Sarah Jessica Parker: Twitter is ‘a feast of vitriol’ but Instagram is ‘civilized’

InStyle January 2017 Cover

Sarah Jessica Parker covers the January issue of InStyle and yes, we’re already getting the January 2017 covers. I won’t say that this year has flown by, but it does feel like the past few months have gone by in the blink of an eye. I’m still sitting around here, thinking it’s September. Anyway, SJP is promoting her HBO show Divorce, which I already believe will prove itself to be even more white-privilege-y and one-percenty than HBO’s Girls. But we’ll see! SJP talks to InStyle about why she decided to go back to HBO, and she chats about her style and more. Some highlights:

On her style influences as a young woman: “…street imagery and girls on the subway more than anything. I was like, ‘How can I do that? How can I afford to do that? What’s my version of that?’ Honestly, thrift stores played such a huge part in my life before Sex and the City. And, of course, my mom was the biggest influence. She had pretty firm ideas about how we would dress.”

On the evolution of her style: “I dress based on what I have. I’m not a huge shopper, but I love beautiful things. To be able to borrow them is ridiculously fortunate, and I enjoy every second of that. I have a pretty standard wardrobe, though I’ve got wonderful shoes. That’s more so the case now. I genuinely don’t know what people think of me or want from me.”

On playing a less-than-enviable character in HBO’s Divorce: “It’s taken me a long time to find anybody who I thought had as much potential as [Sex and the City’s] Carrie Bradshaw, who was as complicated, human, layered, and objectionable yet understandable, relatable yet foreign. People think she was a second skin for me, but she wasn’t. I didn’t know her at first. She was different from me as anybody I’d ever played or known. So I feel like Frances is equally as interesting and unknown to me.”

On deleting her Twitter: “I don’t have the constitution for Twitter. It’s a boneyard, a feast of vitriol. I just don’t want to participate in it. But on Instagram people tend to be more civilized. And they can disagree and have objections, but I don’t find it as mean-spirited a community.”

On handling celebrity as a parent: “We talk about it with the kids to the degree that they want to, but we don’t do it unsolicited…Like any parent, I just try to be present, pay attention, ask questions, and then allow them the freedom to monitor themselves. Hopefully, they’ll live by our example. It’s hard, because you want to give them freedom, but as a parent you have to be willing to not be liked by your child sometimes.”

[From InStyle]

Twitter is “a boneyard, a feast of vitriol.” Eh. While it’s difficult to be a woman on the internet full-stop, I don’t really believe that somehow Instagram followers are nicer than Twitter followers or vice versa. And the stories behind SJP leaving Twitter are kind of interesting too – she left Twitter after the Met Gala, when no one understood her silly Hamilton-cosplay outfit and SJP went a little bit crazy trying to defend it online. But there were other incidents too, like tweeters talking sh-t about her kids. Basically, if SJP doesn’t want to be on Twitter, God bless. But the trolls will still find her on Instagram, I’m just saying.

As for what she says about her complex character on Divorce… I think she’s already preparing herself for the thinkpieces about why her character is an awful, privileged whiner. Let the games commence!

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Photos courtesy of WENN, cover courtesy of InStyle.

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19 Responses to “Sarah Jessica Parker: Twitter is ‘a feast of vitriol’ but Instagram is ‘civilized’”

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  1. Erinn says:

    Personally – I’ve seen a lot less hate on insta than I have on twitter. But that’s just my personal experience. I’m sure others have a different one.

    • LB says:

      I agree with you. I had to delete twitter even though I was just following news on there. People are so angry and inconsiderate in the responses and sometimes you can’t help but see the comments.

      I rarely see the comments when I scroll insta but when I do, it’s nearly nearly as bad.

    • Bonzo says:

      Same here… my Insta is full of pretty mountain scenes and friend’s kiddos so there isn’t anything to argue about. The way I use it, it is like an oasis from the negativity and noise of other social media platforms.

      I still do Twitter for news and commentary from people that are critical thinkers, but I had to take a Facebook break. Too many emotional, non-critical thinkers that couldn’t dialog about our pressing issues here in the US. It got to be such a drag and I’m really enjoying my long holiday from it.

  2. Locke Lamora says:

    Instagram is the worst social network. It took the worst parts of facebook and made it into a separate social network. There is some cool stuff there, but for the most part it’s selfies and inspirational quotes.

    • Hannah says:

      Actually, it’s selfies of your boobs/lips/ass with an inspirational quote as the description so you will look deep and not just selfish.

    • Common Sense says:

      Agree, selfies and inspirational quotes are all I see on instagram and I am not even on insta.

    • Mila says:

      Not for everyone. My Insta is full of pics of my dogs and interesting places. No selfies, no quotes, unless it’s sth funny.

      I don’t have fb or Twitter anymore, but Insta is my favourite online place. It is friendly, light and no one ever bothered me. I don’t follow celebrities, simply people who like pets, music and have interesting sense of humour.

      • Wilma says:

        Yes, my instagram feed is kind of a friendly bubble too. I think it really depends on how you use it and what you’re looking for. I sew and basically that whole community on insta is pretty kumbaja. I have seen two slightly rude comments so far.

      • Hannah says:

        @Mila @Wilma My instagram is also a collection of pictures of cats and places, but let’s face it, we are the minority, the celebs and instagirls are all about seflies.

      • Bonzo says:

        How you use Insta and the kinds of people you follow makes all the difference in your experience. In four years of following over 100 accounts I’ve never seen anything negative on there.

        But I don’t follow celebrities so perhaps that’s why it’s such a happy place. People don’t normally post nasty things on my posts or those of people I follow. The mountain vistas woven throughout my feed always get lots of likes and thumbs up.

        I personally recommend the various national parks accounts for gorgeous nature scenes.

  3. Alix says:

    It amazes me that SJP still gets magazine covers.

  4. Esmom says:

    I loved her in SATC but this Divorce show looks so cliched and insufferable from the little preview tidbits I’ve seen. But I thought the same thing about This is Us and apparently people find that good, so what do I know?

    It’s nice that she finds her corner of IG tolerable but I’ve seen plenty of hate and garbage there, too, all wrapped up in a more artsy facade.

  5. giulia says:

    Sjp has been severely body shamed in general. Instagram is just as bad as.Twitter

  6. JenB says:

    I got off FB at the start of the year and find Instagram to be less drama but I have kept a very small network, not including the celebrities I follow. Basically it’s been far less toxic and more fun. I was really over having these huge networks of “friends” who you don’t know at all. If you’re not genuinely interested in me don’t follow me and vice versa. Side rant: It bugs me that there are some folks that request to follow you but never comment on anything of yours. It’s basically just being nosy. It’s juvenile of me to feel that way but I do. That’s the real problem with social media-it turns us all into 13 year olds!

  7. BeBeA says:

    I was on Facebook for all of 2 weeks many moons ago, and it was OK until those who shall not be named you know the ones that I wanted to live behind once I graduated started trying to friend me and all that jazz ….. I disconnected so fast and did not look back. I am not on any network now I don’t even like it when people follow me for too long on the highway lol so you can keep all that….. and I like to make actual friends. And I double dog dare any of my family to post me or my kids on social media we will have a problem!

  8. Anilehcim says:

    I really like SJP, and I think she comes off as a sensitive person who has trouble with criticism, which I can relate to in a lot of ways. Being a celebrity sounds like a nightmare to me. Despite all the perks, the cons outweigh the pros for me.

    There was once a website that was dedicated to comparing SJP’s face to a foot, and also to a horse. I’m not sure if it exists, but it was horrible. I read an interview with her a few years ago that made me forever empathize with her… she came off so emotional and so hurt by the terrible comments that were made about her appearance. It was really sad. People have been incredibly cruel about her appearance. I can’t say I blame her for having an issue with the Internet or certain social media sites.

    • Choo says:

      Truly evil shit is said about her all the time; he’s got balls of steel for putting up with it.
      And shows like Family Guy are complicit in such cruelty as they regularly attack individual womens’ looks.. SJP being one of them – they’ve made the charming and utterly stupid foot comparison several times.
      Seth MacFarlane is such an piece of shit.

  9. msd says:

    Instagram has a much nicer vibe than Twitter or Facebook in my experience. I don’t see many arguments or much vitriol. I guess because it’s photo based rather than news or event based. What is there to fight about? It’s also less knee jerk about everything, for some reason. And I don’t get a lot of selfies or inspirational quotes because I’m not following accounts that do that, it’s mainly artists and designers and book nerds and beauty geeks, which have great little Insta communities.

    Oh and I do think the followers are nicer. It’s just not a great platform for arguing. If you’re spoiling for a fight or a troll then Twitter is perfect.