America is a country that is known to have an obsession with Hollywood. Once sex or anything sex-related is added to the equation, many become not only fascinated but highly critical. Whether it's a celebrity sharing photos of themselves in which certain body parts are exposed or engaging in graphic sexual acts, sharing anything of the like is a habit that the media takes advantage of to make profit. Much to the chagrin of these individuals, their private lives becomes something of public interest even more so.
Eliot Spitzer, Anthony Weiner, Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, and Vanessa Hudgens are only a few of the public figures who have been unfortunate enough to have their sexual habits plastered in tabloids. The hooker-patronizing Spitzer's credibility was questioned when the issue of whether or not he should resume his political career-following disclosures that he was a client in a prostitution ring- in the political atmosphere since his resignation.
In regards to Spitzer, Howard Rubenstein, the public relations impresario, tells The New York Times, “Most people faced with that kind of disgrace would disappear off the face of the earth for a longer period of time but there is a lot of curiosity about him. And he is a publicity steamroller.”
Marlo Thomas of The Huffington Post believes there is a double standard and states, “Imagine a woman public official, spicing up her business trip with a rendezvous with her favorite male prostitute. Would a confession help? Would a vow of rehab do the trick? Not on your life. Scarlet A's would be tattooed on their foreheads.” She goes on to add, “There are those who think that the private lives of candidates are none of our business. But when those candidates ask us for our attention as they explain their plans for how they will represent us, no one should be surprised at our interest in how they represent themselves.”
Weiner’s mistake was not only the cheating, or tweeting but the fact that he lied despite his knowledge of digital evidence. To believe that in our high-tech world, one could actually get away with it is ludicrous. Politicians aside, Tiger Woods along with the aforementioned celebrities, have had their fair of public scrutiny when their sexual acts (sexting, videos and the like) made headlines. Some assume that these actions are done in order to further one’s status in the public eye.