Amber Heard: Why is she so hated on the internet?
Unless she's been avoiding social media for the last month, then she's definitely caught wind of the never-ending drama surrounding the Johnny Depp-Amber libel trial.
One would have to go back to the 1995 OJ Simpson murder trial to find a celebrity court case that so captivated audiences.
Both sides have made egregious accusations of abuse, and it should be obvious to anyone familiar with the testimony that this relationship was deeply toxic from the start.
Depp took the stand first and alleged that I heard he hit him, stubbed out cigarettes in his face, cut off the end of his finger and defecated on his bed as an act of revenge.
Heard completed her testimony on Monday, and those willing to listen with an open mind were stunned by her claims about Depp's behavior.
Unfortunately for the actress, at that point, the court of public opinion had already made up its mind.
Heard recounted an incident in which a drug addict Depp conducted a "cavity search" after accusing her of stealing and hiding cocaine from her.
she alleged that Depp sexually assaulted her with a glass bottle during a violent confrontation that took place in Australia while filming the fifth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
In the years since the #MeToo movement began shedding light on sexual abuse and violence against women in Hollywood, many victims have come forward with impressive stories of survival.
But Heard's situation is different from most, as she has encountered much more resistance than support from the public.
Not only that, many of those who openly doubt her story are women, and her skepticism of her accusations often takes the form of furious vitriol leveled at Heard and her followers.
And it's not just social media users who are angry with the actress.
This past weekend alone, both Bill Maher and Saturday Night Live played the trial for laughs, with Maher accusing Heard of using fake tears to rig the jury.
Those kinds of sarcastic comments have been a constant throughout the trial, and Heard has been the recipient of far more sarcasm than Depp.
The case is undeniably complicated, and it appears that both parties struggled with addiction and were violent towards each other.
But the fact is, Heard took the stand, she raised horrific accusations of abuse against her ex-husband, and the response from millions of Depp fans has been one of derision and smug disbelief.
A recent Atlantic article on the phenomenon used the term "Deppford Wives" to describe the army of women, many middle-aged and older, who have remained steadfast in their support of the actor.
"It makes me sick to listen to Amber Heard," a Twitter is quoted as saying.
“Literally heard amber is the plague,” wrote another.
A Heard fan identified only as Rebecca (who wished to remain anonymous to avoid harassment from Depp fans) attributes this ill will to a toxic mindset among Depp's most obsessive fans.
"We hang so much of our own identity on these things that we love," she told The Atlantic.
"So if those things are threatened, you either have to admit that you're a bad person for liking those things or you have to convince yourself that everyone else is wrong."
The article also quotes Hilde Van den Bulck, professor of communication at Drexel University, who describes the phenomenon of "anti-fandom."
The term describes people who derive part of their identity from the things they hate, in the same way that fans express themselves through the things they love.
Heard's anti-fans, Van den Bulck explains, may not be Depp fans at all, but that doesn't necessarily stop them from finding a sense of community and belonging among the people who hate the actress.
We probably don't need to tell you that this mindset is worryingly common on social media these days, infecting everything from sports coverage to political discourse.
And now, a televised trial is fanning the flames of blind hatred for a 36-year-old actress and single mother who is involved in a nightmarish legal battle.
Even if she wins the trial, which seems likely, it's unlikely that Amber Heard's life will ever return to normal.
