"The narrative around Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas' separation is deeply sexist"

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner announced their separation this week, after news was leaked that Jonas was filing for divorce after four years of marriage. 

"Statement from the two of us", read their joint statement. "After four wonderful years of marriage we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage. 

"There are many speculative narratives as to why but, truly this is a united decision and we sincerely hope that everyone can respect our wishes for privacy for us and our children."

Despite the display of unity from the former couple, who have been married since 2019, and share two daughters, the internet has seriously derailed the narrative. And the dialogue has become deeply misogynistic.

Reports of their split first surfaced on Sunday, before Jonas and Turner had released their statement. The details - that Jonas was the one filing for divorce and that their children were currently with him whilst she was in the UK, were already skewed against Turner.

However with the internet set upon finding a reason for the split, what has followed since has been far more sinister.

A slew of misogynistic misinformation has been released online, with "anonymous sources" spinning story after story inciting blame for the split on Turner and painting her as a bad and negligent mother.

Many of these reports centred around the fact that according to them Turner "likes to party" whereas Joe Jonas "is more of a homebody", prompting skewed speculation that Turner's lifestyle was to blame for their separation - and consequently calling it into question.

Next came photographs of the 27-year-old at a bar, with anonymous reports that she was "downing shots" on a "wild night out" that was actually just her and her co-stars' wrap party for Joan, the project that she has been working on in the United Kingdom.

Some of these "anonymous sources" even went so far as to imply that Turner had done something dubious, with a report that "multiple sources who have direct contact with Joe [had told] TMZ" that "Joe had access to a ring cam that he said captured Sophie saying and/or doing something that made him realize the marriage was over."

We've seen it time and again in high profile splits, with the internet appearing hellbent on finding blame for the separation.

In this case, it has been put on Turner - a 27-year-old working mother of two who is now being vilified for just that. And despite their statement calling the split "amicable" and her dignified silence, the internet seems determined to paint Turner as the sinner and Jonas as the saint.

This narrative has to stop. It's misogynistic, it's tired and there's no place for it in 2023.

Thankfully many agree, with people taking to social media to post their support for Turner en masse. 

"Four years, two pregnancies. A career on hold. When exactly was Miss Sophie Turner partying?," posted one user. Another added: "Can we stop portraying Sophie Turner as some careless mother maybe?? Parents can enjoy time for themselves and if that time involves partying then good on her, her life didn't end when she became a mother as much as some of you like to think it should have."

This smear campaign against Sophie Turner has to end - as does the "he said, she said" narrative that has ensued. 

Now let's take Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas' word that it's an "amicable" and "mutual" separation and give respecting their wishes for privacy another go.