By Tasnim Oyshi
Correspondent
The term ‘cult of celebrity’ is defined as “the tendency of people to care too much about famous people,” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. This phenomenon has existed since the ancient Greek time period in which “the earliest known celebrities were politicians, performers and athletes,” according to Columbia Magazine.
Inventions like cameras, the internet and social media have propelled the concept of a ‘celebrity’ to new levels of fame. Through this, not only have the fanbases of celebrities grown, so has the interest in, as well as the access to, their lives. In the modern era, singers, actors and social media influencers dominate much of the media and trends we consume today.
The extensive power celebrities have gained over the public can be utilized for good when they use their popularity to promote charities or speak out against injustice. This can easily bring awareness to ongoing problems in the world, and millions of fans of such celebrities can attempt to help solve them. Angelina Jolie and America Ferrera are two actors who are well-known and admired by fans for being advocates of women’s rights, education, conservation and more.
The effects, however, are just as powerful when a celebrity’s intentions are not so moral. Many still remember the unhealthy ‘heroin chic’ body of the 1990s that left women recovering from body dysmorphia for years to come. By the late 2010s and early 2020s, the Kardashian-Jenner family emerged with the body trend of ‘slim thick,’ and this became the new standard women would have to live up to, according to Garnet & Black Magazine.
Only recently have women on the internet started to show acceptance towards their bodies only for the ‘heroin chic’ look to attempt a comeback with models like Bella Hadid gaining fame for their bodies. In 2022, it had gotten to the point where TikTok had to ban the hashtag #thinspo, according to the New York Post.
Promoting such non-inclusive and harmful standards not only destroys women’s self-esteem and objectifies their bodies, but also sets up dangerous social expectations that every woman should look the same and lose their individuality.
With their ability to impact the lives of so many, it’s unquestionable that celebrities have too much influence over the general public. This influence can make them nearly untouchable and they can often get away with controversial behavior at best and crimes at worst until it is too late.
For example, the #MeToo movement of 2017 exposed over 200 men in power for sexual harassment, according to New York Times. Many were big names in Hollywood like Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby.
Just this year, the general opinions on several celebrities have gone downhill with many facing controversies and accusations like Blake Lively, Jennifer Lopez, and P Diddy, according to Prestige.
These celebrities ruled their respective career paths before their indecencies were revealed. Being successful and loved by the public gave them the power to carry out their heinous actions with no repercussions until recent years, by which point too many had been hurt by them. This brings up the question of how many more celebrities are yet to be unmasked and therefore, can continue to partake in such behaviors, or worse, in secrecy.
Like everyone else, celebrities are nuanced and not just the amiable and approachable characters they brand themselves as. The brands they curate for themselves can also be used to take advantage of their own fans.
Celebrities like Lively, Kylie Jenner and more have come out with businesses in makeup, drinks and more. They understand that as long as they have adoring fans, they can expect the fans to buy their products no matter the quality or price in the name of support.
One example is Jenner's makeup brand, Kylie Cosmetics, which has priced many products over $20 and even faced backlash in 2017 for releasing 16 makeup brushes for $360. Despite such high prices, Kylie Cosmetics fails to deliver in quality, having faced multiple controversies in the past including packaging issues, as well as selling eyeshadows that smell of paint and chemicals.
Celebrities’ reliance on fan support, along with collaborations and promotions with other brands, encourages excess consumerism, which in turn, causes pollution, and waste, and even affects social class, according to Investopedia.
In today’s world, the number of people who worship celebrities is well within the millions and more likely, billions. The amount of time the public spends on admiring, hating or yearning for the lives of famous people is surely uncountable.
It doesn’t help that social media and television allow, and even encourage, an infatuation with celebrities with the amount of content they produce. This ‘celebrity worship’ behavior has become a norm in recent years, and what started as the public’s initial and rather harmless fascination with celebrities has intensified to a state of preoccupation too obsessive to call healthy.