entertainment

Sonia Kruger lashes out at nasty New Idea story

 

As far as proof that women’s magazines are sold on the faces and bodies of female celebrities and the mean-spirited schadenfreude that goes along with critiquing them, this cover is right up there.

Next to a gushy cover story about Channel 7’s Sunrise presenter Samantha Armytage’s “Amazing 5 day diet”, New Idea (owned by the same media company that owns Channel 7) has this week published the shouty question, “WHAT’S HAPPENED TO HER FACE?” next to a paparazzi photo of Channel 9 presenter, Sonia Kruger.

A photo that cost them $50,000 to buy, according to Kruger who posted about it on social media this morning, understandably upset.

On the day the magazine went on sale, she shared this photo and comment on her Instagram:

 

It’s classic gossip magazine cruelty. A ‘before’ and ‘after’ treatment using photographs in wildly different contexts. One when Kruger has full hair and make-up on at work and one when she’s at the beach and unaware of the camera.

What’s implied by the headline, “What’s happened to her face?” is that the star has had some kind of unfortunate accident when she’s actually just being stalked by a photographer while she’s off duty and going for a swim. You OK with that?

And the fact that a papparzzi has pocketed $50,000 for the brave task of humiliating a woman at the beach after she’s just emerged from the surf and put a hat on. Are we OK with that too?

Fun fact: the acting editor in chief of New Idea, Louisa Hatfield used to be Sonia’s boss at channel 9 where she was Executive Producer of Mornings (the show Sonia hosts with David Campbell) until the end of last year.

Here’s a genuinely New Idea: stop holding famous women up to ridicule.

Here’s Sonia Kruger in a bunch of other situations: