By now you've heard of Patricia Krentcil, 44, of New Jersey who has been accused of taking her 5-year-old daughter into a tanning booth with her. "Tanning Mom" has been ridiculed everywhere for the past week. Newspapers have mocked her as the "Toast of the Town," Snooki took her on via Twitter, and Kristen Wiig parodied her during SNL's Weekend Update skit.
But this is really no laughing matter.
There's no question taking a kid into a tanning booth is unacceptable, but Krentcil was arrested for it and the law will take care of it -- and hopefully social services now has the heads-up it needs to keep an eye on her kids.
The truly horrifying thing about this case has been America's reaction. Krentcil is the Mean Girls' flavor of the month. Or is it week?
We've long forgotten about Angelina Jolie's right leg and Samantha Brick's "good looks" and now we've moved on to Patricia Krentcil's tan. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Anytime a woman in the public eye does something that makes her feel good or beautiful or happy, we take it upon our collective selves to rip her to shreds.
Do I like Patricia Krentcil's tan? No. But what difference does that make? She does. Just because it looks weird to some of us does that mean we can all get together and ridicule her publicly? Isn't that the very definition of bullying? Or doesn't it count because she's a "freak"? Should we be telling our kids that it's okay to bully the "freaks" in school? That it's okay to make fun of the kids who don't "fit in"? That's what we're doing -- so why wouldn't they? We talk about the bullying epidemic in our country's schools and spend all kinds of time, money, and energy implementing anti-bullying programs. I have an idea -- why don't we all grow up and set a good example for our kids? The sad truth is that bullies and mean girls are alive -- and thriving -- long after high school is over.
More from The Stir: Snooki’s Reaction to Tanning Mom Is Spot On & She Should Know
In Krentcil's case, it's even worse. This isn't about somebody striking an awkward pose on the red carpet or complaining she has no friends because she's too beautiful. It's highly likely that Krentcil has a problem -- she's addicted to tanning, a tanorexic, if you will. What if she were anorexic or an alcoholic? Would we all be making fun of her? Would newspapers be running articles with biting headlines? Would SNL be doing parodies of her? Would faux celebrities be tweeting snide remarks? Here's a woman who is doing something that's incredibly unhealthy. Something that could ultimately take her from her young children too soon. An obsession that she could transfer to her children. Her tan is a red flag that should make us concerned, not crack us up.
How do you think Patricia Krentcil feels when she reads and sees everything that's being said about her? The media and public opinion trap her into a corner like a wounded animal and then when she "lashes out," what does everyone do? They make fun of her even more -- "Oh, she's so crazy!" Score for the Mean Girls!
If you don't give a hoot about her feelings, what about her kids? How do you think they're dealing with the entire country being "mean to mommy"?
And where are all you feminists? Do you only rally 'round women who "deserve" your support? Is a woman from New Jersey who tans excessively not worthy enough? I'd like to think that any time a woman is criticized in such a public, humiliating, and relentless way, her fellow women would stand up for her. How can we complain about all these awful standards of beauty that we are subjected to -- when we crucify others whenever we get the chance? Imagine what we could accomplish if we put all this energy and camaraderie toward something positive instead of using it to make mincemeat of a woman because we don't like her tan.
Say whatever you want about Krentcil bringing her daughter into the tanning booth, but let's leave her appearance out of the conversation. And the next time you have something to say about bullies in your kid's school or Mean Moms on the playground, take a look in the mirror.
Do you think Patricia Krentcil deserves to be bullied over her tan?
Ashley Is a Widow Who Stays Strong...
This Hot Dad Wants to Vacuum Your Rug
This Hot Dad Wants to Do Your Ironing
KStew Refuses to Shower
Comments 89
My problem with this individual is two-fold. First, she whips out the old "everyone who speaks out against what I do must be jealous because they are fat and ugly" straw man. Anytime someone does that, I assume that they have the I.Q. of a potato. Even if their detractors are "fat and ugly," it doesn't mean that they don't have a point.
Yes, she is innocent until proven guilty. Yes, she does have a problem. My problem with her is not that she has an addiction to tanning. My problem with her is that she seems to be a jerk. Why is everyone okay with her referring to other people as "fat and ugly?" Furthermore, why are people okay with all fat people being referred to as ugly? To me, ugly is an attitude, not an appearance.
Although it's obvious this woman has an extreme tanning problem, I don't believe for a minute that she put her fair skinned, red haired child in a tanning bed. Are we to assume that a Mom who has had breast implants,botox or liposuction is going to subject her child to this? Tanning Mom thinks she looks good and one day this little girl may think that's what it takes to feel good about herself. Not good but, Mom's are out there showing children behaviors that all don't agree with. There is no such thing as the "Perfect Mom".
@the4mutts You seem to believe you know what perfection is. As far as your comment about "obese people who don't have a medical condition need to be told they are too fat," you have NO IDEA just from looking at someone what medical conditions they do or do not have. You don't know why a person is fat. They may have an endocrine problem, or they may have an eating disorder. Or it may just be the way they are built. As for "telling them they're too fat," I don't think there's a single heavy person out there who looks in the mirror and thinks "Oh, I'm just too skinny. I'd better eat more today so I'll get bigger." Especially in a society that tells average-weight women that they're fat.
My husband said this after watching a news segment where they were pretty much making fun of her the entire time: "She's a kook, but that doesn't make her a monster. Kooks are human beings too."
Friends/family or their doctor WOULD know if they had a medical issue, and I believe I already said that these people don't like the way they look. They need to be told how unhealthy they are, and what a bad example they are setting for their kids.
God, I just damn near re-typed my original comment.
Its unhealthy how much of an idiot you are.
Bullying? Please as a society, we have become seriously oversensittive.
"We tend to idealize tolerance, then wonder why we find ourselves infested with losers and nut cases."
You need a reality check when it comes to what is and is not "bullying." What is going on is people being geniuinely outraged that a woman might have endangered a small child as well as the fact that she is seriously endangering her own health. Moreover, if she isn't protecting that fair-skinned child with sunscreen at all times, she is guilty of neglect.
The picture you show does look freakish to the point that I believe she is using something topical to get that much darker than her own mugshot. But the point is that tanning always represents a degree of skin damage and astronomically increases the risk of skin cancer, especially the very dangerous melanoma. Whether it is addiction or mere vanity, she is putting something as superficial as skin tone above her own health and above being alive for her family. She needs help and just maybe this will be a wakeup call fgor her.