Lily James was spotted cavorting in public with a fellow actor. This could be the caption for the picture seen here, wherein the 31-year-old actress plays a friendly round of table tennis with Shazad Latiff, her co-star in the upcoming rom-com, "What's Love Got To Do With It?" Unfortunately, in the minds of tabloid readers in James' native England, the description invokes the merciless treatment she has received of late in the kangaroo court of public opinion. In October, James was in Rome to shoot a BBC film with Dominic West, a 51-year-old married father of four. James and West were photographed being affectionate during an al fresco lunch, making perfect fodder for the tabloids. With a lamentable predictability, the backlash was directed almost entirely at James. "This is a straightforward case of double standards – a woman getting the backlash, while the man, despite being married, isn’t under anywhere near the same amount of scrutiny," observed one of James' friends. As described by Leora Tanenbaum, the author who coined the term "slut-bashing" in 1999, women are vilified for the same behavior which is lauded in men. BBC broadcaster Kirsty Wark adds that the anonymity afforded by the internet has the effect of "amplifying misogyny." Despite the abuse Lily James has suffered from the sexist, sanctimonious public, casting hypocritical stones from the comfort of their glass homes, she is carrying on with her career and defiantly having a ball. From the looks of this latest public back-and-forth, the next one should be a smash hit.

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