S Poddar
It has taken Ellen DeGeneres so long to open up on the serious accusations of misconduct and abuse related to her talk show workplace in the very candid moment of the final Netflix special, Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval. Still, it makes all the difference for the countdown these days now that she’s talking about emotional weight she carried even after the major July 2020 scandal.
Discussing the allegations brought against her, DeGeneres termed the allegations “crushing.” While on her special, she felt relieved from the requirement of living behind that public image, concluding “I’m happy not being a boss or a brand or a billboard, just a person.” This exposed to herself a desire to let go of expectations that come with fame and reveal it to herself a need for authenticity and the plainness of life.
In attempting to explain the layers of her character, Ellen talked about the multi-dimensioned self. She said, “Just a multifaceted person with different feelings and emotions, and I can be happy and sad and compassionate or frustrated. I have OCD and ADD. I’m honest. I’m generous. I’m sensitive and thoughtful.” This explains to some extent why she is in a constant battle between the perception of herself by the public and who she really is.
And the audience responded enthusiastically to her self-reflection when she acknowledged her strengths and flaws, stating, “But I’m tough, and I’m impatient, and I’m demanding. I’m direct. I’m a strong woman.” Her admission rang home so that many cheered and gave standing ovations to demonstrate that she could connect with viewers on a deeper level even if under controversy.
When DeGeneres opened up further, she really bared her soul to how it feels to be a subject of public scrutiny. “I have spent an entire lifetime trying to make people happy, and I’ve cared far too much about what other people think of me,” she said. This states something quite important regarding being in the public eye where one is afraid of being seen as unpleasant. “So the thought of someone thinking that I was mean hurt me as much, and it almost consumed me for such a long time,” she admitted. This vulnerability hints at the emotional burden carried in managing the intricacies of her career.
In her past reflection, DeGeneres has portrayed herself to the world as a woman caught between the burden of society expectations and, at the same time, fighting to be real to herself. Through her openness about her weaknesses and problems, one is able to get a preview of the personal journey she has undertaken throughout her life.
To my surprise, the special, Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval, is offered streaming on Netflix, where viewers can see an unfiltered version of her take on events that defined her career and personal life. It’s a reminder that public perception comes with complexities that often mirror what happens behind the scenes of fame. She wants people to understand and grasp, even people put on pedestals as in Ellen’s case, the fact that human beings are human beings with their own struggles.
As DeGeneres goes off into the sunset, one cannot help but think she is reliving much of what many people do-in a world obsessed with projecting the ultimate in perfection, authenticity and self-acceptance. In her quest for self, she even nudges others to learn to love themselves with all their complexities and to find their strength in vulnerability, and of course, it is okay to be a work in progress.
