“Sydney Sweeney Wore Angelina Jolie’s 2004 Oscars Dress to the Vanity Fair Party,” or “Harry Styles enjoys a stroll in the sunshine with a pal in New York after ex-bandmate Zayn Malik released his long-awaited new single.”
These convoluted, yet insignificant headlines have been circulating on the internet, but hidden behind them are the underrepresented stories deserving of the world’s attention that are falling just shy of the spotlight.
Celebrity infatuation has become a focal characteristic of conversations shared by Americans in recent years, denoting a major shift from discussions of personal lives or feelings regarding current events. Junior Estelle Treiber sees these types of conversations wherever she goes. “Gossiping is just a part of American culture at this point. We always want to talk about someone else and what they’re up to, like how Timothee Chalamet gained weight, or Zendaya might be engaged. We do this instead of facing our own life,” she explained.
At first, people were doing this as a form of escapism from the chaos in the world. But, the apparent need to obsess over the lives of celebrities has only grown in recent years, and has surpassed just the instinct to escape from one’s reality. Celebrities are not unfamiliar with the almost cult-like followings they’ve found on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, creating an entirely false sense of intimacy with fans. This phenomenon of parasocial relationships between fans and celebrities has evidently deluded the priorities of many Americans amidst their obsessions with the latest movie star, singer or influencer.
But along with this fascination comes a disconnection from reality.
Social media provides a space for otherwise “normal” people to step outside of their own lives and into a narrative that fits their fantasies. Rather than serving as authentic role models, celebrities work to maintain images that are meticulously crafted and presented solely for dissemination through mass media. As the audience members, social media consumers are spoon-fed these images, choosing to stay in an imaginary world of perfection and remain ignorant of reality.
Hollywood’s biggest stars gathered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the Oscars on March 10, 2024, dressed in gowns and suits worth thousands, and jewelry worth even more. The Oscars did not disappoint fans this year, with performances from stars like Billie Eilish and Ryan Gosling making the event one of the most talked about of the year. Fans watched in awe as their favorite celebrities interacted, and on the internet they fawned over the most trivial interactions and comments during the red carpet and event. Tiktok pages were dedicated to rating Oscar looks and accessories, and debates circulated about who should have won in each category, who was the best dressed and more.
Just outside of the illustrious event, however, a different scene played out, displaying a dramatic dichotomy of American values.
Protestors had flooded the streets outside the theater, calling out Hollywood’s “support of the U.S.-funded Palestinian genocide in Gaza,” according to CNN Despite the tragic war in the Middle East, the media made their priorities clear by centering its coverage on the red carpet, rather than the active rally right outside the doors.
Senior Ishi Patel watched the Oscars, but recognized the hypocrisy of both the viewers and celebrities. “People applauded Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell for wearing red pins in support for Palestine, but failed to acknowledge the plethora of other activism for the cause. Eilish was seen drinking Starbucks the very next week, a company known to fund Israel,” she stated.
Celebrity worship has been taken to a new level, with fans speculating and obsessing over every mundane post or quotation from a celebrity. The most talked-about relationship of 2024 between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift has gained an intense following recently, bringing to light the emerging culture of celebrity worshiping. Regardless of what mainstream media and influencers have made people believe, fans struggle to realize that their lives remain unaffected by those of celebrities. This country-wide obsession over two people’s love-lives is simply a way for fans to distract themselves from their own relationships with those around them.
Senior Luca Engel has noticed this fixation with celebrity lives all over social media. “As a society, we care too much about the wrong types of media and events. When I’m scrolling through TikTok, I see the most absurd posts about pop culture,” she explained. “But in reality, no one should care about what Bruno Mars is doing or what the Kardashians are up to now.”
Engel continued, “We are more bothered by their lives, that we fail to talk or think about our own. Whenever I meet someone new, there is rarely a time we don’t end up talking about something related to pop culture.”
In every aspect of American culture, people are concerned over trivial matters and events. Whether it be related to the royal family, the Met Gala, or the Ambani wedding, it is clear that the priorities of Americans are misplaced.
