Yoko Ono, Ariana Grande, and Shattering the Myth that It's the Girlfriend's Fault

The image of the tortured creative male genius—a musician, an artist, an alcoholic writer—is usually accompanied not only by their vice of choice, but by their silent, steady parter: a woman who carries the weight. If the tortured genius ends up perishing at the hands of his own vice or addiction, the woman is often to blame.

In the wake of Mac Miller’s recent passing, we sat down with Jezebel’s pop culture reporter Hazel Cills to discuss the history of this unfortunate trend and why it might happen as often as it does.

Maybe it’s because people hate women. Or maybe it’s because women are expected to bear the physical, psychic and emotional burden of a partner’s addiction’s, foibles, struggles, etc, while also managing their own lives and careers. Whatever the reasoning, the girlfriend is almost always to blame.

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This episode was produced by Rachel Withers. Mandana Mofidi is our Executive Director of Audio. Our theme music is by Stuart Wood. This episode was mixed by Brad Fischer.