Why do we always blame the woman?

Fans have speculated Machine Gun Kelly’s guitarist might be the reason he split with Megan Fox but there’s a sad truth behind those rumours.

Machine Gun Kelly and Sophie. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

OPINION

Machine Gun Kelly’s guitarist Sophie Lloyd has been forced to release a statement denying she had an affair with him, after her life was turned upside-down by trolls.

MGK himself, on the other hand, has largely been left alone, and seemingly not felt compelled to say or do a damn thing.

MGK is famously in a relationship with actress Megan Fox. While the two haven’t officially split, she deleted almost all photos of him from her Instagram account – which is often the kiss of death in a modern relationship.

Quickly theories emerged that there may have been infidelity in the relationship because Megan posted the lyrics, “You can taste the dishonesty. It’s all over your breath.”

They are lyrics from Beyoncé’s album Lemonade that delves into how her husband Jay Z cheated on her.

Somehow from that, Sophie got dragged into the online mess and was accused of being the other woman, despite there being no proof.

Sophie’s greatest crime is that she’s an attractive woman that gets frequently photographed with MGK on stage.

Sophie’s management has done its best to throw a fire blanket on the gossip flames, relasing a statement to Page Six saying: “Sophie Lloyd is a professional, accomplished musician who has been needlessly dragged into the media based off of meritless accusations made by social media.”

Sophie and MGK work together. Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Megan and MGK are famous for making out in public. Picture: Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Universal Music Group for Brands

Although Sophie’s denied the rumours, that doesn’t mean the online trolls will be stopped. She uploaded a video on Instagram of her playing guitar, only for the post to turn into a discussion about if she’d slept with MGK.

Someone commented, “It’s pretty bad ass if you can steal someone from Megan Fox.” Another chimed in and posted, “Cheater.” And another commented, “I blame her.”

I’m so bored of women being blamed for men’s actions. Here’s the reality: Even if they did have an affair the blame should be put on MGK. He was the one in the committed relationship.

Still, whenever a famous man has a rumoured affair, it is usually the woman’s image that suffers.

The most famous example is when Brad Pitt split with Jennifer Aniston in 2005 and was then quickly snapped on holiday with his co-star Angelina Jolie.

Brad managed to escape that drama unscathed, but decades later, Angelina is still stuck defending her actions and denying she ever broke up a marriage. People are still tweeting about her being a homewrecker in 2011!

I hate Angelina Jolie.. #homewrecker#teamjennifer

— Courtney Cummings (@ccummings04) July 30, 2011

Ironically, only two people could have broken up Brad’s marriage, and neither is named Angelina. (Hint, their names are Brad and Jen).

Angelina and Brad have since split. Picture: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Charles and Camilla have been together for decades. Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Even the royals can’t escape the trope of blaming the woman. Prince Harry recently made headlines for sharing that he never wanted his father, King Charles to marry Camilla because they had an affair while Charles was married to Harry’s mum Princess Diana.

Camilla’s never really recovered from being the other woman. Even Charles’s own sons don’t see her as wife material, and they’ve been together for decades. Meanwhile Charles is enjoying surging popularity and came out of Harry’s memoir basically unscathed.

I refuse to call Camilla the "queen". She will, to me, either be Camilla, the Consort, or the Homewrecker. Better yet, the Evil Stepmother

— Team Sussex (@teawithtarts) February 15, 2023

The most recent case I can think of is when Lily James was pictured getting cozy with the married actor Dominic West. In response to the scandal, she cancelled part of an upcoming press tour, after being widely condemned for her alleged actions. Meanwhile, West went home to his wife and after a few days of media drama, it appears he has been able to carry on like usual.

lily james homewrecker omgggg this is NOT her year https://t.co/8KsjADY7cj

— alfie (@secretongues) October 12, 2020

Obviously, I don’t think anyone should have a romantic relationship with anyone already in a romantic relationship. Cheating is messy, hurtful and selfish, but I’m so sick of women being the only ones condemned.

Originally published as Why do we always blame the woman?