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Many of us have a celebrity we admire. Maybe it’s their talent, their style, or even just the persona they project. You might watch every movie they star in, stream their music nonstop, or follow their career milestones closely. Some fans even collect merchandise, like Ariana Grande’s perfume or Selena Gomez’s makeup lines. But for most of us, that admiration has limits; it’s fun, it’s exciting, and it’s part of pop culture, but it doesn’t take over our lives. We enjoy being fans, but our day-to-day decisions aren’t controlled by our favorite celebrity.
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She did make a comeback years later but she had to pursue a career in Europe I think while the government kept surveillance on her.
Then, there’s a different level of fandom: celebrity worship. This is when admiration crosses into obsession. Psychologist Lynn McCutcheon explains that celebrity worship is an intense interest in the life of a famous person. People can spend hours reading about them, following their every move online, or thinking about them constantly. McCutcheon’s research over two decades shows that this phenomenon can range from completely harmless to potentially harmful when it starts affecting mental health, relationships, or daily life.
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She admitted the affair with the president was a mistake and that she was young and naive. It seems she suffered more shame than Bill Clinton.
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Then when the MeToo movement happened, she came forward about how Harvey Weinstein blacklisted her after she refused to comply with his disgusting ‘advances’. Then it all made sense. He ruined her reputation in Hollywood and it very much unfairly impacted her career. I’m glad to see her doing more acting these days but I don’t think she ever fully recovered from that.
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The fascination with celebrities isn’t new. In fact, the concept of “parasocial relationships” goes back to the 1950s. Parasocial relationships are one-sided connections where a fan invests time, emotion, and energy into a celebrity or public figure who doesn’t even know they exist. These relationships aren’t limited to actors or musicians; they can form with athletes, YouTubers, or even fictional characters. Psychologists have studied these connections because they reveal a lot about how humans form attachments, even when they are completely one-sided.
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Additionally, social media has changed the game entirely. In the past, we only saw celebrities in magazines, TV interviews, or movies, and the information about them was curated and limited. Now, platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok give fans an almost constant stream of updates on their favorite stars. Celebrities share their thoughts, feelings, daily routines, and even personal struggles, creating a sense of closeness and “accessibility” that never existed before. Fans can comment, interact, and even feel like they’re part of the celebrity’s life.
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Today, it’s easier than ever to follow every detail of a celebrity’s life. Fans know where they travel, what restaurants they frequent, and sometimes even what they eat for breakfast. This constant access can create the illusion of being personally connected to them. It feels like you’re sharing their world, experiencing their successes, and following their ups and downs as if they were part of your own life. That sense of intimacy can be thrilling, but it’s important to remember that it’s mostly a carefully curated public image.
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ETA: a lot of those child celebrity’s families also played a huge role in those problems. Really just tragic all around.
According to Samantha Brooks, a postdoctoral researcher at King’s College London, celebrity idolization often stems from wanting to be like them. Fans might see traits they admire or identify with and imagine, “They’re like me, but better.” Idolization can also serve as a form of escapism. People might immerse themselves in the glamorous lives of celebrities to distract from the stress and challenges of their own day-to-day life. Brooks notes that while this can be harmless fun, it can become problematic if it leads to unrealistic comparisons or unhealthy obsession.
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It couldn’t. The newspaper twisted a quote of Lustig, who had said that he hated WORKING with kids because a tv set was the wrong place for a small child. Too many rules, too much going on, distracting and stressful atmosphere, etc.
It didn’t matter. The false narrative was there to stay. Even after his death many years later a lot of people asked “didn’t he hate kids?” I never forgave the Bild-newspaper for their cruel tactics.
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Ellumine:
Came here for this one. A clip of where she and Ellen Pompeo were doing a sort of discussion/interview thing crossed my feed again, and someone in the comments asked why they only hear horrible things about her when she seems super lovely in everything they've seen of her as a person. I commented back that because she didn't let herself be pressured the way so many actresses were at the time by misogynistic power plays, the retaliation was to say she was difficult to work with and a nightmare, and the tabloids pushed it so hard that it turned into a smear campaign a lot of people still don't know was totally fabricated. The next day, someone responded to the same person saying that she was known to be difficult to work with and a total diva, and I was just like "ahh, proving my point." It's seriously a shame.