Well I could say this comes as a shock, but it really doesn’t. At 4:13am EST (9:13am GMT) on January 23 Justin Bieber was arrested, with R&B Singer Khalil Sharief in Miami, for driving under the influence and for holding an expired driving licence.
It was reported by TMZ that Bieber, 19, had been clubbing in the early hours of this morning, and left in a rented Lamborghini during his stay in Miami, Florida. The Police arrested Bieber and Sharief after they were caught drag racing in a residential area. During the arrest Police noted Bieber’s eyes were bloodshot and his breath had a strong odour of Alcohol. He has been charged with driving under the influence, driving with an expired license, and resisting arrest without violence. It is rumoured Bieber may have been under the influence of drugs, but this is yet to be confirmed at the time of writing this.
Now I need to state from the start, I am in no way a fan of Bieber, and personally cannot stand him. I do however feel this is yet another example of a public meltdown due to the pressures and stress fans place on celebrities. We have heard it so many times now, from Britney Spears shaving her hair, to Lindsey Lohan and Amanda Bynes abusing drugs for recreational purposes. It has been noted that most public meltdowns have been celebrities whose careers started when they were young. So the question I pose is this: do we as a society expect too much from celebrities?
Bieber has been in the public eye since his song Baby was released on YouTube in 2010. Since then he has been an idol to most teenage girls (and a few guys). He was pulled away from his old school, leaving his friends behind, and given private tutoring, whilst his management team manufactured him into a pop star, with vocal training, dancing practises, song writing, working out with a personal trainer, performing at concerts and so much more.
It doesn’t sound so bad when you first look at this, but really consider how much stress this must have been for a 16 year old boy, especially with the fact that one wrong move could mean thousands of people ridiculing him. I know I would be feeling extremely insecure if this was me, but as a society we expect celebrities to do this for our entertainment. It has become a social normality. You could argue that technically it is a part of their job, and they probably love every minute of what they do, but it must be tough having every move watched by fans and the media, while you are still growing up.
Bieber’s behaviour has changed since the beginning of his career, most notably spitting at his fans from a balcony, taking naked pictures with his guitar, urinating publicly into a bucket and arriving at a concert two hours late. Are we to expect any more erratic behaviour from Bieber? Clearly something is not right. Exactly what is effecting him I can’t say, but he needs to regain some control over his actions. Perhaps Bieber should read Louise’s article on “5 Ways To De-Stress Before Exams” which has some great tips for relaxing!
What do you think about the whole Justin Bieber situation? Do we expect too much from celebrities? Let us know your opinions and thoughts by tweeting us @HerCampusCCCU and make sure you check out all of our other articles!