Swifties, Little Monsters, Beyhive, Beliebers, Hiddlestoners, Katycats ... our obsession with celebrities is silly and harmful
Being a fan of something is fine. But is there a 'too much'?Many teenagers are addicted to celebrities, such as musicians, actors, sports stars ... the list goes on. There are both pros and cons, but I’d like to discuss two disadvantages to this trend.
Firstly, it’s a waste of one’s money and time. Being a superfan means you have to buy the celebrity merchandise, such as concert tickets, CDs, and clothes. It’s a way of showing one’s love and dedication, but it’s nonsense.
What’s worse, teenagers become very competitive and compare products, knowledge, or whatever gives them the upper hand.
Some fans even wait all day long just to catch a glimpse of their idols. It’s unnecessary.
Secondly, this kind of celebrity worship could really affect one’s mental and physical health. Some celebrities do bad things, such as take drugs, drink too much alcohol, or become involved in shady activities.
Fans react emotionally when they find out about these incidents and often feel betrayed. Some end up destroying celebrity products or vowing to never pay any attention to their idol.
If that’s not bad enough, fans who still believe in the celebrity may view their actions as acceptable, and may imitate them.
While it’s nice to have someone to look up to, I think extreme admiration is dangerous.
Kelly Wong, STFA Tam Pak Yu College
From the Editor
Thanks for your letter, Kelly. There’s nothing new about being addicted to celebrities. That’s been going on ever since we discovered “teenagers”. But what you say is true; many teens invest a lot of emotion, time and effort into their idols. And, when things do go wrong, they feel bad – there might be tears and anger.
But, do we go through life expecting never to be disappointed? Do we think we are so perfect that we’ll never make a mistake or regret some action? Of course not! We need to learn to take the bad and the good, not just focus on what might be bad. While celebrities might cause some negative emotions, they also cause a lot of positive ones. Many use their star power to do good in the world and bring an immense amount of pleasure to teens.
Teenage years are difficult because they are a time of great change, physically, mentally and emotionally. If we learn the feeling of disappointment through our idols, we will become stronger. Next time we face disappointment, we can look back at that time we cried ourselves to sleep because One Direction broke up, and understand that the feelings do not last forever.
What’s more, we can use the joy we get from listening to our idols’ music or watching their movies to energise, and hopefully use that energy to achieve something meaningful. So go, enjoy!
Susan, Editor