Reasons Why Anne Hathaway Became The Most Hated Celeb

First, she won our hearts as Mia Thermopolis, Princess of Genovia. Then, she captivated us once again as Ella in Ella Enchanted. Anne Hathaway had a good decade there as the darling of Hollywood… until “Hathahate” hit our world around 2012. Yes, she became such a hated celebrity that they literally had to come up with a new word for it. Every facet of her being became so disgusting to “Hathahaters” that essays were written across the interweb analyzing what went wrong in her anatomy to produce such a specimen of humankind. One minute, she was an innocent princess, an ingenue everyone loved. The next, we found ourselves in a vehement sea of Hathahate. What went wrong? Let’s explore.

BLAME IT ON THE THEATER KID

Hollywood.com quoted Richard Lawson as saying that Hathaway “is the epitome of the bad kind of theater kid.” For those of you who don’t know, the “bad kind of theater kid” is that annoying goody-two-shoes who’s constantly sucking up to the director and bossing the other kids around. Basically, a kid that seems too perfect, so something must be up. Yes, Hathaway grew up a regular theater kid in New Jersey, spending her days performing at the Papermill Playhouse. Yes, she got her start on the stage. Yes, she’s probably extremely well-versed in the politics of the theater. Yes, she’s extremely rehearsed. Do these add up to the “bad kind of theater kid?” We don’t think so, but majority rules, and Lawson may have a point. She certainly seems to share the lack of authenticity of those bad theater kids. That’s what people hate. She’s not “real” enough.

THE 2011 OSCARS

Thanks to the 2011 Oscars—you know, the ones she hosted with a stoned-out-of-his-mind James Franco—Hathaway went from badass indie film star to inauthentic theater kid in one fell swoop. Her extreme peppiness as a co-emcee is honestly a reason all on its own as to why people hate her. These three or four hours were a pivotal moment in time for Hathahaters. It really bothered pretty much everyone that the pair kind of totally bombed as co-emcees. Fans took to burgeoning social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to express their outrage. In fact, Time even named the pair as one of the top 10 worst awards show hosts of all time. Hathaway had spent the three previous years a sympathetic celeb who survived a breakup with a notorious Italian con-man and come out beloved by all. Maybe the public had given her too long a leash? For some reason this was the tipping point. She sang, she danced, she hammed it up—and she was criticized for trying too hard. Simply put, she was too darn perky.

SHE REFUSES TO FALL DOWN

The American public cannot handle a woman who won’t break down. Let’s recall the moment that Jennifer Lawrence captured our hearts: the time she fell down on stairs wearing a ballgown and heels and laughed it off. Not her pivotal performance in Silver Linings Playbook, or her turn as Katniss Everdeen, but a moment of embarrassment that made her seem so “real.” This, juxtaposed with Anne Hathaway’s annoyingly perfect public persona, only fueled the Hathahaters’ fire. It bothers people that she seems so perfect all the time and that she’s super ambitious. Lena Dunham put it perfectly when she said, “Ladies, Anne Hathaway is a feminist and she has amazing teeth. Let’s save our bad attitudes for the ones who aren’t advancing the cause.” Ambition just isn’t a good look on women, apparently. A woman can only have as much ambition as the hipster male writer is willing to allow.

SHE WOKE UP LIKE THAT

According to Terry Pettijohn, a psychology professor at Ohio State University, we don’t like Anne Hathaway because her slender face is a reminder of more challenging times. The professor continues to explain that in good times the public likes an actress with a rounder, younger face, while in challenging times they prefer an actress with a slender, more mature face like Hathaway’s. This, combined with her peak popularity landing amid the economic crash of 2008, led the psychology professor to draw the conclusion that Anne’s face is part of the problem. She can’t help it. She woke up like that. But, her face is making some waves. Paging Dr. Nip/Tuck.

THE BANDWAGON EFFECT

Ultimately, a loud and vocal group of Hathahaters started a movement and everyone else just hopped onto. Nothing bonds a group of people together like a shared target. We’re pretty sure the number one reason why Anne Hathaway became the most hated celebrity was that it was fun to hate on her along with everyone else. It’s called the bandwagon effect, and when it comes to celebrities, it takes shape in seconds. Anne Hathaway became the most hated celebrity because the collective consciousness loved to hate her.