20 Times Celebrities Handled Incredibly Sexist Questions From The Media

We need to do better.

1. Scarlett Johansson

Ariana Johnson

Being an accomplished actor and having been through multiple press junkets, Scarlett Johansson, like most women you'll see on this list, has had to deal with unnecessary and sexist questions. I mean, if you're a journalist who has been given the chance to ask a Hollywood star a question, you'd think one would want to ask about her acting process or the movie she's promoting. Alas, it's always about her diet or her clothes. At one point, Scarlett was even asked if she wears underwear underneath her Black Widow suit. To paraphrase Scarlett, how come men get the really interesting existential questions and she gets the one about food?

You can check out the full clip here:

Ariana Johnson / Via youtube.com

2. Anne Hathaway

NBC

Reporter Matt Lauer kept pressing the topic of a wardrobe malfunction that Anne had suffered recently, which the paparazzi couldn't help but splash all over the tabloids. Lauer could've asked Anne any number of questions, but instead he chose to make her feel incredibly uncomfortable by bringing up the same topic repeatedly.

You can check out the clip here:

The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder / Via youtube.com

3. Helen Mirren

BBC

This infamous interview has stood the test of time and is one of the prime examples of how women are treated by the media, even in our modern times. While on The Parkinson's Show in 1975, Michael Parkinson asked Mirren if her female "equipment" hinders her performance, putting her in a very uncomfortable position. He seemed more interested in talking about her body than her performance and refused to accept that she was, in fact, a serious actress.

You can check out the clip here:

BBC / Via youtube.com

4. Mindy Kaling

NBC

While doing press for the movie Ocean's 8 in which she plays a jeweler, Mindy Kaling told Seth Meyers about one of the most obscure and sexist questions she's ever been asked. A male journalist asked her "Mindy, you play a jeweler. Now, you’re not married and you’ve never been engaged, so how do you know about diamonds?” This is yet another example of ridiculous questions asked by the media who, as Mindy put it, are completely "incredulous."

You can check out the clip here:

NBC / Via youtube.com

5. Taylor Swift

2DayFMSydney

When it was pointed out that people say her songs are mainly about past relationships, Taylor responded saying no one would say the same thing about Ed Sheeran or Bruno Mars, even though they write about the same subject matter, and she finds it sexist that people say her songs are only about break-ups and exes.

You can check out the clip here:

2DayFMSydney / Via youtube.com

6. Rihanna

AP

While promoting her new men's perfume in 2014, Rihanna was asked what she was looking for in a man. She looked offended by the very question itself, but she responded confidently with "I'm not looking for a man" and ended the interview there.

You can check out the clip here:

AP / Via youtube.com

7. Blake Lively

@maeve_mcdermott / Via Twitter: @maeve_mcdermott

At the Variety's Power of Women event in 2017 where Blake Lively was being honored for her work fighting against child sex trafficking, a red carpet reporter asked her what she was wearing, which seemed inappropriate at an event that had nothing to do with fashion. She couldn't help but clap back at the reporter, asking them, "Are we really doing this? Would you ask a man that?" And the sad truth is no, they wouldn't. For Blake, it was the cause that mattered, not the fashion, but the media didn't seem to care and, sadly, things still haven't changed.

You can check out the clip here:

Maeve McDermott @maeve_mcdermott

Blake Lively popping off after someone asked her about fashion at #PowerOfWomen - "Are we really doing this? Would you ask a man that?"

04:08 PM - 21 Apr 2017

@maeve_mcdermott / Via Twitter: @maeve_mcdermott

8. Tom Hardy

Festival de Cannes (Officiel)

During a press tour for Mad Max, a reporter started the conversation by saying, “I’ll preface my remarks by saying that I have five sisters, a wife, a daughter, and a mother, so I know what it’s like to be outgunned by estrogen." He then went on to ask, "As you were reading the script, did you ever think, 'Why are all these women in here? I thought this was supposed to be a man’s movie?'" Tom Hardy immediately replied and shut him down saying, "No. Not for one minute. I mean, that's kind of obvious."

You can check out the clip here:

Festival de Cannes (Officiel) / Via youtube.com

9. Ariana Grande

Power 106FM

When asked if she would rather use make up or her phone one last time by a sexist radio host in 2017, Ariana Grande quickly clapped back with a remark that educated the two men in the room about equality.

You can check out the clip here:

Power 106FM / Via youtube.com

10. Emma Stone

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

During a Teen Vogue interview in 2012, Emma Stone was asked a question about her hair color and why she dyed it. She then started questioning the reporters as to why she was always asked such superficial questions. She even went on to tell her co-star Andrew Garfield, "You get asked interesting, poignant questions because you are a boy"." Ain't that the truth!!

11. Serena Williams

Blavity

When tennis executive Raymond Moore made an extremely sexist and degrading comment towards female tennis players, Serena Williams did not hesitate to fire back at him in a calm and dignified manner, even though what he said did not deserve that kind of tone.

You can check out the clip here:

Blavity / Via youtube.com

12. Emma Watson

Clevver News

This was a perfect example of how to deal with sexist comments on the spot. During the interview, a reporter brought up the harsh criticism she was receiving online, as many people were calling her a hypocrite for showing some skin during her Vogue photoshoot and still calling herself a feminist. But, as always, she faced the matter with pure grace as she had the perfect response for the reporter and all the haters out there.

You can check out the clip here:

Clevver News / Via youtube.com

13. Jennifer Garner

ABC News

In an empowering speech at the Elle's Women in Hollywood event in 2014, Jennifer Garner spoke about the double standard in the way the media treated herself and her ex-husband, Ben Affleck. She spoke about how, although she was always asked the question of a work and home life balance, he was never asked the same thing.

You can check out the clip here:

ABC News / Via youtube.com

14. Amy Schumer

Kiiss1011

This male reporter learnt a thing or two about misogyny after calling Schumer's character in Trianwreck a skank. Amy did not hesitate to clap back at him and get a few jabs in herself.

You can check out the clip here:

Kiiss1011 / Via youtube.com

15. Simone Biles

Inside Edition

When Olympic athlete Simone Biles appeared on Dancing with the Stars, she was asked why she didn't smile at the compliments the judges gave her. Luckily, she had the perfect response right off the cuff. So perfect, in fact, that not only did the Twitterverse explode, but the phrase was also made into T-shirts. As she simply put it, "Smiling doesn't give you gold medals."

You can check out the clip here:

Inside Edition / Via youtube.com

16. Keira Knightley

Inside Edition

While answering questions backstage after winning a Hollywood Film Award for The Imitation Game in 2014, a female reporter asked Knightley a question that is all too often asked of female celebrities, "How do you balance your work and home life?" She clapped back with the perfect response asking, "Are you going to ask all the men that tonight?"

You can check out the clip here:

Gold Derby / Via youtube.com

17. Rowan Blanchard

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

In 2015, when she was only 13 years old, Rowan encountered a reporter who asked her a question about diet tips for teens. Not only was this a sexist question, but it also sent the wrong message about body image to teens everywhere. Luckily, Rowan shut him down with the perfect response by asking, "Do you have any dieting tips for other teenage boys? I mean, come on."

18. One Direction

TVB

While in Spain, a reporter asked One Direction who "the main fucker" of the group was. While trying to hide their disgust, the boys jokingly throw Niall under the bus before moving on.

You can check out the clip here:

TVB / Via youtube.com

19. Nicki Minaj

MTV

Nicki Minaj called out the blatant sexism in the hip hop industry saying, "When I am assertive, I'm a bitch, when a man is assertive, he's a boss."

You can check out the clip here:

MTV / Via youtube.com

20. And finally, Natasha Lyonne

CQC

In an interview with a Brazilian journalist, Orange Is the New Black star Natasha Lyonne was asked how she could act so serious while looking so beautiful. Natasha was surprised, to say the least, by the question and suggested that his comment was slightly misogynistic.

You can check out the clip here:

CQC / Via youtube.com

These are definitely not the only celebrities who have faced sexist comments from the media and, if mindsets in our society don't change, then neither will the media. It's time to change the conversation, it's time to change the questions, and it's time to get rid of the double standards.