The other woman in the story, Amber Frey, had called a news conference in hopes of preserving her privacy, a seemingly self-contradicting act, amplified by her hiring of high-profile attorney Gloria Allred. Susan Carpenter-McMillan, former advisor to Paula Jones, joined ‘Countdown with Keith Olbermann’ to talk about witnesses in the middle of a media maelstrom.
ALL THIS is further exaggerated by what was obviously a major league beauty makeover.
Court TV’s Ms. Lisa Bloom, Allred’s daughter defended the hiring of her mother as Frey’s adviser as well as counsel. Gloria Allred, attorney for Amber Frey, on “The Today Show” said, “She is reported to be a key prosecution witness in this case. As a victim and as a witness, she is entitled to an attorney. She is entitled to be protected. And that is what I intend to do.”
But we here remain unconvinced that the makeover was important.
Keith Olbermann: Am I right? The makeover is more than just wanting to look nice when you get your picture taken?
Susan Carpenter-McMillan: Well, it really depends on what message you’re trying to send to the public. Unfortunately, we live in a society where we still have a double standard. A man is judged by his professional abilities and a woman is still, unfortunately, judged by the way she looks.
In Amber’s case, if she wanted to keep a low profile, I think the worst thing that she could have done is to come out yesterday in a press conference, glitz and glitter, all made over, and still try to retain her so-called victim’s image, which I think, prior to the press conference and the so-called makeover, she did have some. She had some sympathy in the public. But I think that was all done away with yesterday.
Olbermann: But the double standard? When his new attorney, Mr. Geragos, got the court to let his client, Mr. Peterson, wear a business suit into court, instead of the jailhouse orange jumpsuit, a lot of people
were saying, that’s a smart move. That’s very important. In fact, Gloria Allred was on this program and pointed all that out.
But when Amber Frey changes her appearance and people ask about it, that has become now sexism or it’s trivializing or it’s disrespectful. I’m sensing, Susan, a kind of reverse double standard here.
Carpenter-McMillan: Well, I think you’re absolutely right, Keith. I think there is a reverse double standard. Unfortunately, people are preoccupied much more with the way a woman looks than the way a man looks. I think, when you look at Geragos, what he was saying is: I don’t want the stigma of the orange jailhouse garb. I want him to be in a business attire.
But we’re not talking so much about what Amber is wearing. We’re talking about the makeup, how her hair is. We went through all of that with Paula. And it is unfortunate that women, whether it’s conscious or subconscious, feel like they have to go out and look their very best in public.
Olbermann: On the question of the news conference, is it not an automatic these days, Susan, that if you publicly ask for your privacy to be respected, that it will not be? Or am I just old-fashioned?
Carpenter-McMillan: No, Keith, you’re right on target. It’s an absolute oxymoron for a woman to say, I want to keep a low profile, but I’m going to hire a high-profile spokesperson.
And right now, what she did yesterday, it was her debut into losing, as you would, her virginity in being a private citizen. She is now fodder for the media. She has stepped into the “public figure arena.”
And anything in her past, present and maybe even future is fodder for the media. And she invited it. She did it on her own. So she can’t blame anybody but herself.
Olbermann: A quick piece of advice for a new professional victim from your own experience in dealing with Ms. Jones. What would you say to Amber Frey?
Carpenter-McMillan: Get a tough spokesperson who can take it all. And I think that she’s done that.