Boy, bye 👋🏼

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I’ll say it: no divorce has rocked the nation since Brad and Jennifer quite like that of Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner. The internet is up in arms, and plot twist: it’s actually giving me hope?

If you aren’t inhaling all this news via TikToks and posts like I am, I’ll still make this worth your while. First, here’s a quick rundown: Joe Jonas (of Jonas Brothers fame) married Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones star) four years ago. They had two children, were famously private, but vv cool (their first wedding was a classic Elvis impersonator-led last-minute ceremony in Vegas, she wore a Ring Pop, then they partied, fully clothed, in a pool with all their friends.)

But then last week, Joe filed for divorce. And his PR camp immediately started spinning a narrative that painted Sophie as an “unfit” mother. Now, they didn’t immediately come out and say that, of course. But it was intentionally the only obvious inference. She likes to party, he’s been working “so hard” to salvage the marriage. Jonas PR called the paparazzi to take photos of Joe taking his kids out to breakfast with the nanny (“what a present dad, babysitting his children!”); mind you, the couple has never allowed the children to be photographed before this.

The “absent mom” narrative is historically effective among celebrities in a divorce. It’s the oldest trick in the book. And I don’t have to explain what a gross disservice that type of public illustration does, not just to the woman it targets, but to women everywhere. It says, “if your entire identity is not wrapped around your motherhood, how dare you consider yourself a good mother?”

But, great news: the internet is not buying it. Not in 2023, the Year of the Barbie Movie. The tweets, the TikToks and even the online articles are crying BS on the undercurrent of misogyny coming from Joe’s extremely 2012 campaign.

Even if it may seem trivial, the backlash against Joe Jonas’ PR strategy is the path to progress. This is saying “no” to a tired, overused misogynistic narrative. It’s standing up for women. It’s also signaling to the public relations machines and the celebrity messengers: no use in ever trying this again, it won’t work.

It’s incremental, but the change is palpable. Women boosted the economy by buying tickets to the Barbie movie and Beyoncé and Taylor Swift shows in droves. And now we’re rolling our eyes at lame PR attempts.

What do you think about Joe’s PR campaign? Is the backlash a signal of progress? Let me know. You can find me on IG or just reply to this email. Or if you have any other questions literally anything, send those, too. Getting your emails is still my favorite part of the week, so please keep them coming 🙂