kiriel123

I am so tired of knowing more than I ever wanted to about famous people.

Like no Youtube, just because I listened to Taylor Swift's new song "Mr Perfectly Fine" doesn't mean I care about Sophie Turner's reaction to it.

Watching a clip of The Descendants ALSO in no way translates to me wanting information on Dove Cameron's and Thomas Doherty's breakup (like the fact that I now KNOW their NAMES is something I did not want).

I do enjoy reading meta and thinking about the meaning behind things - I watched an hour+ interview with Halsey on Youtube about her latest album, Manic, and found the inspiration behind the songs really interesting. I've read author's notes, I'm in two book clubs where we have discussions and bring up things the author has said about certain plot points. Up until last year, I'd consistently been to Dragoncon for 5 years running, and went to panels with actors who talked about how they interpreted a role and what they brought to the creative process. I've watched Taylor Swift's Miss Americana and the Blackpink documentary on Netflix, as well as other behind the scenes and making of videos on youtube. So I do get being interested in what goes into the content I consume. And I also get feeling connected to the source material and wanting to know more about the creator.

But just because I watch/read/discuss these things doesn't mean I actually know them. Even if someone is sharing a vulnerable part of themselves in an interview, they're still in front of a camera, and they're still putting on some sort of front. It's not a dig - the way I act with coworkers in a professional setting and the way I act with friends in a personal setting is different. And it should be because there are different standards and rules in those situations.

But ALSO just because a celebrity/famous person shares talks about something deeply personal doesn't mean we're entitled to know everything about their lives?? Taylor Swift talking about her mom having cancer or her eating disorder doesn't mean we deserve to know other intimate details about her. I remember when Naya Rivera died, all the former Glee cast members made statements on twitter expressing their sadness, and no!!! If a friend or someone close to me dies I don't OWE anyone my grief! I feel like with the advent of social media and the breakdown of the walls between fans and content creators (whether actor, writer, singer,etc) that fans feel like they deserve to be informed of everything that person is feeling or doing at all points.

Now don't get me wrong, there are some things I want to know. Joss Whedon is a serial abuser??? Yes tell me so I can make it a point to not support any new things he's involved with. Britney Spears is stuck in a conservatorship and doesn't have the right to her own assets/money/adult decision? Richard Siken had a stroke and needs support? Ok! Tell me, I'll donate to his gofundme, and support the freebritney hashtag on twitter or whatever else.

But in general I there's a lot of promotional content or interviews out there which are designed to make you like the actor, and this makes sense because the whole purpose is to make you feel connected so you buy/watch/etc whatever is being advertised, and because of this, fans feel like they really know this famous person and also they deserve all the perks that come with being a level 3 friend, when actually we are all at level 1 acquaintance.

But at the same time it's like we almost deify celebrities as being better than us or above us, so when someone makes a mistake, as all humans do, it's instant attack! And again, I'm not referring to like Louis CK sexually harassing women, but if someone does something wrong and then tries to make amends or become better but just gets consistently attacked for the original mistake, they're going to stop trying. And people will keep attacking them because we see these celebrities as gods, and gods aren't supposed to make mistakes. Or else fans will try to justify something their famous person has done which actually has no justification but it has to be ok, because so-and-so is a /good/ person.

I don't know I feel like this post is all over the place, but the theme is basically, celebrities are human beings, they make mistakes and aren't perfect, they don't owe us private information, we don't actually know them, and can the pop culture news stop throwing information about them at us, please and thank you.