It is not unusual to walk into the checkout lane at a Walmart or Super Saver and be greeted by headlines questioning the paternity of Kylie Jenner's unborn child, bemoaning Brangelina's split or calling Taylor Swift a snake.
It is just as common to open Snapchat and see stories about what Kim Kardashian wore to the gym, Gigi Hadid's latest magazine cover or Selena Gomez's most recent outing with The Weeknd and Justin Bieber's reaction to it.
Whether you want to or not, you have probably seen these names plastered on some screen or another, and know certain details about their lives you never needed to know.
The celebrity world mostly consists of people in the industries of music, fashion and TV. But as the general public, instead of following the thing they're famous for — their art — we follow their personal lives.
It's those juicy details and relational drama that really grabs the attention, which begs the question: Why do we care? Tabloids continue to sell because people continue to show that celebrity lives are a significant source of entertainment for them.
This is a problem. First of all, because it is a serious intrusion into the privacy of those who have achieved a certain level of fame. Secondly, because it turns our focus to the wrong thing. And lastly, because it fosters superficiality.
If you were to one day record a stellar, record-topping track and become famous overnight, you would still be the exact same person as you were the day before. You would still be your mother's daughter and your little brother's big sister. You would keep making your coffee too sweet or too strong, retain your deep and utter distaste for large group hangouts and continue to clean as a de-stressing activity.
However, imagine picking up a magazine and seeing a picture of the face you made yesterday when you couldn't get your umbrella to open, paired with an article about your heart being broken by terrible news of some disease you just found out you had.
What a great start to your imaginary, famous-person day. You probably couldn't even grab dinner with a friend, without that friend being the subject of the next day's who-is-the-mystery-man-in-Jane's-life article. And then imagine actually trying to date someone. The pressure would be unbearable.
Following the personal lives of celebrities places the focus on their character, life choices and personal appearance instead of emphasizing their art, creativity and professional moves. This is completely counterintuitive because these people were propelled into fame by their gifts, yet stay famous by leading an exciting and very public personal life.
But their personal lives may never have been all that great. Just because they now produce phenomenal music does not mean they also magically learned how to be a great girlfriend or have a strong opinion on every political issue. Why do we care about their opinion on subjects they are not proficient in? We would not ask a person who has a doctorate in literature to prescribe us medicine for a sore throat.
Lastly, focusing on a celebrity's relationship or outfit of the day fosters a certain superficiality. It suggests that these people are happy and successful because they wear a certain strapped maroon one-piece swimsuit to the beach and pair it with wooden sandals. Obviously, nobody would logically say this makes sense, but nonetheless, that is the implicit message. It also suggests that knowing a lot of information about someone's personal life is the same thing as knowing them personally, which is definitely not the case.
While some could argue celebrities knew exactly what they were signing up for and we shouldn't be bothered by the media's portrayal of them and the various intrusions into their privacy, this is clearly false.
Nobody wants something as personal and painful as a divorce aired out for literally anyone to comment and give an opinion on. Nobody wants to be photographed getting groceries as a new mom with bags under their eyes. It's basic human courtesy.
No one goes into the music or fashion business wanting to be stalked by paparazzi or be photographed during a family beach day.
Not only does this culture hurt celebrities, it hurts those who participate in it. Instead of showing empathy, people criticize or comment. In addition to an increase in judgmental tendencies, our culture reinforces increasingly superficial values, focusing on clothing and appearance.
Take Selena Gomez, who was catapulted into fame at an early age, and who felt "violated" at times by the constant spotlight, especially on her personal life.
Celebrities are just the people who appear in the headlines. They are names widely recognized in popular culture. They are voices who are heard by hundreds of millions of people. If so, perhaps we should reconsider some of the ways we relate to them, and the topics we should discuss concerning their lives.
Zoryana Stepanyuk is a senior English and psychology double major. Reach her at opinion@dailynebraskan.com or via @DNopinion.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar