Tabitha Wilson
Fascination with celebrities is hardly a new concept. From what they’re wearing, to who they’ve been spotted with, modern pop culture wouldn’t be complete without a glaring spotlight being shone onto the personal lives of our favourite stars. But are we too obsessed with celebrities, and more specifically, their relationships? When does an innocent interest in who’s dating who cross the line?
Misogyny Towards Stars and Their Partners
A classic example of the obsession with the personal lives of celebrities is that of Taylor Swift. Her songs often discuss her love life and she is commonly perceived as a ‘man-eater’, due to her string of high-profile relationships with the likes of John Mayer, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Tom Hiddleston. Despite Swift having been in a relationship with actor Joe Alwyn since 2016, she still receives heavy criticism and mockery for her past, indicating that there is a misogynistic element to this obsession.
“their partners are held to an unachievable standard”
Another man Swift dated was Harry Styles, who also faced an intense interest in his love life. Some of the strongest criticism came when Styles was dating his director Olivia Wilde, as many fans felt she was too ‘old’ for him and that she had taken advantage of him. For celebrities of Styles’ fame, it seems as though their partners are held to an unachievable standard – will anyone be good enough for him in the eyes of his fans? Or will every person he chooses to publicly date face relentless criticism?
Forming Parasocial Relationships
Phoebe Bridgers and Paul Mescal have also been hitting headlines recently. The couple, who were reportedly engaged at the end of last year, have seemingly split, with photographs of Bridgers and comedian Bo Burnham emerging in the last few weeks. Fans have reacted negatively to this, with many online seeming to have had an almost parasocial relationship with the pair. The notion that one has to take sides is also apparent in this case, with many feeling that either Bridgers or Mescal has to be to blame.
“potentially breach someone’s privacy”
The line between curiosity and obsession has become further blurred with the existence of gossip accounts online. Deux Moi, an anonymous Instagram account, boasts over 1 million followers and regularly posts celebrity sightings and ‘blind items’ (gossip that they have received from a supposedly reputable source). This further shines the spotlight on celebrities and encourages not just the media, but ordinary people, to send in sightings and potentially breach someone’s privacy.
The obsession with relationships can have serious consequences, and this is best shown through the debate surrounding the trial involving Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. The obsession with Depp clouded the public perception of Heard, who was the less well-known and less well-liked, and therefore skewed the public’s perception of the case.
The Role of Social Media
This is, of course, not a new phenomenon. Obsessions with supercouples like ‘Brangelina’ and ‘Bennifer’ captured traditional media attention long before the existence of social media.
But now, with such platforms existing and emerging, an excruciatingly detailed lens into their private lives is added. Even celebrities themselves use social media as a weapon against one another, with rapper Kanye West turning his divorce from Kim Kardashian into a public spectacle by posting intimate details of their turbulent relationship on Instagram.
“be mindful of the content we consume”
It’s important to take a step back and be mindful of the content we consume. It’s natural to be interested in the lives of our favourite stars, but sending them hate, or invading their privacy, is unacceptable. Their love lives have no consequences to our own lives, so it’s time we left them alone, and respected what they choose to share.
Featured image courtesy of Rahul Pandit via Pexels. Image license found here. No changes have been made to this image.
Tabitha Wilson
Tabitha is an MA Journalism student at Sheffield University. She has previously worked as a maritime journalist, and studied politics at Durham University. She enjoys writing about music, culture, and travel.