Sophie Turner Is Moving On With Life, Can Society Just Leave Her Be?

Divorce is a humongous life-changing event in anyone’s life, and people have different ways of dealing with it. How one person copes with divorce can never be compared to another, and there’s no template that people have to adhere to. Everyone has their own way of coping, right?

However, in a society that continues to stigmatise divorce and rushes to villainize the woman for not holding on to the relationship, women especially don’t even have the liberty to heal in peace. Right after women, especially celebrities, announce their divorce, society and the media whizz in with speculations that paint her as the big bad villain.

Sophie Turner Spotted With Taylor Swift Joe Jonas

Sophie Turner and Taylor Swift recently had another dinner outing in New York City, continuing their get-togethers amidst Sophie Turner's ongoing divorce and custody dispute with Joe Jonas.

Following their dinner at Via Carota earlier in the week, the two celebrities enjoyed another night out on Thursday. This time, they were joined by Sophie Turner's longtime best friend Ellie Johnson, actor Olivia DeJonge, known for her role in Elvis, and Taylor Swift's friend Ashley Avignone. They met up at the upscale Barrière Fouquet Hotel, located in the Tribeca neighbourhood of the city.

While there have been claims that Turner has apparently been a "bad mother," as she has been partying a lot instead of taking care of her children and Jonas is doing most of the parenting, the media is making assumptions that Swift has "picked a side" after spotting Swift with Turner. Duh! That's called sisterhood, not a gang war to pick sides!

Turner, who announced her separation from Joe Jonas on September 5, is now shooting for her new show Joan in Spain. She is playing the role of British jewel thief Joan Hannington in the series. On September 19, Page Six reported Tuner "was seen smiling" on the sets of her show in Spain. Coming from a renowned news outlet, this is shameful and unacceptable.

Is it wrong for a woman who has just parted ways with her husband to smile? Should she rather be crying? Is that what patriarchal society expects from her? Probably yes; It tries its best to pull women down by scrutinising their every single move, criticising, judging, and blaming them, because how else can it exert control over women who have dared to step outside the conventional standards?

Stop Scrutinising Sophie Turner And Let Her Be!

On September 15, news outlets were smeared with headlines about Turner kissing co-star Frank Dillane in Spain. Photos showed Turner having a good time with Dillane at the beach and reportedly "smiling ear-to-ear" while filming a beach scene for her upcoming series. People shared the photo with the caption, "Sophie Turner kisses Joan co-star Frank Dillane while filming a scene in Spain." So, isn’t it clear that the kiss was part of the shoot? She’s just doing her work, but the media had to make a huge issue out of it just because she now has "divorced" tagged to her.

A week after announcing her divorce, Turner was first spotted wearing dark makeup and a blonde wig on the sets of Joan. She was seen stepping out for a quick cigarette break at her shooting location. Now, I don’t mean to promote smoking in any way, and I strongly believe that smoking is detrimental to health. The point I’m emphasising here is: What’s people’s problem with Turner getting back to work? She might have felt she was ready to work, so she might have gotten down to it. But then, society might rather have her shut herself inside four walls, right?

Why is society so quick to assume that women are to blame when a marriage fails? How long are women going to be forced to be in unhappy or toxic marriages? And the price they have to pay for prioritising their happiness is social scrutiny and judgment—how unfair is that? Women being self-sufficient and strong isn’t a threat, as patriarchy perceives it to be. They are just claiming the agency over their lives that they rightfully deserve. Is it too much to expect a little humanity and empathy from society?

Suggested Reading: 'This Is A United Decision': Sophie Turner, Joe Jonas Confirm Divorce

Views expressed by the author are their own