Celebrities are taking advantage of you
The idolization of celebrities encourages the public to blindly support highbrow individuals that often have few redeeming character qualities, at times frequent occurrences of being “canceled” or do not ever seem to be held accountable for their actions. When we glorify celebrities, we treat them as if they can do no wrong, as if they are gods who cannot face punishment or answer for their actions; putting celebrities on a pedestal is very dangerous for all parties.
The public builds this image of what a celebrity should be or how they should act based on their talent and status, fantasizing about this glamorous, luxurious lifestyle. This romanticization of fame leaves the public to develop bonds with celebrities that don’t actually exist. The online tendencies to call celebrities their parent figure or fantasize about being in relationships with them is unhealthy and speaks to how the public tends to project themselves into this lifestyle in unrealistic or shallow ways.
The standard to which we hold celebrities to then often does not translate too kindly to tumultuous situations. Celebrities who get caught up in “cancel culture” or legal situations are usually able to bounce back with a grace the public often does not even afford one another. With the grasp celebrities have on society, it is no surprise that public feedback can be supportive, then harsh, and back to its normative stasis suddenly, fluctuating within a matter of sometimes just a week.
We have to recognize that we are not entitled to every minor detail about celebrities and their private lives. The image that fanbases build has made us feel entitled to every little detail of ‘beef’ between celebrities like Cardi B and Nicki Minaj or Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo. When conflict between celebrities becomes public, fans begin to clash, resulting in harmful comments towards one another and even escalating the situation further through the “doxxing” or swatting of others. Currently, we are surrounded by tabloids exposing the private lives of celebrities, their failures and successes alike, and it seems like there is no escape from witnessing all that is happening in their lives.
The extreme use of social media is a serious issue. When it comes to “cancel culture,” it almost never lasts long enough for people to remember it. “Cancel culture” results in the “cancellation” or withdrawal of support for a business, public figure, or celebrity for often a short time, but does not typically go on to have lasting effects. Rumors and accusations are thrown around loosely and fans will vilify those accused of wronging their “fav,” regardless of whether they know the full story or not. Public figures and celebrities like Janet Jackson, Mo’nique, Kanye West, and Kim Kardashian have had their private debacles ousted to the public for ridicule and entertainment in notable and continual ways.
Issues that most definitely need to be addressed though, like criminal offenses, are barely spoken about and often disregarded based on who is being exposed. Celebrities are capable of committing wrong but are not as susceptible to facing similar punishments to the general public. It is important for us to separate ourselves from the ideas we create and hold celebrities accountable when necessary.
We invest too much of our time into the lives of people who may never see us beyond a username on a screen or a number for their “followers” statistic. The obsession with knowing a celebrity's personal life is affecting how we assess them compared to the other everyday people around us. Escaping into media, celebrity drama, and pop culture can be entertaining and a good way to distract ourselves, however, we still have to take responsibility for how much influence we allow celebrities' lives to have upon our own.
Thumbnail photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons