Why Scarlett Johansson Thinks There’s ‘Something Icky’ About Discussing Equal Pay
At a time when actresses are being more vocal than ever about feminism and equal pay, Scarlett Johansson is raising kind of an interesting point: in a forthcoming interview with Cosmopolitan, she basically said she’s uncomfortable talking about equal pay because she’s rich af.
Here’s what she said in full:
“There’s something icky about me having that conversation unless it applies to a greater whole… I am very fortunate, I make a really good living, and I’m proud to be an actress who’s making as much as many of my male peers at this stage… I think every woman has [been underpaid], but unless I’m addressing it as a larger problem, for me to talk about my own personal experience with it feels a little obnoxious. It’s part of a larger conversation about feminism in general.”
Honestly, this is a part of the conversation about Hollywood equal pay that’s been missing — famous actors are absurdly overpaid in general, and while they should obviously be compensated equally, you can imagine why the whole conversation might be a bit taxing for someone who’s, say, hearing it on the radio on her way to a minimum wage job that doesn’t allow sick days.
Of course, ScarJo’s answer begs the question: why not have the conversation in a way that applies to a greater whole, then? But if she doesn’t want to do that, she doesn’t have to. (And for what it’s worth, she also spoke about how necessary Planned Parenthood is in the interview.)
Either way, at a time when feminism sometimes seems to be used as a marketing tool and branding choice instead of an actual ethos, it’s kind of refreshing to hear a celebrity express an opinion that’s slightly different from the norm.
