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The public continues to judge Courtney Stodden, prompting her to use a provocative Thanksgiving analogy to describe her situation.
The influencer and activist recently told her social media followers that she feels like "a turkey who didn't get a pardon."
Courtney, whose life became a public spectacle after she married actor Doug Hutchison at age 16, clearly feels singled out and eternally scrutinized, years after the fact.
The intense media scrutiny she faced as a teenager severely impacted her life, causing her a lifetime of emotional trauma.
She sees the holiday season, therefore, as a time when she becomes an object of public disposal, much like an uneaten fowl.
Courtney drew the controversial comparison to highlight the concept of public forgiveness and acceptance.
She questioned the tradition of the annual Presidential turkey pardon, wondering why only one bird receives a reprieve.
Consequently, she directly paralleled this to her own enduring celebrity trauma, suggesting that while the public often forgives others for past mistakes, they constantly hold the events that created her fame against her.
Stodden emphasizes that she experienced abuse and grooming during her controversial marriage, an experience validated by her later advocacy work.
She feels trapped by the tabloid history that defined her teenage years.
Furthermore, the former model, who now identifies as non-binary, powerfully uses her platform to drive legislative change.
She actively campaigns to end legal underage marriage across the United States. She transforms her painful history into a catalyst for social justice, aiming to ensure protective laws shield other minors from similar exploitation.
Therefore, Courtney's "unpardoned turkey" comments powerfully underscore her frustration; she actively works to redefine herself and fight for victims, yet the public still largely defines her by the scandal.
Even though she publicly seeks peace and self-acceptance, she recognizes the media cycle rarely grants a full, clean slate.
She continues to fight for her own "pardon" through both advocacy and a commitment to sobriety and mental health.
