Has fan culture got out of hand? Billie Eilish has lashed out at fans for criticising her new personal style. Some think it just part of being a celebrity. Others say we need to look more critically at fandom.
You have probably heard of Swifties, Beliebers, Directioners and Arianators. If your taste is a little more vintage, you may have heard of Beatlemania. But before any of those things came Byromania.
Byromania describes the fame of the 19th Century poet Lord Byron, who rose to stardom after publishing Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage in 1812. Described by one aristocrat as “really the only topic of almost every conversation”, the charismatic young writer received fan mail, sold merchandise and even inspired some of the first fanfictionStories about existing characters or real celebrities, written by fans. .
Byron is sometimes described as the first celebrity. Despite the swathesLarge areas. of famous people before him, he was one of the first widely popular public figures linked to commercial production — in other words, some kind of profit-making product consumed by a public audience.
Now, celebrities are everywhere we look, and there are too many of them to count. And we know more about them than any of us would like to admit.
We care more, too. We have endless opportunities online for criticising celebrities who we feel have stepped out of line — even when it comes to something as seemingly innocuous as changing their personal style.
Billie Eilish is the internet’s latest pariahAn outcast. . Her crime? Discarding her signature style of oversized neon t-shirts and baggy knee-length shorts for lace, dresses, flowing skirts and corsets.
The 21-year-old singer took to Instagram in a “letter” to fans who criticised her new, more feminine style. “Did you know that women are multifaceted?” she said, labelling those calling her a sellout as “fools”.
Eilish is not the only celebrity falling victim to ferocious fan criticism. Taylor Swift’s new collaboration with Ice Spice on her hit song Karma has been labelled a “PRPublic Relations — the practice of managing how others see a brand or person. stunt” after her rumoured boyfriend made offensive, racially charged comments about Spice on a podcast.
Some say this exemplifies the parasocial relationship — the perceived relationship between dogged fans and the celebrities who do not know that they exist. Parasocial relationships can give fans a false sense of entitlement to the celebrity’s private life.
In a 2021 study, psychologists found that people who find it harder to maintain real-life relationships were more likely to form obsessive parasocial bonds.
But others think it is not unreasonable to hold public figures to certain standards. It may be unfair to expect someone to always dress the same, but when it comes to your favourite artist sharing unsavoury views, it is understandable to feel disappointed.
Some think parasocial relationships have existed for all of recorded history — with gods, for example, or with rulers and monarchs. But never have they been as common as now.
With the rise of Hollywood, critics in the 1930s and 1940s were searing in their critique of celebrity worship. Some even compared the idolatry and worship of famous film stars and models with the fascistFollowing fascism, a set of ideologies that advocates dictatorial power, political violence, suppression of opposition, traditional gender roles, and official racism. personality cults of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
That kind of critique probably would not fly today. But with political apathyLack of interest or enthusiasm. and populism on the rise, some say we should start wondering whether our obsession with the details of celebrity lives is more sinister than it seems.
Has fan culture got out of hand?
Celebrittle
Yes: The level of obsession we have with celebrities has reached unsustainable levels. Young people in particular may be less likely to know where their real social lives end and their parasocial relationships begin.
No: Fan culture is the price of celebrity. Our brains are evolved to treat people we know well as friends, even if they do not know us. Celebrities just need to accept that they cannot have the best of both worlds.
Or… A lot of people simply do not understand that they are in a parasocial relationship. The key is helping people with media literacy and learning that they are not entitled to anything from someone they do not know.
Keywords
Fanfiction – Stories about existing characters or real celebrities, written by fans.
Swathes – Large areas.
Pariah – An outcast.
PR – Public Relations — the practice of managing how others see a brand or person.
Fascist – Following fascism, a set of ideologies that advocates dictatorial power, political violence, suppression of opposition, traditional gender roles, and official racism.
Apathy – Lack of interest or enthusiasm.
