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There are many questionable pieces of media you’re bound to come across while scrolling on your feeds in 2026, but one video in particular that I saw a few weeks ago takes the cake for me. Although my level of media literacy failed to identify whether this TikTok is genuine or satire, I ultimately fell to be ragebaited by this creator.
As an avid coffee consumer who consumes at least one of my own iced lattes every day, this creator’s insinuation that a homemade morning iced latte is none other than Hailey Bieber’s original idea succeeded in momentarily triggering me.
When I resolved that it isn’t worth it to be bothered by a random person’s video, I made the connection that this is just one of the many Bieber idolizers that exist exclusively on the Internet to provoke viewers. Ever since her emergence in the public eye from a young age as a “nepo baby” and the wife of heartthrob popstar Justin Bieber, Hailey has set off a multitude of trends that have taken the online world by storm.
From her Rhode skincare empire to the chrome nails trend and her model off-duty style that everyone seems to be replicating on Pinterest, her sense of fashion and beauty rituals seem to have been effortlessly captivated by women everywhere, whether they are fans of her or not.
Hailey’s Golden Touch
There’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration from fashion icons, but there are occurrences that make us realize when this type of influence gets to a point. Last year, there was a trending challenge circulating TikTok where women of all ages attempted to eat sushi with chopsticks while wearing a sheet face mask, singlehandedly sparked by a video of Bieber doing so.
Even if this seemed a bit silly to me, I reasoned this was a trend that let people have harmless fun by sharing girly videos of themselves trying (and often failing) to eat food without ruining their skincare product.
The one trend that truly opened my eyes to the ridiculous nature of people’s blind following of celebrities like Bieber was the response on social media to Rhode’s launch of their own face mask. In this marketing campaign, the name of the company shared images of herself applying the cream mask with a hair comb, instead of her hands or an application tool. Predictably, the response to this unconventional application method was a flurry of videos emerged online of women combing their face masks onto their skin.
Clearly, this way of spreading a face mask is counterproductive as it leaves defined gaps of bare skin on the face which defeat the purpose of indulging in a luxurious self-care ritual. This might seem like the case to a regular person with a working brain, but it seems as though this thought process gets lost in translation as it is passed through the approval of impactful individuals like Bieber.
Even an action as strange and illogical as this, used just for aesthetics for photos of the launch, becomes a “thing” that others pay attention to simply because they admire anything she says or does.
It’s Okay to Fangirl
To be 100% clear, I am in no way coming after being a fan of celebrities and public figures. In fact, my middle school and early high school self, owner of a variety of secret fan accounts, would be offended by that sentiment. Mirroring celebrities is far from being a new concept; trends have easily emanated from the privilege given by publicity for centuries.
There is no issue with being a fan of Hailey Bieber and engaging in healthy activities like buying her skincare or taking inspiration from her style. But there’s a clear difference between being a self-proclaimed fan of someone and parasocially idolizing their every move.
According to Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory, humans learn how to act by observing other people, modeling their behaviors on what they witness and perceive is socially accepted. So, it makes logical sense that people channel what they see others doing into their own lives, such as a food trend or a self-care hack.
It is objectively irrational, however, for people to be going out of their way to copy an action as futile as applying a face mask wastefully — and this is when this “fan” behavior starts to border on being concerning.
The Irony of Her Allure: Hated Yet Impersonated?
If you were keeping up with pop culture since her uprise in the mid-2010s, you might be able to recall at least one of the times where Bieber was flamed by the public. From allegedly stalking and stealing her now-husband and father of her kids to being a social climber, she was judged relentlessly throughout her career. Yet, the hatred she received and still continues to get to this day is no barrier to the amount of admiration and trust that people place in what she deems is right.
This ironic turn of events raises another interesting question: do people listen to those who are criticized more than universally loved?
Case in point: Regina George in Mean Girls and the iconic cutouts in her shirt that were an attempted sabotage, but comically became a trend because she decided to wear it without care for what others might think. People witnessed this and proceeded to imitate Regina out of pure fear; and similarly, others pick up on Bieber’s composed reactions to her backlash, then pay close attention to and copy her every move.
Intentionally or not, Bieber’s chokehold over everyone including “hate-watchers” proves to be an empowering voice of reason towards women. I feel like it takes an impressive level of confidence and autonomy to transform resentment into fear, making them have no choice but to listen to what you have to say.
Amid the worry I feel about people not thinking for themselves, I see Bieber’s ability to turn around her years-long scrutiny into having whatever she says become law is an inspiring product of the power of being an unbothered, secure woman in today’s climate.