Idolizing celebrities is a phenomenon that has exploded especially in the digital age. Parasocial relationships are easy to develop and it is likely that you have found yourself involved in some if you spend any time on social media or in the realm of popular culture.
Personally, Taylor Swift has been my most prominent one, as I was introduced to her during her debut era by my two older sisters. Having gone to all of her tours, and experiencing each of her eras, I do identify as an OG Swiftie.
However, when does celebrity worship go too far? Where is the line drawn when something comes out that they have done bad things? This has been on my mind ever since Ariana Grande’s cheating scandal last year and has additionally been fueled by Taylor Swift and her infamous private jet usage. Are celebrities ever who we think they are? And should we expect them to be?
I think when attempting to answer these questions we should be considering certain factors like the privilege that is associated with their status and wealth, their humanity (including when it is seemingly nonexistent or deeply hidden), and then their overall unique circumstances.
Starting off, it must be taken into account that celebrities have mountains of resources solely due to their ranking in society and income. This becomes a problem once people begin defending their favorite celebrities—when they do something bad—too much and lack the acceptance that they probably could have acted better given their privilege.
In terms of humanity, this is where we can usually give celebrities grace… if well deserved. What I am getting at is that celebrities have a difficult role within society as there is constantly a spotlight being held over them. If they make mistakes or slip up, with their business being intensely magnified, maybe we should be more eager to forgive them since at the end of the day, they are humans just like us. Nonetheless, this sentiment does not apply if they do not make the effort to fix their wrongdoings in a genuine way!
As revealed, there is a tricky spectrum to navigate here. For one, I fully believe that we should take celebrities off their pedestal, at least a few steps. But, at the same time, the pedestal does exist and it has major consequences that should not be pushed aside. So when celebrities express their opinions or perform specific actions that are distasteful, we must call them out and hold them accountable. That is because their actions hold a heightened impact on how the general population views the world.
Bringing these sorts of conversations into a Taylor Swift context is risky as most know that the Swiftie fan base is extremely loyal to her and will go any length to showcase her magnificence, even at another Swiftie’s expense. To preface, I absolutely adore (and essentially always have) Taylor as a person, artist, and humanitarian. Her work is stunningly influential, legendary, and complex. I have supported her through Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, reputation, Lover, folklore, evermore, Midnights, every single T.V. release, and soon to be The Tortured Poets Department.
I will say I hate that I have to emphasize my love and respect for her before critiquing her. Tough love needs to be more normalized not only on a celebrity basis, but in any aspect of life and I truly think that tough love demonstrates real love.
With that being said, Taylor has done bad things, as we all have. Nobody is perfect and doing bad things does not innately make you a bad person. Instead of lying to ourselves, can we please accept when celebrities make poor choices? It is kind of inevitable.
We do not have to worship and stand by every decision that our favorite celebrities make. It is okay to be our own individual, while it is okay to still admire celebs simultaneously. Together, we can make strides as a society to find efficient ways of balancing appreciating celebrities, eliminating toxic cancel culture, giving them opportunities to grow, and not creating our entire personalities around them.
In the end, being that ride or die for someone you have (likely) never met, is a somewhat odd concept. Perhaps, put some of that energy back into bettering yourself and our parasocial relationships can be universally healthy!