Whedonesque : Comments on 10421 : Oh, dear. SMG fugged at Go Fug Yourself.

Maybe it's my mood but I find all the plays on "fug" tiresome and not very clever. And the little bit on SMG I found unnecessarily bitchy. Of course it's supposed to be. I guess I don't fall into the Go Fug Yourself consumer group.

phlebotinin | May 23, 07:21 CET

It was unecessarily bitchy, perhaps because they have nothing else to bitch about. They bitch about her husband, her film choices, her body type and then the fact that the picture has her smiling funny.

Whatever makes them sleep at night.

Kyotoyoshi | May 23, 07:25 CET

All true, but you gotta admit, that's a bad dress. She has a reputation for style, so this faux pas really stands out.

michel | May 23, 07:36 CET

I really detest that dress. Not that it matters.

AuburnTiger | May 23, 07:50 CET

Have you read any of the other entries? They actually went pretty easy on her. Bad, bad dress. And her face looks plastic. Sorry, I like SMG, but you gotta love the FUGgers.

totally0random | May 23, 08:06 CET

I like the dress. Whatever.

Impossible | May 23, 08:10 CET

I love SMG, but I have to agree the dress does not look great on her. She's much prettier than in these Cannes pictures we've been seeing. :-(

billz | May 23, 08:29 CET

Raise your hand if EWWW.

GrrrAargh | May 23, 08:44 CET

The whole thing was just really mean. They certainly weren't 100% wrong but still, what makes a person want to make up insults about people all day long. Yikes!

But the dress did kind of suck.

Xane | May 23, 09:10 CET

I think SMG is wonderful, but I can't not be honest: that dress is not flattering on her. Not that anyone cares what I think, of course. As for her facial expression and career choices, I don't think I have the right to say much of anything. As long as she's happy, that's honestly all that matters.

mikejer | May 23, 09:16 CET

Scary the way she sometimes looks like Lindsay Wagner. The Bionic Woman.

willbueche | May 23, 09:33 CET

Take enough photos, you WILL have a goofy facial expression. Unless you've been Botoxed into a Keanu-like mask of flat affect. And I think her career is doing fine. She might not be hitting a lot out of the ballpark but she's swinging at an awful lot of films.

That having been said, I do wish she'd get back some of her baby fat. This push for really thin actresses often makes the part of my brain that looks at pretty girls short-circuit into the "Maybe I should pet her, give her some warm milk, wrap her in a towel and see if the vet can't find a way to fatten her up" drive.

The Lindsay Wagner thing is going to stick with me.

Ocular | May 23, 09:46 CET

LOL - I always thought that it would have been funny if they had cast "Jamie Summers" as her mother - and they look like they could be mother and daughter.

And, I hate to say it but that is one very unattractive dress. She usually looks gorgeous in everything she wears.

[ edited by Firefly Flanatic on 2006-05-23 08:00 ]

Firefly Flanatic | May 23, 09:59 CET

That's just nasty. It's not even funny writing. Snark for the sake of snark is pointless. And they picked the worst pic of her from Cannes to make their point. And you know what? Her weight is her business.

Simon | May 23, 10:13 CET

I agree, Simon, that her weight is her business. But I worry about how thin she looks. I think all the emphasis on thinness in Hollyweird is creating a lot of bulimic/anoretic actresses--which is potentially life threatening.

I also agree with what everyone is saying about the snark. That bit just dripped venom. I guess I just don't get FUGgies or whatever. I hope she never sees this or hears about it. Can you imagine reading something like that about yourself?? Yech. I know that people who seek to be a celebrity have to expect the good and the bad aspects of it, but that was cruel.

SangChaud | May 23, 10:52 CET

I didn't even read what they wrote because in the past I read one of their comments on Janine Turner (whom I happen to really like) and thought it was awful. And I've always agreed that it was SMGs business on how thin she is. But, that dress is so baggy it might be making her look even thinner than she is. I thought she looked very healthy in The Grudge and in other pictures I've seen of her recently.

Firefly Flanatic | May 23, 10:59 CET

SongChud - She really doesn't appear that thin. Her face looks older because she is older. If she gets heavier, people start pregnancy rumors. If she's looking "thinner" people start to gripe about that. Honestly, it's annoying. Everything turns into a discussion about her weight.

Please, the snark wasn't even well-done. I could write better snark with my eyes closed. It's okay to focus on how badly the dress fits or whatever...but please, focus on the outfit. I get that it's a site created for the sake of being mean [about people looking fugly] but I've seen fugly and that ain't it.

And yeah, I'm sure if Sarah read that...she'd just weep into her millions of dollars and completely disregard how idiotic and petty the fug report was.

Kyotoyoshi | May 23, 11:02 CET

When you get a culture of celeb fandom and worship *glances around this place*, you're going to get the flipside, and harsh snark for harsh snarks sake.

Being famous nets you both sides of celebrity (and the two reactions are really two sides of the same coin...but I won't bore you with Lacanian analysis!).

Loiosh | May 23, 11:02 CET

That was a crap artivle. Pure dren.

And I... liked the dress. But I don't understand fashion.

Gouki | May 23, 11:58 CET

Sure, there's a flip-side to fame and celebrity but this article is just pointless rubbish, IMO. It's not funny bitchy, it's just bitchy so what does the world gain by its existence ?

(though personally I don't think it's a very pretty or flattering dress and while SMG's weight is definitely her own business I worry that maybe she - among others - feels pressure to conform to unhealthy eating practices in order to get work. Kind of ironic for the woman who played a feminist icon, don'tcha think ?)

Saje | May 23, 13:40 CET

This was a particularly nasty post from the fug girls, even though the dress is pretty horrible and not at all flattering. Funny pic doesn't matter, we all know that Sarah really has a gorgeous smile!

However, I'm happy to see that even gofugyourself loves Lordi, the Finnish Eurovision song contest winner! Can't you just imagine Buffy against Lordi :-) See them almost side by side at the main page.

Karenina | May 23, 14:18 CET

Yes, that article is bitchy. They all are. It's like internet version of "What Not to Wear".

The bitchyness is kinda the point. And the majority of the time, those girls are so so right.

Angelite | May 23, 15:08 CET

My opinion is that green is such an ugly color.
Sarah looks great and is getting all the roles she could shake a stick at, I guess that means she gets the last laugh over a group of jealous "wish we were her" gals.

Behind every famous person there will always be someone standing around whining...." but, but, but....she isn't THAT pretty!"

Sorry, in this case she is, so deal.

cheryl | May 23, 15:20 CET

I was shocked too about how thin she looked on the pictures, although I don't really think that can be a point _unless she falls really sick someday. Neither the dress or even the movie's reviews are, in fact.

What I dislike most of that post is how bitchy can be with POINTLESS things. Women have fought along generations to be looked more deeply than this, haven't we? If I was Sarah, I guess I'd prefer to be "fugged" _is it correct? regarding my work, even if it really sucks, and not my dresses, please!

When Sarah visited Spain to promote "The Grid" at Sitges Festival, most of girls who worked there _and I know a bunch, were almost as bitchy as the FUG ladies... because she didn't frequented the parties and preferred to spend time with her husband. The workers told me she was "too weird to be a famous actress"... really deep thought from them, right? :(

Small Blue Thing | May 23, 15:57 CET

It's not an attack on Sarah or even Sarah's beauty, just her dress. Which IMO is horrific...

Ilana | May 23, 16:03 CET

I still think she looked worse, as in thinner during Season 4 of Buffy.

Gouki | May 23, 16:07 CET

Whee, this is silly. So there's a site with girls who bitch about how other people dress? And now SMG has been included? I guess we should just be happy a whedonverse actress attracted some attention. But I'm certain I'm not the FUG audience.

Honestly, I don't at all care what Sarah wears in public. As long as she keeps getting work and does stuff she's happy with, she can wear all the ugly dresses she wants to in the mean time :-). I mean, I love Sarah as an actress, I want to see stuff she's in, and I'm even interested in the person behind what we see on screen. But her dress sense? I just don't care :-)

As for actresses "starving themselves": it's always a slippery discussion. On the one hand: it's everone's own business how much they weigh or what they look like, even if their choice proves unhealthy (which I still don't believe is true in SMG's case). It's another thing entirely to discuss the pressure in hollywood to lose too much weight (which adds to the public perception of "what people should look like") or educate people on what's a healthy weight to have and what isn't, but that's clearly all off-topic here.

GVH | May 23, 16:31 CET

I spit in this article's general direction. That's all I have to say.

electricspacegirl | May 23, 16:31 CET

Eh, people get fugged all the time, and it's really only the repeat offenders who get it bad (and I think they were pretty easy on her). However, it's certainly not a supreme insult, IMO. It's stupid gossip, but i don't think it's as vitriolic as some are assuming. It's mocking her dress, which, well, I did as well. She usually dresses just to her size and accents her beauty with great makeup. She didn't this time and she got noticed. She got noticed at the Cannes Film Festival for an ugly dress. The Cannes Film Festival. I'm gonna focus on that.

[ edited by syd on 2006-05-23 14:53 ]

syd | May 23, 16:52 CET

Oh, c'mon. I found it hilarious.

I hardly ever read the FUG stuff, but I have to say their piece on Tom Cruise promoting Mission: Impossible III from eariler this year was one of the funniest things I have ever read.

UnpluggedCrazy | May 23, 17:33 CET

but I won't bore you with Lacanian analysis

They should fug Lacan's "lack" of fashion sense.

The Lindsay Wagner thing is going to stick with me

I can see the resemblance, but who Sarah has always reminded me of is a young Barbara Stanwyck, particularly since she got thinner. Similar features, voice, intelligence and projection of a strong, independent character with a flair for witty humor. I'm usually not much for remakes, but if Sarah did remakes of, say, "Ball of Fire", "Double Indemnity" or "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" I would love it.

jaynelovesvera | May 23, 17:50 CET

A Lacan reference! No wonder I love this site!

cronopio | May 23, 18:36 CET

I am not by any means a huge fan of SMG, but I cannot STAND IT when people bitch about how other people are thin. I've been thin my whole life, eat whatever I want, and people are always getting on my case. And I hate to have to apologize for my metabolism.

I believe that this article was writen by angry fat people.

Ginny | May 23, 19:23 CET

The fug folk seem to be pretty democratic in their choice of subjects. It also seems like a "Yo Momma" sort of thing, the idea that put-downs can be art. SMG isn't Lara Flynn Boyle, and if she was it wouldn't be a capital offense - or even a misdemeanor. SMG seems to like to take chances and experiment. Fashion experiments gone blooey haven't done any permanent damage to those who have done worse. Criticism about something as fleeting and unimportant as fashion do more good than harm in that the criticizers look like bullies while the critized person looks like someone you want to defend - and their name is spelled right.

cmbackshane | May 23, 19:39 CET

I have to admit, I've looked at Go Fug Yourself a couple times in the past, and generally find it pretty amusing, but more for the photos than the commentary, which is always snarky and only occasionally amusingly so. But they do find some examples of God-awful dresses - and, while Sarah's isn't among the worst I've seen on that site, it certainly belongs in that category (in my opinion, at least).
I could also do without the commentary about weight, whether too fat or too thin - we're far too obsessed with the subject in this country. I do think the dress contributes to making her look exceptionally skinny, which might be one reason the fuggers mentioned it, but it's amazing to me how quickly the commentary here has turned into yet another weight discussion. And the facial expression, as others mentioned, is just the inevitable result of having lots of photos taken.

The snark on Freddie - while probably not the fairest to Sarah - didn't bother me as much. Overall, I found the writing not terribly witty or funny, and pretty mean, though certainly not the cruelest they can be. But the dress was probably deserving of a fug mention.

acp | May 23, 19:43 CET

I'm amazed by the general dislike of the dress in this topic. On the random picture sites etc, it seems to be pretty well liked. I'm still with those people, although clearly that is the worst picture of her from the entire event as has been mentioned. If I was basing my opinion on nothing but that one picture, I might agree. I just think she looked fantastic in so many others.

[ edited by Impossible on 2006-05-23 18:23 ]

Impossible | May 23, 20:21 CET

I'd like to see what the writers really look like themselves. It seems rather pathetic to build a blog around roasting people when you don't even have the bits to put up your own photo. They must be really fuggers themselves... Oh sorry, that actually isn't the "correct" use of the word but you get my drift.

jverse | May 23, 21:30 CET

Jverse, from what I understand, the writers struggle with their weight and appearance (can't remember where I read that).

The point of the site is to comment on public photos of celebrities (usually at events) that anyone with the internet has access to. And the point is to snark, which they do very well. They do, however, give credit when it's due—if they like part of an outfit (or someone's skin or hair), they say it. And when one of the their usual "fuggees" shows up well-dressed, they point that out, too (see the Peldons).

SMG hasn't been on their radar before that I recall. If you can go with it, they are very funny. And, while I didn't like SMG's dress, you see some incredibly awful outfits on there.

Gaudior | May 23, 21:51 CET

Love the GFY site. Love SMG. Cringed when I saw the link on Whedonesque, but knew exactly what they would say and the picture that would accompany.

If you'll read other GoFugYourself posts, you'll find that the ladies (and their gentleman apprentice) who run the show are fans of fashion and fans of celebrities. From this post, it is pretty clear that they have enjoyed Sarah's work and fashion taste in the past.

The GFY medium is snark (as is most of the web's), but their message is--usually--not meant cruelly. Gaudior is right: celebrities at press events are meant to be photographed, and their pictures are meant to be circulated and discussed. The GFY girls are not tastemakers nor slanderers: they're opinionated girls (whose weight is not relevant) who write an entertaining blog about celebrity fashion.

Harmless fun.

[ edited by blutortu on 2006-05-23 20:51 ]

blutortu | May 23, 22:30 CET

They all have that one fashion don't...some more than others...and this was just her one.

I agree that it would have looked better if it actually fit her.

Rogue | May 23, 23:01 CET

Eh it's a 'let's bitch at people' site. It's funny when they do it to someone you dislike and not funny when they do it someone you do like.

Apart from the comments, that dress is atrocious. Dear god, talk about unflattering. It's actually an accomplshment to make SMG look BAD. Did they just wrap some curtains around her or something? Clothes are suppose to positively accentuate your shape. Not....turn a beautiful woman into a wrapped lamp post. Damn and she's usually pretty good with what she wears.

As for her weight, no, none of our business. But I've been wondering about her health since S6. Hey, maybe she's fine. I just really hope that in a few years, we won't be seeing her writing a book about her having had an eating disorder or something. She wouldn't be the first actress the industry pushed into it.

EdDantes | May 23, 23:02 CET

It does fit. Like it or not, that's just the style. It's a Vera Wang gown that would have been cut originally or altered specifically for her. She's a regular client. Again, this picture isn't showing either the dress or Sarah in their best light. Elsewhere, for the most part, people seem to really be liking it.

EdDantes: She always lost weight during the shooting of a season of 'Buffy'. Not surprisingly. She put on her usual little bit of weight when the show ended, and has been pretty much exactly the same weight since then IMO. She's certainly not a sack of bones. In appropriate outfits, she looks pretty toned to me.

If her weight isn't any of our business, there shouldn't really be a "but" following that statement.

[ edited by Impossible on 2006-05-23 21:18 ]

Impossible | May 23, 23:13 CET

They must be really fuggers themselves...

So you'll be posting a pic of yourself then as well, right?

Allyson | May 23, 23:47 CET

If her weight isn't any of our business, there shouldn't really be a "but" following that statement.

I think we can still wonder about things that aren't our business. I mean, it was no one's business if Bill Clinton cheated on his wife, but a LOT of people felt compelled to talk about it!

And I think Ed was more talking about concern for her health, rather than saying he SMG's weight should be somehow in his control and his opinion should matter to her.

Rogue Slayer | May 24, 00:00 CET

Commanding people to "lighten up," as well as being impolite, might not be the most effective way to make it happen. Likewise, "harmless" is in the eye of the beholder. Let's not get into personal arguments about whether we should or shouldn't care about such things. We either do or we don't.

I've found much GFY stuff quite funny. Still, I wish they'd stick to the fashion critique, and steer clear of the weight thing. That never helps.

SoddingNancyTribe | May 24, 00:19 CET

And the majority of the time, those girls are so so ~~right~~ jealooouuuusss!

There, I fixed that for you ;-)

t r a c y | May 24, 02:04 CET

SNT said:

"Still, I wish they'd stick to the fashion critique,"

Exactly. For example, this afternoon's desperate Tara Reid intervention that included: "Is your American Pie contemporary Alyson Hannigan photographed looking like she's been styled solely using cast-offs from streetwalker's White Elephant sale?" :D

barest_smidgen | May 24, 02:07 CET

Apart from the comments, that dress is atrocious. Dear god, talk about unflattering. It's actually an accomplshment to make SMG look BAD. Did they just wrap some curtains around her or something? Clothes are suppose to positively accentuate your shape. Not....turn a beautiful woman into a wrapped lamp post. Damn and she's usually pretty good with what she wears.

EdDantes, you could be writing for them with this paragraph! You've got the tone and style right.

If you read them regularly, they do mention when people (usually women) seem too thin to them—and in many cases, these stars' weights are already being discussed (e.g. Nicole Ritchie).

Don't like it? Don't find it funny? Don't go there.

[ edited by Gaudior on 2006-05-24 00:18 ]

Gaudior | May 24, 02:10 CET

What was Joss Bimbo thinking of when he picked that hideous outfit to wear at the Equality Now event? Doesn't the dumb bitch realise that it made him look like a bulimic streetwalker? Oh no, hang on, Joss Whedon is male so this doesn't really work, does it?

Some people find this kind of stuff funny, others find it offensive. Gellar got off lightly compared to some of the other victims of the site's "humour", but that really isn't the point. It could be argued that it simply helps to keep alive the belief that women should be judged on their looks (in this case represented partly by their fashion choices, although the comments seem to regularly go beyond just that) and very little else.

Don't like it? Don't find it funny? Don't go there.

That is certainly very good advice, but would we want to stretch its use to justify the existence of websites spouting, for example, racist hatred? Okay, that is an extreme comparison, but what one person considers to be offensive, there is always someone else who doesn't.

And just as a side note, "bimbo" and "dumb bitch" have both been used here in recent times to describe female characters in 'Buffy' and 'Angel'.

Edited to correct typos caused by old age and failing eyesight.

[ edited by dashboardprophet on 2006-05-24 00:46 ]

alien lanes | May 24, 02:39 CET

That was just mean mean mean.
I just can't really think of anything else to say about it.
I am feeling slightly defensive of SMG even though I am not her biggest fan. piffle on them.

ruthless1 | May 24, 02:42 CET

Even someone like Sarah, who normally looks very pretty in photographs, can take the occasional bad picture.

In all the other photos I've seen of her from Cannes, she looks gorgeous.

Reddygirl | May 24, 02:59 CET

I think people are misinterpreting the tone of the site a bit. If you read a post in isolation, yeah, it sounds like they're being cruel, heartless bitches, but they do it to everyone, they almost always focus on the clothes rather than the actress (with an occasional misstep, which happens with anything - people misjudge how a line comes off sometimes), and it's clearly done in good fun by people who like celebrity gossip and enjoy looking at celebrity photos. Maybe comments on weight are completely uncalled for, but honestly, I'd much rather see a "so-and-so is looking too thin" comment then the vitriolic "OMG, Brittney is such a fat hooor now!1!" that we get from most of the media.

And the comments about them being fat and ugly is not only uncalled for, it's ridiculous since they both used to have a picture up on the site and they were perfectly normal-looking and attractive girls.

gilraen | May 24, 03:47 CET

Allyson, I'm not spending my days criticizing what other people look like. If that is your occupation then it seems only fair to offer yourself up for some feedback. My "fuggers" comment was just a pun on their pun. They chose the term. It all seems pretty rediculous. Everyone has a bad day or has taken a bad photo. Why should they be raked over the coals for it.

jverse | May 24, 04:02 CET

Am I too late for the party? *wink*

I've seen a lot of SMG's pictures from Cannes and I personally didn't find the premiere gown very appealing and flattering on Sarah, who usually looks fantastic. The picture used for the article is also not the best one. But I guess that's really the purpose of the Fug site. ;)

There are some nice pics of Sarah on SMGFan.com from Cannes. There is one in particular from the premiere where she's looking to the side straight at the camera and her smile is just glowing. The photocall pictures are very nice too.

Silent Night | May 24, 05:52 CET

just mean... mean...mean...

hmmm... this culture of mean is just not fun...

It's not even campy fun... like John Waters... just seems like unprincipled bitchiness to me

hbojo | May 24, 05:52 CET

As someone mentioned before...I wish they'd stick to the fashion critique.

It's supposed to be commentary about "fugliness", not her husband, or her career choices. The piece was just badly written. It doesn't matter if one is a fan of Sarah or not...it was just stupid catty commentary.

Meh.

Kyotoyoshi | May 24, 08:04 CET

The dress looks bad in that picture, and it _makes_ her look thin --- but am I the only one who sometimes feels reminded of a young Carrie Fisher? There were lots of moments in BUFFY, but in this picture, it's very striking.

Methinks. Not that I shouldn't be working instead of commenting on silly things like this. *s*

bschnell | May 24, 12:21 CET

They should fug Lacan's "lack" of fashion sense.

That's what I'd call "whedonesque"!! :)

Small Blue Thing | May 24, 14:31 CET

I dunno. When I watch award shows on TV, it's mostly to see what people are wearing and how they look. It's fun to critique the clothes (and hair and makeup)! I think many of us do it—even those who say that it's just mean.

BTW, dashboardprophet, there are sites that are racist. the KKK has it's own site, though they say they're sharing love, not hate.

[ edited by Gaudior on 2006-05-24 23:30 ]

Gaudior | May 24, 20:39 CET

May 23 2006