Katie Holmes and the 'revenge' narrative we can't extract her from.

This week, Katie Holmes appeared as the cover star of Glamour magazine.

This meant all the usual things, including a high-fashion photoshoot with chic but unwearable clothing and a flattering cover story to promote her latest project, Rare Objects – an indie film she directs and stars in.

Promotion, magazine covers and profiles are part and parcel of so many celebrities' work. Nothing unusual here, except perhaps the opening paragraphs about the uproar over supposedly trying to bring back the (terrible) dresses over pants trend of the 2000s (she's not, by the way).

So breathe easy about that.

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But what's strange is what happens when these stories, photos and profiles are launched off into the world. Once an editor has hit 'publish' and attracted the eyes of people all across the internet. And the internet starts to react. 

Because people love Katie Holmes.

Or, well, they love the idea of Katie Holmes thriving.

I know this is a weird distinction to make, given how often we lament the existence of 'the unlikeable woman'. The celebrities who, usually for compelling, not-at-all misogynists reasons such as 'I just find her annoying', receive hate for absolutely nothing but also for absolutely everything.

Think Anne Hathaway, before she started wearing Valentino. 

When Holmes' Glamour shoot was published and shared across social media, the reaction included people talking about how they've 'always rooted for her', 'are so glad to see her happy' and 'love seeing her free'.

Then there were the most telling: 'someone check on Tom', 'divorcing Tom Cruise added years to her life', 'so glad she survived and thrived'.

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Holmes isn't deemed an 'unlikeable woman'. In fact, judging by the reaction, she's the complete opposite. She's managed to dodge that particular manifestation of patriarchy.

The response to Holmes is less overtly sexist. It's subtle. 

There's a strange societal reaction to position Katie Holmes just living her life — and especially her successes — as 'revenge'. As if everything she does is a response to her highly documented marriage to Tom Cruise.

In the Glamour interview, Holmes didn't discuss her personal life in the slightest, other than to acknowledge her desire to keep her and Cruise's daughter, 16-year-old (I know! WTF!) Suri out of the public eye.

"What has been really important for me with my daughter, because she was so visible at a young age, is I really like to protect her," Holmes said. "I'm very grateful to be a parent, to be her parent. She's an incredible person."

In response, headlines, tweets and YouTube deep dives headlined things like 'Katie speaks! Did Tom Cruise abandon Suri?' and 'Katie Holmes wants to 'protect' Suri as Tom Cruise still has 'no part' in daughter's life' popped up, garnering hundreds of interactions.

When Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt split, Aniston faced a similar thing – where everything she did was somehow brought back to her ex. The difference there was that the general public didn't see Pitt in the same cartoon villain way it sees Cruise, so she was assigned the even worse 'poor Jen' narrative. 

In contrast, Cruise is an easy villain. I mean, he's undoubtedly ridiculous. He jumped on that couch. He said f**ked up things about Brooke Shields and postpartum depression. He's the poster boy of Scientology.

So rather than 'poor Katie', it's 'you go girl!'

She wasn't 'abandoned', she 'escaped'.

Now, society sees her as 'free' to direct her movies and walk around New York in chic matching cashmere sets.

Even though she and Cruise's relationship ended more than a decade ago. Even though she's had multiple other relationships since then. Even though, though that may be the case, she is also a woman in her own right whose existence does not have to directly relate to a man she knows, even if that man is one of the most famous and mythologised people in the world.

Could it be that Holmes just loves directing movies? And wearing cashmere? 

In lieu of a huge, major, straightforward 'revenge' moment — an Oprah chat, perhaps, or a big ol' bombshell cover story — the public have assigned every little thing she does as an act of defiance.

Holmes has said nothing about Cruise in years.

Why would she? 

Everyone else still does it for her.

Feature image: Getty/Mamamia.