It has never been easier to feel like we know a celebrity. We see their TikToks, Instagram posts, interviews, podcast appearances, and personal videos from inside their own homes. We know what they wear, who they are dating, what they eat, and even what their morning routine looks like. At some point, following a celebrity stopped being just about liking their movies or music. We began following the person behind the work too. The problem is that we can become so invested in a celebrity that it becomes difficult to separate the person we see online from the person they actually are.
The Celebrity Becomes the Brand
The rise of the It girl is a perfect example of how celebrities have become more than just people we watch on a screen. Certain celebrities become known for a specific lifestyle and/or aesthetic that people want to recreate. Celebrities become associated with products as well. Their clothes become trends, their favorite products sell out and their daily routines become content for millions of people to watch.
Think about how quickly a celebrity’s personal choices can be turned into a trend. A certain coffee order, hairstyle, or style of a sweatshirt can suddenly be everywhere because people want to recreate what they see from someone they admire. We aren’t necessarily trying to copy their career, but are simply trying to relate to their lifestyle.
This is where celebrity culture starts to feel different and problematic, in some ways. Instead of being interested in what a celebrity creates, we become interested in who they actually are. We want to know who they spend time with, what they believe, and the things they do when they are not working. We start following celebrities because we feel connected to them, but it’s important to remember that we only know the version of themselves that they choose to show us.
The problem with this newfound closeness we think we have with celebrities is that we begin to feel like we are entitled to parts of their lives that they never promised to share. People tend to become personally invested in celebrities’ social lives, so when there is a breakup or private family matter, oftentimes their followers will demand answers. Social media makes it easier for fans to comment on and dissect every decision they make, which becomes harmful. The more personal celebrities become with their audiences, the easier it is to forget that there needs to be a boundary between a public figure and a stranger online.Â
Maybe We Don’t Need to Know Them
Celebrity culture is not going away anytime soon, and neither is our access to it. Social media has made it possible for celebrities to connect with fans in ways that previous generations never could. That can be fun and exciting, but we also have to remember that access does not equal intimacy.
We can, and should, admire someone’s style without wanting to become them. We can enjoy an actor’s personality online without assuming we know what they are like in private. Most importantly, we can appreciate someone’s work and lifestyle without having an opinion on every aspect of their life.
Maybe celebrities don’t always need to be completely relatable and overwhelmingly interesting. Maybe we don’t need to turn every famous person into an It girl, a best friend, or a personality we try so hard to see in ourselves. Sometimes, a celebrity should just be a celebrity, and we can just enjoy what they create.
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