to do likewise.
Blake Lively had a pretty torrid time last summer, at least in social media terms. During the press tour of her new film ‘It Ends with Us’, she faced a whole lot of bad press as people shared grumpy interviews, tone deaf publicity and commented on a general feeling that maybe the warm, fun and vivacious Blake was actually all an act and that we’d all be duped by a fame-hungry narcissist.
Fast forward to December and Blake drops a zinger of a lawsuit, alleging that her co-star and director Justin Baldoni had not only sexually harassed her during the production of the film, but that when she complained, he unleashed a PR smear campaign against her to ruin her reputation and discredit her in the public eye. Gasps went up around the entertainment media space, as public opinion violently swung again, saying maybe the summer was the real dupe, and posing the question how could we mistrust the poor, beautiful Blake so easily?! Our fecklessness had failed her in her hour of need!
Baldoni responded swiftly and counter-sued with his own accusations of defamation. And so, Hollywood became consumed with its own WAGatha Christie case of legal ping-pong, as two giants battle for their reputation in both the court of law and the court of public opinion.
Now I do not want to offer my own armchair commentary on who did what, and what I think to the guilt or innocence of either party. But in Being Human, we are constantly looking at the stories playing out in our culture and how they form us. This story cuts right to the heart of the human aspect of significance. It provides a study of the power of public narratives and the impact they can have on how we perceive who a person is and what we think of them. More specifically, this significance is played out in the form of reputation. In essence, the whole affair makes me reflect on the perceived value of reputation, and what people will pay to protect it.
The Lively/Baldoni saga is an archetype of the world’s version of Jesus’ parable that the kingdom of God is a merchant, willing to pay any price for the thing he considers most valuable. Reputation is something so highly prized by the world. It’s the commodity of Hollywood, what everything is traded on; the next job, the next venture, the next pay-check. Reputation is the world’s pearl of great price. It is worth selling everything for, money, relationships, truth, lies. Whatever it takes to keep it, protect it and enhance it.
Reputation is something so highly prized by the world. It’s the commodity of Hollywood, what everything is traded on; the next job, the next venture, the next paycheck.
Jesus’s parable points to a completely different truth. That it is our lives, not our reputations, that are worth everything to Him. He willing gave everything to purchase us at a price. His glory, His heavenly position, His earthly reputation all spent as He suffered the pain and the humiliation of the Cross. All so that we might find our lives in Him.
The whole story makes me wonder – how much do I too, prize reputation? Do I live as if I agree that it is a pearl of great price worth almost any cost to keep and maintain? Is my significance rooted in how others see me and what they think of me? Or will I serve in the kingdom of God, where life, everlasting life with Jesus is worth everything, even my reputation, to pursue and cherish, not only for myself but for everyone I encounter?