by Emma Jean, Staff Writer
It’s easy to feel like we know celebrities. We see them through our screens more often than some relatives, receive constant digital updates on their existence, and can access details of their lives fairly easily. All of this exposure can lead to shock and defensiveness when these people aren’t as they appear.
Dua Lipa and the Kardashian-Jenners attend pandemic party after party, the Woody Harrelsons of the world spread conspiracy theories, and predators like Chris D’Elia harass minors from verified accounts, to name a few façade-breaking acts. Waves of fans inevitably arrive online to defend each one of these celebrities because they truly believe they know these people, and that the rest of us just don’t get it. The truth is, the public doesn’t know celebrities at all, and it’s time that we stop pretending we do.
Any glimpse of their life is filtered through layers of expensive publicists and lawyers until the audience sees exactly what these professionals want. Even when it seems otherwise, like in the case of these pictured COVID-19 parties, it still reflects a larger carelessness. So what if it gets leaked? Fines mean nothing to the rich. Worst-case scenario, sponsorship deals fall away for a few months until publicists and brands collectively decide their clients can make money again.
The problem isn’t that the punishments aren’t harsh enough, it’s that the world has agreed celebrities are immune to practicing decency. The public has decided that maintaining celebrities’ status as modern gods is better than making sure they don’t cause harm. That doesn’t just mean elevation in the public eye; it’s elevation in every way. Even if one of these stars gets COVID-19, they’ll likely receive the best healthcare money can buy while the workers maintaining their lives aren’t afforded that luxury. This is the case on film sets, particularly in the COVID-19 epicentre of Los Angeles, where low-level workers are forced to risk contact with the virus in order to keep making a living.
This isn’t to say that having some sort of parasocial relationship with celebrities is always bad. Having someone to be happy for without dealing with the complexity of a relationship can be comforting. It’s just wise to be aware that what we see is part of a carefully constructed image, often tied to the profitability of commercial brands and production deals. If celebrities are less savoury than who they pretend to be, their fans or the public don’t have a duty to defend them. With no truthful transparency to draw from, what is there to defend?
That being said, emotionally cutting ties with public figures can sting. For example, one of the most public reckonings from the pandemic involved Ellen DeGeneres. Her non-existent communication to existing staff during COVID-19 swept a workplace culture of sexual harassment and intimidation into the public eye. Growing up, I watched The Ellen DeGeneres Show every morning before school. I credit her presence as an out lesbian as a big part of my own self-acceptance and realization of my own feelings towards women. Knowing that the person who gave me that freedom had harmed so many people hurt. But it felt better to acknowledge who she really was than to hold onto a false belief in her crafted persona. Though I already knew Ellen wasn’t the warm, sunny person she portrayed herself to be, it still felt like a blow.
However, with great power, comes great privilege. Ellen spent her career telling people to be kind while doing the exact opposite behind the scenes, but it doesn’t always have to be that way. Celebrities have used their immense privilege to fund projects that amplify underrepresented voices without any press motivation, taken risky and bold public stances in the name of justice that resulted in career ruin, and called out the entertainment industry itself to make it better for those who come after them. If that public privilege can be used to make a dignified entertainment industry, the system can move beyond idolatry into a more equitable, humane form of mindless fun.
Powerful and wealthy celebrities are ultimately not the public’s friends. It’s part of their job to make it feel like they are, and the most well-known ones are the best at it. Those same people, however, get to live by a completely different set of rules than anyone else as long as they keep up that charade. The harm that comes from this power means that they’re not worth our screen time.
