Anne cast away

The cyberhaters even have their own catchy name,Hathahaters,which James Franco and Howard Stern dissected on Sterns SiriusXM radio show two weeks ago. Everyone sort of hates Anne Hathaway, Stern said,speculating that it was because she comes off as so affected and actressy. Franco did not strain to defend his 2011 Academy Awards co-host. Im not an expert onI guess theyre called Hathahatersbut I think thats what maybe triggers it, he replied cagily.

So why does the perky and supremely talented actress inspire such froth? Hathaway could simply be a victim of what the British call tall poppy syndromethe bloom that pokes above the others is the first to get cut. With her too-perfect mouth,flawless skin,doe eyes and svelte figure,Hathaway is certainly one of Hollywoods most visible blossoms of late,particularly after scooping up a best supporting actress Oscar and Golden Globe for her turn as Fantine in Les Miserables.

But in recent months,the Hathahating has moved beyond garden-variety snarkinessas seen with Gwyneth Paltrow,say,or Taylor Swiftand become a meme with unlikely stickiness. Hathahaters have spawned a Twitter hashtag hathahaters,a portentous debate before the Academy Awards about whether Hathahatred would hurt her chances for an Oscar,and a high-minded cultural discourse seeking to deconstruct Hathaways alleged powers to annoy. Did we mention a blog post by Ross Douthat,an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times,in which he invokes Hathahaters to illustrate a new Pew study saying that the Twittersphere offers a skewed snapshot of public opinion?

No one,it should be noted,accuses her of doing anything wrong. Rather,Hathaway seems to have become a mirror for our own inadequacies.

Its not really Anne Hathaway I hate, said Sarah Nicole Prickett,a writer for Vice and The New Inquiry,a culture and commentary site. Its all the lesser,real-life Anne Hathaways I have knownprincessy,theatre-schooled girls who have no game and no sex appeal and eat raisins for dessert.

Indeed,for some non-fans,Hathaway seems to embody the archetypal high school drama geek who cannot turn off the eager,girlish persona,even away from the stage. We love authenticity,thats why we have a billion reality shows, said Neal Gabler,an author of several best-selling books on Hollywood culture and history. And here comes Anne Hathaway. Everything she does seems managed,calculated or rehearsed. Her inauthenticity is now viral.

Fine,write her up for misdemeanour,phoniness. But when has that ever been a crime in Hollywood?

Why Do Women Hate Anne Hathaway But Love Jennifer Lawrence? Ann Friedman asked on New York magazines blog. We simply dont find successful perfect women all that likable, she wrote,adding that women prefer sassy best-friend types like Lawrence,with her Oscar-night podium stumbles and self-effacing jokes.

One might think that Hathaway would have an adoring fan base in the gay communitywhat with her outspoken support of gay rights,her star turns in Brokeback Mountain and The Devil Wears Prada,a gay brother and her reported plans to play Judy Garland in a biopic. But gay people too have failed to embrace her,according to Derek Hartley,a talk-show host on SiriusXMs gay issues channel,OutQ. Anne Hathaway practically demands that we love her, Hartley wrote.

It is a safe bet that the real-life Hathaway is not enjoying the sport. Her spokesman declined to comment for this article,and the actress herself has steered away from the issue,although she was quoted after the Oscars as saying that the endless barbs about her awards-show acceptance speeches do wear on her: But you have to remember in life that theres a positive to every negative,and a negative to every positive.

Last week,Daily Mail published paparazzi shots of Hathaway,on a book-buying spree,where she snatched up titles involving health and harmony.

Her karma might be looking up. After an onslaught of nasty Twitter messages mocking Hathaways emotional Academy Awards acceptance speech,for example,Lena Dunham took a stand in support. Ladies: Anne Hathaway is a feminist and she has amazing teeth, she wrote on Twitter. Lets save our bad attitudes for the ones who arent advancing the cause.