Let’s face it Collegiettes, we’ve all fallen victims to having a celebrity crush. Whether we like it or not, a good part of our lives are submerged in the entertainment industry and pop culture. When you’re constantly watching and listening to talented and charming celebrities, how can you not be at least a little obsessed with one of them?
I personally don’t think having celebrity crushes is a problem, but sometimes I think we just fawn over the wrong people. Too often people idolize celebrities that are rude, selfish, and offensive. Considering we are so immersed in this industry, I think it’s important that when we begin to obsess over celebrities, we don’t just admire them for their physical appearance and talent, but also for their words and actions outside of their craft.
The perfect example is Fall Out Boy’s lead singer and guitarist Patrick Stump. He is definitely celebrity crush worthy. He’s a crazy talented musician (along with co-writing most of Fall Out Boy’s songs, he also wrote and produced his own solo album and EP, as well as producing music for several other artists, including Cobra Starship and The Cab) and he is also absolutely adorable.
But beyond that, Patrick Stump actually seems like a really good person, maybe even role model material. Seriously, just look at some of the stuff he says and does when he’s not busy singing.
First off, he’s extremely humble. In an interview with absolutepunk.net, Patrick talks about the attention he and his other band members get:
“I think Joe’s underappreciated, I think Andy’s underappreciated, I think Pete’s underappreciated, I don’t think people know how good he is…but if anything, I feel overappreciated. I think Patrick Stump gets enough attention.”
It’s so refreshing to see a lead singer (or just a musician in general) who doesn’t constantly crave the spotlight, take credit for everything, and talk about how much of a genius he/she is. To me, it seems like he really understands how much of a collaborative effort being in a band is and that’s just awesome.
He’s also extremely vocal about his flaws and dedicated to improving himself. In a different part of the same interview, he talks about why he wanted to improve his singing voice:
“There’s something really personal about your voice, where if people talk shit on your guitar, ‘Ugh, he played out of tune,’ etc., you can, in your head, blame it on something else, but when you fuck up with your singing, that’s part of you…So I guess I’m an insecure enough dude that I just went back and really studied and tried to sing better.”
I think when artists are as open with their weaknesses as Patrick Stump is, it really does help fans accept their imperfections and inspire them to work harder on improving them.
But I think the biggest reason as to why Patrick can be a role model is his positive social media presence. If you aren’t following him on Twitter, or read his blog, you’re really missing out. He doesn’t use these platforms to brag about his work and fantastic life as a celebrity; instead he uses them to connect with his fans and treat them as equals. His tweets range from being silly and adorable:
To actually being really insightful:
As for his blog posts, his writing is honest and perceptive. For starters, check out this post he made about how he doesn’t understand why people hate more things than they like.
So, if you’re looking for a new celebrity to swoon over, check out Patrick Stump! He’s a genuinely great guy living in the celebrity universe, and we should start idolizing more people like him. And if you ever need a pick-me-up, just listen to the lyrics of “Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia).” You could be the star, you could shine so bright. You could be your own spotlight.
Happy crushing, Collegiettes!
Photo sources: 1,2,3,4,5 (All Twitter pictures were screencaps taken by the author)