The Big Business of Being Cancelled
'listening and learning' your way to the bag
We’ve been here long enough to know that being ‘cancelled’ is temporary. The typical cancellation cycle yields a surge of attention, bolstered by press and social media take-downs, and, at its apex, results in a loss of work that is almost always superficial while never bordering on true financial risk. The cancelled individual’s missteps are made into memes that divorce them from their harm for the sake of good humour, and the pain they caused is quickly replaced by laughter. Sooner rather than later, the cancelled is deemed ‘brand safe’ again, emerging back on the world stage more or less unscathed, but somehow humanized by their public flagellation. Their critics develop a strange kinship brought forth by the collective justice of TikTok reposts and late-night talk show mockery; we feel satisfied with ourselves for Daviding the Goliath, and SNL becomes good again, if only for a week.
The cancelled who are good at this – because, yes, there is a skill to being cancelled, just ask Olivia Pope – consult a PR agency to help them navigate their predicament rather than hastily address the outcry through a front-facing apology video. The fast-acting post a Notes App statement, plastered on their Instagram and linked in their bio to be dissected by the public. But there is another, perhaps better, strategy. The wise often say nothing, knowing that it will blow over. Knowing that next week the public will find a new target to condemn and crucify, they silently get on with their lives. Moving forward, less is expected of them, and so they are more free than ever.
In the past several months, we’ve witnessed how public rage can be commodified into attention, the most valuable currency in today’s culture. The news that reaches us is unsurprisingly more composed of what people are angry about than what is actually newsworthy. Moral panic over Sabrina Carpenter’s album cover – which is nothing if you lived through Britney’s 2000s – was served to me on my feed more than her single on Spotify. Depending on what side of Love Island TikTok you are on, either Huda, Chelly, or Cierra is getting flamed for something they did or did not do. I am a fan of Ethel Cain’s recent apology, as administered via a Google Doc, which was thorough and honest, precise on what she is willing and not willing to take responsibility for. Soon after, she was profiled in The Cut and The New York Times in advance of her album release. It seems as though today it’s easier for legacy media to reach a consensus on when a woman is behaving badly than when a country is committing genocide.
But I am interested in the other side of cancellation. Not the side that does the cancelling, but the side that reshapes and builds the cancelled individual’s image after public outrage. What is worth introspection is how the cancelled can be molded into a symbol for those unaffected and unoffended by their actions, regardless of whether the cancelled has spoken on the matter themselves. Sydney Sweeney has (wisely) yet to issue a statement on the controversy surrounding her ‘good genes / jeans’ American Eagle campaign, but the Far Right, including the White House, has been quick to come to her defense, using her likeness for their own cause, in this instance, white nationalism. In such cases, the cancelled becomes taxidermy, their publicly pummelled body contorted and stuffed to fit an agenda, not of their making but to their advantage and rescue. By not speaking, they become ventriloquized, not quite dead but rather resurrected to serve the cause of those galvanized by their plight.
The cancelled also becomes a tool for the media, commodified into products to drive clicks and advertising revenue. Getting cancelled can land you on The Joe Rogan Experience or Call Her Daddy – some of the most-watched shows today – quicker than an outreach email from your average publicist. Hate drives attention, which is why it shouldn’t be a surprise to see disgraced businessmen hosting late-night talk shows or disgraced businessmen’s weddings getting covered by fashion magazines. The company Astronomer was able to smartly parlay their CEO’s cheating scandal into an ad campaign with Gwyneth Paltrow that refocused attention on their main value proposition. Talk about turning an L into a W.
Even if you aren’t cancelled by traditional means, there’s a business in losing. There’s an advantage to being made into a martyr. I don’t watch The Bachelor, but I know that it’s more lucrative to lose and be cast as the titular The Bachelorette in a subsequent season, positioning yourself as the nation’s favourite girl-next-door and extending your mileage in the media while collecting sponsorship deals. This, inadvertently, works in politics, too. Sometimes losing is big for your brand. Those who have lost political campaigns, such as Senator Bernie Sanders and former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have become symbols of The Left, visions for what we could have had, and liberal ideals. In September, former Vice President Kamala Harris will release a book called 107 Days, focusing on her short presidential run and eventual loss, which I’m certain will be instrumental in pivoting her to the next stage of her career.
I am publishing this on a Sunday, meaning that by the time this hits inboxes, millions around the world will rise to worship a man who was also publicly cancelled, crucified, and turned into a symbol. Although she has played a nun in the past, it’s a little too early to know if Sydney Sweeney and her ‘good jeans’ will become canonized as a saint. For now, she just gets to be a symbol, another role for the public to cast her in, and another opportunity for us to judge her sins. Then, she’ll be back. Not even Jesus stayed dead in the tomb forever.
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“It seems as though today it’s easier for legacy media to reach a consensus on when a woman is behaving badly than when a country is committing genocide”.
pure GOLD
LOVED THIS. I think another angle to the whole "staying silent until people no longer expect anything from you" gambit lies in utilizing other forms of communication. For instance, Sydney Sweeney hasn't SAID anything but her most notable outings recently have been her in a white (possibly cream??) dress attending who knows what event and completely ignoring paps' questions on if she had any comment about the controversy surrounding her AE campaign. She could throw her hands up later and say she was just trying to keep her head down until things blow over but I'd argue that the imagery of her in all white and flanked by people "harassing" her for a statement is going to (if not already is) be in a video/tweet/etc of some right wing grifter talking about how 'The Left' is going against this innocent woman simply for being young and beautiful and THAT will be a key part of her image going forward no matter what she decides to do.