Have George Clooney's past girlfriends used him for publicity?

This conversation from another thread made me think.

LornaDoone wrote:

OofOof wrote:As far as not liking her [Lisa Snowdon] for taking advantage of her relationship with George, since I'm new to following him quite this closely, I have to say, has he been with anyone who hasn't used him for publicity?

Only one I can think of initially would have to be Celine. After the breakup - maybe others used her association with him to try to capitalize on the work she did for them - i.e. the modeling.

But at the moment, can't think of anyone else he's dated seriously that didn't try to make something out of her association with him.

My thought is that pretty much all of them have done to some extent. Even Celine did one of those reality TV shows in France trading off being George's ex. Sarah Larson tried to become a model/TV host/whatever while she was dating him but seemed to drop the idea pretty soon after.

Maybe they all have because they have careers where publicity can make or break you. Even the Real Housewives one spilled the beans when it suited her.

To be fair, I don't know if you can say it's "using him" if they are being contacted or approached by different outlets for work, while dating him. I can't believe that they don't discuss the offers of work being made to them with George beforehand, so why would that be using him, if he agrees they should take any of the offers?

Yes, they're getting exposure that they would never have gotten before dating him but is that a reason to not take the work when it's offered? I've gotten MOST of my jobs in accounting because of a personal connection, through someone I knew who knew about a job opening. My GETTING the job was on me but the "lead" was by association/networking. And I can't think of another profession, other than the one that both George and Stacy are in with more of a "networking/association" dynamic to it.

If you started dating someone and suddenly offers of work started to crop up because of your association to that person and you had discussed it with them and they had no problem with you taking the offers, why would ANYONE turn it down, unless they had a personal reason to not want to be associated with that product or show?

Now instead, if the woman in question had instructed her PR to go around town promoting and marketing them BECAUSE of the relationship, that's quite another story....and most definitely using the association.

But when people approach you because of your significant other on their own and he's okay with it because that's how the business he's in works, how is that perceived as using your partner?

Lighter, have to respectfully disagree with you on this one. Your example of you getting accounting contracts through other clients--the who you know network--seems slightly different to me than what happens with George's GFs. First, accounting is your profession. You're getting those jobs because you are a good accountant with a good reputation. Mr. A likes your work and he tells Mr. B you are wonderful.

In the case of most of the GFs, some of them seem to have been women who were not in show biz at all--cocktail waitresses and club bunnies. Then there are the ones who are related in some way--lingerie models, wrestler, tv commercial actress, tv hostess in Italy,reality show participant, and according to this site, soft porn star. All of them seem to have one thing in common; they have all used their relationship with him to try and up their fame quotient.

Please don't misunderstand me. I don't fault them at all. They're trying to make a living. But, I doubt very much most of them would hook up with George if he wasn't famous and they thought he could do something for them.

The people who hire you, based on past associations, are not hiring you because of who you're dating. They're hiring you because Mr A told Mr B you were the best Acct. he'd ever had. they're hiring you because you're good at your profession. To be crass; they're not hiring you because of who you're sleeping with...although your husband may be the hottest guy in town!

Isn't the real question has George Clooney's used his girlfriends for publicity?

I think George runs the show and if you do not play be George's rules, Bye, Bye.

Henway, sadly I think you may be right. His GF choices do get him publicity, even when he's not in the public eye. And, I think because he's always had his pick of whomever he wants, he probably gets exactly what he wants in the relationships. I have never been able to stick with men who tried to run my life. I ended up resenting them and I know I completely infuriated them! Don't know how the GF's do it frankly.

Very good point, Henway. New thread anyone?

OofOof, I kind of agree with your point about Lighter being hired because she's a professional accountant, but the same could be said of his girlfriends. His girlfriends are getting jobs as models, product spokespeople, the occasional acting role and so on (both Stacy and Elisabetta had had roles in films long before they met George).

All of that stuff seems to be what they're qualified to do and they get the job because they're perfectly adequate at doing it. It's not like they're being given massively important jobs that require years of study and training to carry off - for example, Meryl Streep isn't worrying about losing out a role to Stacy Keibler.

There seems to be no shortage of pretty but talentless women floating around Hollywood, all doing these sort of jobs. Lighter gets hired because she's good at what she does and so do George's girlfriends: when there's a need for a talentless bimbo, they get the part.

My point is actually that in their particular profession, networking is essential and almost indispensable to getting ahead in the entertainment business, so I don't see how they are "using" him. That is essentially how the business works there, so then everyone is "using" everyone else in Hollywood if that's the standard you're applying.

Yes, I had the skills necessary to do my job well, therefore word of mouth worked quite well for me and I didn't need to look for new clients when I had my own booking service in LA and then later here in Illinois when I started back doing public accounting. But so do a lot of people in many different professions and they excel "if" they network more easily than if they have to go it alone without personal contacts. Does that invalidate the accomplishments of someone who used "networking" to flourish?

Edited to add: I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you or anyone in the "gf of" position finds themselves being approached by advertisers or better still, being at parties or events with every powerhouse in the business right there in your "purview" are you telling me the "gf of" should pass on any advantage for work she may encounter by virtue of "being in the right place, at the right time"? Who would do that, when these are single women who have "careers" of sorts anyway and are responsible for their own well being?

Totally agree Lighterside that they should take advantage of his position in Hollywood. My point was that I sadly think a lot of the reason they're with him is because of what he can do for their "careers.". And, many of them don't seem to have been in the business until they hooked up with him. Again, don't get me wrong. More power to them for using him to jumpstart or promote their careers. The question was have George's past girlfriends used him for publicity and my answer was yes!

Hell, I think some of his friends use him for publicity...the Crawfords for example.

And, many of them don't seem to have been in the business until they hooked up with him.

I'm confused about "the many" girlfriends you're talking about that weren't connected to his business. Celine and Sarah fall into that category but none of the others do.

Celine was a waitress in France when they met yes, and he moved her here and she didn't take advantage of her relationship with him until much later, it was years after they were done unless I'm mistaken, when she was on that celebrity reality show. Sarah Larson was also a waitress and still is today but they are the only two.

You can't say Elizabetta or Stacy weren't in the entertainment business prior to their connection to George and Lisa has had a career long before and after George on her own talent and merit. Krista was in the business also such as it was, as well as most of his exes prior to her are all actors themselves....so again, networking is a normal part of that business.

Guess I was thinking of all those short timers...the Lucys and other girls he picked up in clubs, according to this site.

Would agree that the others were in the entertainment biz before but don't think any were very well known prior to their affiliation with him. I had never heard of Stacy, Eli, Lisa or Krista. Talia, Renee and Kelly I'd heard of and think of as really being in the biz. Lisa sounds like she was a glamour model and had begun getting into the business more seriously when she met him, but let's face it, she hosts a radio show now, albeit, I'm sure a very popular show.

To return to the question, have past girlfriends used him for publicity, with the exception of Celine, it seems the answer would be a resounding yes.

I think the word "used" is giving some of us trouble. The women he has dated that were in the entertainment field were not that well known. For every available hosting job there are many available ladies. IMO being TGFO has the advantage of getting her name and face out there. I don't think the opportunities would be as frequent or as lucrative if the lady was not attached to G.

My first reaction would be to jump at the chance to date George. But it doesn't seem that many of these women come out of being the GF of better off. Maybe for a bit, than they go back to being who they were, which is a disappointment to all, or they want to forget they had ever dated George. IMO it's not because being with George was bad, it's because of the expectations of the public, and how we feel.

As a matter of fact
it´s just the other way around

His girlfriends might have used George for their own publicity, but he seems to be okay with that. Otherwise, Stacy would be gone by now and EC would not have lasted that long.
Also, he could easily chose a woman who is happy with a career that doesn't take place in public and who neither wants nor needs him to promote her career.
So, I think the only one to blame here is George himself.

Hello little cute bear !

All of his girlfriends have gained recognition after him. But who can blame them? Make hay while the sun shines. I know he's a kind hearted person and wants them to gain success, but, let's face it the main requirement for his choices is that they be pretty arm candy with a little risque thrown in. That makes it interesting and throws some of the limelight off him.

Hi cute bear .

What I was trying to say on the other thread was that even though she has gotten some recognition and more fame she hasn't gotten as much as she could have because he is not like other celebrities. If she were dating someone like Ryan Seacrest she would have had much more exposure. He is always being seen either on vacation or out and about with his gf. RS doesn't do all red carpets with her and she doesn't with him but there is still a sense of togetherness about them. Again I think I am explaining this badly --- yes SK has more visibility but with another A lister she might have gotten more.

I'm sure "A-Listers" will stand in a row to please Mylady after the split from George.

All of his girlfriends have benefitted in some way from dating him. I think that's just the nature of the beast and I can't see how anyone could stop it.

If your job entails being highly visible (which is true for most of his GFs) and you're dating an a-list movie star, there's no way to avoid the extra publicity.

I think George is well aware of that. He - more than anyone posting here - knows that this is how the game is played and if he's fine with it, then I'm not sure why it keeps being seen as a bad thing by fans. If he weren't fine with it, then he wouldn't keep dating this type of woman who has a "career" in "entertainment".

Im with Henway. i think george is using his fame to date hot young women just as much as hot young women are using him for his fame.