Toxic: Women, Fame, and the Tabloid 2000s

Literary reviewer and pop music critic Ditum relies on the writing and interviews of others to showcase the trials and tribulations of nine of the most famous women of the early 2000s in this study of the misogynistic and racist celebrity coverage which created, celebrated, and demonized the women throughout their careers. She focuses on the salacious aspects of the lives of the most provocative headline-grabbers, including the obsession with Britney Spears’ virginity, the public disintegrations of Lindsay Lohan and Amy Winehouse, the rise of influencers Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian, and the victimization of Aaliyah, Janet Jackson, and pro wrestler Chyna. Some of the events of the book are placed in historical context, but readers might find the contextualization to be a bit convoluted, with frequent references to 9/11, the rise of bloggers such as Perez Hilton, the #MeToo movement, and the ascent of Donald Trump. Ditum’s extensively researched book ends by discussing the tabloids’ fixation on the fertility of Jennifer Aniston.