Living within a culture that values fame and stardom, celebrities enjoy followership, attention, and admiration from their fans. It is not surprising that the appreciation of a famous person’s work may expand to include interest in their lifestyle and the desire to emulate it. Coincidentally, it is often the most pliable, impressionable people – children, adolescents, and young adults – who make up the majority of celebrity fanbases. In their blind adoration for a favorite star and during the life period where finding mentorship is of high importance, they often choose celebrities as role models. The question arises as to whether famous people should indeed have a responsibility to lead by a good example or be allowed the freedom to make any choices, no matter how morally questionable they are. This essay argues that while legally, celebrities have the right to live their lives as they see fit, from a moral standpoint, they should be aware of their leverage and use it to meet higher ends.
One of the reasons why celebrities should pay attention to their image and reputation now more than ever is the rise of social media. Previously, even though celebrities were in the limelight of public attention, the speed at which the information would spread was slow. Readers and viewers only had news highlights, occasional documentaries, and magazine stories to learn about their idols. The Internet and social media changed the situation dramatically as now a single post can gain millions of views in a matter of hours. At the same time, fans now become even more intimate witnesses to the previously private parts of celebrities’ lives. This level of access is only one click away, which explains their massive followership. According to Clement (2019), the most popular Instagram accounts belong to celebrities. The football player Cristiano Ronaldo is followed by 238 million people, the pop singer Ariana Grande – 203 million, and the makeup mogul Kylie Jenner – 196 million. Famous people have never been as visible as they are today, which gives them an unprecedented amount of leverage.
Furthermore, researchers observe record social media use rates among young people who, as explained previously, are the most impressionable and malleable demographic. Clement (2019) reports that the majority of the global Internet users who use social media to keep up with and follow celebrities are young people. On the Internet, celebrities reach a whopping 72% of users aged 16-24 and 64% of individuals between 25 and 34 years old. Aside from teenagers’ inclination to seek role models, such figures can also be explained by the demographic’s increased activity on social media as compared to people in other age groups. Orben (2020) synthesizes evidence gathered over the last ten years and reports that between 69 and 90% of teenagers aged 13-17 have at least one social media account. While the healthy recreational screen time is no more than two hours, teens easily spend up to seven hours per day on their gadgets (Orben, 2020). Taking all these points into consideration, it is safe to assume that it is young people who celebrities reach on the Internet the most.
The youth of today does not just admire celebrities – they are seeking to mimic their habits and adopt their values. Young people are not yet set in their ways, and as they do the necessary soul-searching, it is the lifestyle of the rich and famous that often becomes their North star. In part, this process is natural as the onset of puberty is often marked with a young person’s departure, if not an active rejection of their parent’s authority. While youth turn to peers for approval, they choose celebrities as the often unattainable but desired ideal. Gergely (2017) discusses this phenomenon from the standpoint of the social learning theory put forward by the renowned psychologist Bandura. According to the social learning theory, a person acquires new behaviors through observing and imitating others (Gergely, 2017). Among other things, observational learning is persistent due to its efficiency and “time effectiveness.” As Gergely (2017) puts it, an observation often occurs instead of experimentation. Thus, youth lives vicariously through celebrities and may later make similar choices if they are happy with the perceived outcomes of their lifestyle.
Having said that, it is important to note that celebrities are responsible for the normalization of many behaviors that may have been perceived as unusual or unwanted some time ago. It is not a secret that celebrities set beauty trends that their followers, especially females, try to emulate. Such trends range from innocuous such as nail design or haircuts to extremely invasive, potentially unhealthy, and posing a danger to one’s mental and physical health. Jung and Hwang (2016) find that North American female mass media consumers are especially vulnerable to social “crazes.” The researchers name TV shows such as Keeping Up With the Kardashians and its stars as some of the most influential trendsetters. In the absence of any tangible talent, they are known for their endless beauty transformations and surgical enhancements, which is interpreted by viewers as a predisposition, if not key, to success.
From the standpoint of the social learning theory, their viewers do socialize through TV stars. They take note of rewards and punishments following particular choices and behaviors. For instance, the family’s youngest member, Kylie Jenner, came into prominence after using the infamous lip fillers to give her lips a fuller look (Jung & Hwang, 2016). Though the makeup mogul denied all accusations, it soon became obvious that she owed her makeover to cosmetic interventions. Jung and Hwang (2016) cite a source that reports a 50% increase in lip filler requests from cosmetology clients. Similarly, the number of buttock lifts surged by 86%, potentially owing its popularity to some of the Kardashian family members. In other words, celebrities inspire fans to pursue their fabricated ideas and resort to making unnecessary changes, some of which may as well be permanent.
Indeed, celebrities’ influence has not only an immediate but also a long-term effect on many aspects of society. In recent years, celebrities have become more political than ever, especially in highly polarized Democratic countries such as the United States. If previously, entertainers chose to only speak out about their art, fashion choices, and personal life, today they make bold statements and are not afraid to share their views. Furthermore, those who abstain from making their position clear may be labeled apathetic and indifferent. It seems that celebrities have the potential to make a difference in the political arena: 11% of people admit that their endorsement can influence their choice of candidates (Zilinsky et al., 2020). Zilinsky et al. (2020) discovered that celebrities’ political endorsement did not lower followers’ engagement. Fans were not annoyed with political posts – it is quite the opposite. As observed by Zilinsky et al. (2020), political messages either cheerleading one candidate or criticize the other would lead to a surge in reposts. To recapitulate, celebrities do impact their fans’ political choices, which, in turn, shapes the political situation on a larger scale.
One should point out that celebrities’ influence is not inherently positive or negative as the only definite fact is its undeniable existence. While previously, this essay focused on the rather dismal side of the celebrity culture, it is important to counterweight it with the positive examples of famous people being role models. Bridging the gaps of social inequalities is one of the things that celebrities can and should do by either directly contributing to a cause or existing as a lived example of overcoming adversity. In their paper, Adamson and Kelan (2019) focus on the issue of gender equality and, in particular, poor female representation in the business field. The scholars single out women who they refer to as “female heroes.” Their key characteristics are their “confidence to jump over gendered barriers, control in managing these barriers, and courage to push through them (Adamson & Kelan, 2019, p. 986).” According to Adamson and Kelan (2019), the same leadership behaviors in men and women are interpreted differently. The autobiographical narratives of female executives can give girls the perceived permission to act out their ambitions. Undoubtedly, when given such enormous leverage, celebrities should utilize it to meet higher ends and address meaningful causes.
Surely, one may say that celebrities are not the main agents of socialization, and therefore, their influence may be so minuscule, it might as well be negligible. This statement is not completely wrong as people and systems do influence the lives of young people to a varying degree. The social learning theory presents a hierarchy in which family and community are seen as the most influential, followed by the peer group, and only then by agents such as the media. However, what should not be overlooked is the rise of the media and stardom in the last two decades as compared to the time when the social learning theory was first introduced. Gergely (2017) provides supporting evidence for this claim as well as highlights the importance of role models for teenagers. The researcher reports that between 2012 and 2016, the share of teenagers that had a person that they held as ideal increased from roughly 50% to 75%. One-third of participants named a celebrity, which included athletes, singers, actors, models, and others, as their role models. Therefore, while the media is not the only influence, its leverage cannot be dismissed.
Another popular rebuttal to the points made in this essay is the appeal to autonomy and self-agency in humans. Truly, being an independent thinker is a rewarding path to choose and a protective factor against many harmful decisions. Fans of celebrities have the freedom to decide for themselves whether they want to blindly follow the trends or be their people. To a certain degree, this argument is solid, and yet, it dismisses an important fact grounded in biological reality. Sherman et al. (2018) argue that the teenage and young adult brain cannot be compared to the brain of a more mature person. In particular, scholars point out that the younger adolescent brain is highly sensitive to affect and reward processing. Youth react more sharply to social rewards and cultural cues and let them drive their behavior and moderate their decision-making. These processes are inevitable because such social learning and attunement to one’s surroundings are important for transitioning into adulthood. Hence, young fans can exert control over themselves only to a certain extent, leaving them vulnerable to the dangers of toxic celebrity culture.
The logical question arises as to how much autonomy celebrities should have to make personal choices. It is argued that behind their public mask, they are humans like everyone else and should have the right to live their lives as they see fit. Surely, by law, they are granted such freedoms: they can marry, buy property, start and end careers, develop businesses, and do many other things. However, the situation becomes much more nuanced and complex than that when celebrities make a profit off or cause harm by telling lies or misrepresenting products or services. For example, some time ago, weight loss tea was largely advertised on Instagram by celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Iggy Azalea, Cardi B, and a few others. They insisted on the miraculous effects of the beverage and the effortless weight loss. In the meantime, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2015) warns consumers against such products, stating that they are primarily diuretics and laxatives with a host of side effects. Thus, celebrities’ rights should end where regular people’s rights begin, and those are the rights to truthful and complete information.
Lastly, the negative impact of celebrity culture is not occasional, local, or sporadic. It is profound, and it shapes society in such ways that consequences are hard to overcome. Srivastava et al. (2018) name mass media as one of the key drivers behind the mental health crisis in the West. Celebrities show the idealized version of their life that is not attainable nor even existing in the real world. By comparing themselves to celebrities, regular people may develop inadequate expectations of themselves, careers, relationships, and the world on the whole. In turn, depression and anxiety are social ills that hurt economic growth, the integrity of communities, and put a heavy burden on health care. To think, celebrities are not only setting trends in beauty and fashion – they are among those who steer the direction in which society evolves or regresses.
Rising to prominence means increased public scrutiny where every personal choice a celebrity makes, be it family, financial, social, or political, receives wide media coverage. Due to the rise of social media, regular people become an almost intimate witnesses to the inner workings of a celebrity’s life well beyond their artistry and official public appearances. It is not surprising that fans adopt celebrities’ values, try to emulate their lifestyle, and even have medical procedures to look like their idols. Famous people’s influence extends to political and social matters as now they more openly endorse or criticize candidates. Coincidentally, it is the most pliable and sensitive demographic – teenagers and young adults – who are reached and affected by celebrities the most. Given the leverage that famous people have over the future generation, they need to take more responsibility for the image they are translating and the values they promote. Their freedom to self-expression ends where the rights of their followers begin, and the latter deserves to receive reliable information and stay in good mental and physical health.
References
Adamson, M., & Kelan, E. K. (2019). ‘Female heroes’: Celebrity executives as postfeminist role models. British Journal of Management, 30(4), 981-996.
Clement, J. (2019). Share of internet users worldwide who use social media to keep up with and follow celebrities as of 1st quarter 2018, by age group. Statista.
Gergely, O. (2017). The beautiful stranger – Szekler teenagers’ role models. Acta Universitatis Sapientiae Communicatio, 4, 93–107.
Jung, J., & Hwang, C. S. (2016). Associations between attitudes toward cosmetic surgery, celebrity worship, and body image among South Korean and US female college students. Fashion and Textiles, 3(1), 1-14. Web.
Sherman, L. E., Greenfield, P. M., Hernandez, L. M., & Dapretto, M. (2018). Peer influence via Instagram: Effects on brain and behavior in adolescence and young adulthood. Child development, 89(1), 37–47.
Orben, A. (2020). Teenagers, screens and social media: A narrative review of reviews and key studies. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 1-8. Web.
Srivastava, K., Chaudhury, S., Bhat, P. S., & Mujawar, S. (2018). Media and mental health. Industrial psychiatry Journal, 27(1), 1–5. Web.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2015). Beware of products promising miracle weight loss. Web.
Zilinsky, J., Vaccari, C., Nagler, J., & Tucker, J. A. (2020). Don’t Republicans tweet too? Using Twitter to assess the consequences of political endorsements by celebrities. Perspectives on Politics, 18(1), 144-160.