After months of silence, Sandra Bullock chose this moment to finally speak out and set the record straight on what actually occurred between her and her husband. Sandra chose People magazine, a nationally read magazine known for its celebrity coverage. Along with celebrities, the magazine also covers a fair amount of human-interest stories ranging from the Phoebe Prince suicide to local heroes across America. All of the stories tend to tell a narrative designed to draw the reader in. It has a better reputation than Star and US Weekly, and is available for purchase at newsstands, grocery stores, local pharmacies, and often seen strewn on tables in waiting rooms.
Sandra, smiling out from the cover, is proclaiming to the world that she is a proud new mother. More than that, she is the new mother of an African American baby adopted from New Orleans. She’s no longer the scorned wife of a cheating scoundrel. Sandra is rising up from her “role” as America’s princess whose husband betrayed her in front of millions of rapt followers. Now, she’s an overjoyed new mother, and there’s nothing America loves more than a smiling baby. Tabloids and celebrity blogs often feature photos of celebrity babies and toddlers, delighting over their little outfits and smiling faces. People reportedly paid four million to score the exclusive rights to the first public baby photos of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s twins. Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise’s four-year-old daughter Suri Cruise has become a mini fashionista. The paparazzi constantly photograph her in tiny heels and expensive, mini-size designer dresses.
New York Magazine posted a short blog post that cynically pointed out that Sandra managed to change her own narrative:
"By changing her story from one of misfortune — America's Oscar-winning sweetheart gets her heart stomped on! — to one of pluck — American's Oscar-winning sweetheart gets her heart stomped on, gathers her strength, and finds a way to love, a baby, anew — she has saved herself many, many years of looking really sad on tabloid covers, given the future biopic about her life a great twist, and demonstrated to the American public that she is the woman she seems to be in the movies."
By waiting to speak out, Sandra built up anticipation, insuring that when she finally did speak out, people would be listening. The People cover article is lengthy interview with Sandra Bullock where she talks about how happy she is to have a new baby in her life. She named him Louis, after Louis Armstrong. According to Sandra, she and Jesse had been trying to adopt a baby for years; long before any of the divorce drama began. In January, the adoption agency finally located a baby for them. Sandra had planned to announce the news of the adoption after the Oscars, but than, news of her husband’s affairs became public. Sandra clarifies that she was ignorant of her husband’s affairs until a reporter called her to tell her the day before a story was ran. Yes, she is filing for divorce. No, she never thought this would happen to her.
Large, beautiful photos of Sandra with Louis accompany the article. Sandra holding Louis, Sandra watching Louis sleep, and large close-ups of Louis smiling and gurgling.
It seems amazing that in this day and age where celebrity websites update every few minutes with gossip and paparazzi photos, Sandra was able to keep her new son a secret. Moreover, in the article, she comes across as a protective parent rather than a psychotic woman who kept her baby locked away in a house. Moreover, Sandra managed to do the impossible. She overcame a huge scandal and emerged as happy, smiling mom. She deftly manipulated the media to present herself in a positive image.
Works Cited
Chiu, Alexis and J.D. Heyman, "Sandra Bullock Loving Louis." People Magazine 10 May 2010: 170-182. Print.
Paskin, Willa. "Sandra Bullock Adopts a Baby, Audience Breathes Sigh of Relief." nymag.com. New York Magazine, 28 April 2010. Web. 4 May 2010.
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