Content warning: this article mentions death and substance abuse
With the recent tragic death of former One Direction star, Liam Payne, I was reminded of how dehumanized celebrities are by the general public. As someone who has been a massive 1D fan for the better half of my life, I knew that I was more knowledgeable in Payne’s struggles and hardships than most, but I didn’t think that I would see such massive discourse after his death. Across social media platforms—X, Instagram, TikTok, etc.—I saw so many people saying awful things about Payne and the unfortunate circumstances surrounding his death, and it made me think, why do so many people truly believe that fame is meant to fix everything?Â
As a little kid, I fantasized about one day becoming famous. I desired that one day my name would be a “household name” and millions across the world would know who I am. I would listen to Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars’ song “I Wanna Be A Billionaire” and genuinely want what they talk about in the song. There wasn’t a single part of me that thought that anything could go wrong when every single person in the world knows who you are. However, as I got older and I learned more and more about the effects that fame has had on so many people, I quickly no longer wanted to be a household name.Â
Like I mentioned before, I grew up as a massive One Direction fan who witnessed firsthand their rapid rise to fame. I remember going to the movie theaters to go watch One Direction: This Is Us when it premiered in 2013, only three years after they even became a band. When Zayn Malik departed from the band in 2015, I was heartbroken. I couldn’t understand why he would do this to me and millions of others who found comfort in the band’s music. It wouldn’t be until years later that I finally understood, Malik was facing so much pressure while in the band that he had to get out before something awful happened.
Before his death, Payne has actually been very open about his struggles with drugs and alcohol, both beginning while in the band. It’s very similar to other celebrities that tragically died young: Amy Winehouse, Mac Miller, Anna Nicole Smith, and unfortunately many others. But why is this such a common theme when fame is believed to be the fix to everyone’s problems? Well that is because for the most part, we only get half of the story.Â
Fame has been known to have very negative effects on people’s mental health. The Psychological Care Institute states that there are four common vulnerabilities that people who are famous deal with that can be damaging to their mental health; constant scrutiny, loss of privacy & loneliness, identity crisis, and addiction. When all four of these mix together, they make a cocktail for disaster. Fame sounds cool and amazing until suddenly everything you do is wrong and the entire internet is talking about it. Or when you can’t even go to the grocery store without being bombarded by fans. Or when you can’t even recognize yourself in the mirror because of how much you’ve changed for fame. Or when you are so anxious, depressed, and lonely that you turn to drugs to subside the feeling that you aren’t good enough. These are all things that celebrities deal with and sometimes it’s unfortunately too much.Â
Think about the recent backlash that Chappell Roan has had to deal with since her recent rise to fame. Unlike celebrities of the past, Chappell has been very vocal about how weird she finds it that people believe it’s okay to scream at her on the street just because she’s famous. Or how when she said that she thought it was weird, people suddenly started saying that she didn’t deserve the fame that she has gotten. All Chappell wanted was to be treated like a human being, which she is, and instead, her so-called “fans” acted as if she just kicked their puppy.Â
The parasocial relationships that people have with celebrities is also very bizarre. If I’m completely honest, I’m guilty of it too. But the truth is that we truly never know who celebrities are or what goes on behind the scenes. One of my favorite songs that deals with the topic is “Just Like You” by Louis Tomlinson, also a former member of One Direction. In the song, he reminds us that on the outside, fame looks like the golden ticket, when in reality it is the opposite. At the end of the day, celebrities are humans—like me and you— who deserve to be treated with respect.Â
Liam Payne’s death rattled the world and it’s really unfortunate that he wasn’t the first, nor will he be the last, celebrity to lose their life so early because of the negative effects of fame. While I don’t think that fame will ever go away, after all there will always be movie stars and singers that the public puts on a pedestal, I do think that we can do a better job at treating them with respect. After all, I would hate it if I could no longer go to the grocery store in peace or if I had to overthink every word I say because one slip up could result in the entire world hating me. At the end of the day, it all comes back to the golden rule, if you wouldn’t want someone to treat you that way, why are you treating someone that way?Â