Is Liza Minnelli failing? One report says her health is taking a turn for the worse after she was spotted in a wheelchair. Gossip Cop investigates.
Post-Birthday Outing
Having just turned 76 on March 12, Minnelli went out for dinner this week with her old friend, George Hamilton. Paparazzi snapped photos of her requiring assistance to enter her limousine, and using a wheelchair to get around. According to RadarOnline, Minnelli was “frail-looking” on the outing.
On Frailty
The story from RadarOnline was rather thin, but it’s not an okay story to publish. These photographs weren’t exactly taken with Minnelli’s enthusiastic consent. You can take a look at them on the Daily Mail. This outlet gets its point across by comparing how Minnelli looks now to how she looked in 1962.
The status of Minnelli’s health is nobody’s business but her own. If her health were really at risk, then she probably wouldn’t be going out to restaurants with old friends. The mere fact that she went out at all should be celebrated, not insulted. The status of her health does not need to be a matter of public record unless she chooses to make it so.
At its core, calling Minnelli “frail-looking” because she’s using a wheelchair is just ableist rhetoric. Requiring assistance to get around does not have to be a sign of health failure, weakness, or anything at all. Imagine watching paralympic basketball for instance and calling those athletes “frail.” It is simply cruel and baseless.
While she may have a wheelchair, Minnelli hardly looks dour on her outing. Both she and Hamilton are smiling, laughing, and seem to be having a grand time on the town. We don’t have the full story here as to why she’s using a wheelchair, but it’s also not anyone’s business but Minnelli’s.
A Common Trick
Newsflash: bodies change as they get older. RadarOnline is acting like this is cruel or unusual, but it’s the most human thing in the world. Gossip Cop confronts all of the lazy outlets pulling this exact same tactic.
Case and point, The Globe. It routinely publishes stories about the stars of the 1970s and compares how they look fifty years later. It compared Kurt Russell now to how he looked during Escape from New York and did a side-by-side comparison between Henry Winkler and Arthur Fonzerelli. It claimed Bruce Springsteen was wasting away just because he doesn’t look like he did in 1976.
No one is going to look the same after so much time. Bashing Minnelli because she chose to leave her house is unnecessary and an invasion of her privacy.
More From Suggest
Tom Hanks’ Marriage Reportedly Strained Over Controversial Son Chet’s Behavior, Latest Gossip Says
Ben Affleck Allegedly Had To Warn Another Star To ‘Stay Away’ From Jennifer Lopez, Gossip Says
Hoda Kotb Allegedly Getting ‘Friendly’ With Matt Lauer After Breaking Up With Fiance, Insider Says
