Supplementary Post #1

 While I’ve always been aware of the power that celebrities possess on our culture, their power and reach in today’s society has led to unusual responses by their fans. For much of the world these past weeks, a single disaster has caught people’s attention and have raised questions of “why?” Many would view the German Wing plane crash as an avoidable disaster and has led to questions about mental health and the safety of aviation. 

But for much of the younger generation, the disaster that struck was Zayn Malik’s departure from One Direction. I did not know about this news until one of my classmates, mid tears, broke the news to us. Her reaction was my first exposure to how heartbroken so many people appeared to be over this revelation. Social media exploded with questions almost instantaneously, many of which were along the lines of: how could Zayn do this to us?

 

Though what shocked me the most was that a hashtag quickly sprung up in response: #cut4zayn. While some took it as a joke, posting their dismay with ketchup covered wrists, some truly devoted fans followed through. In fact, an astounding number of young fans posted photos of their bleeding, cut up wrists with either declarations of how much it hurt them that Zayn left, or questions of how Zayn is so willing to cause them pain. Some fans even wrote ‘cut 4 Zayn’ into their wrists. 

 

Though I understand that many take solace in celebrity culture as a break from the harshness of reality – which included the German Wing crash – but the extent fans are willing to go can be shocking. There’s admiration, then there’s obsession, and both are fueled by the accessibility of celebrity. From accessibility comes the feeling that fans truly know their favorite celebrities, so shocking news like Zayn’s departure can truly feel like betrayal by someone they ‘know’. 

But the fact that some One Direction fans felt so hurt that they had to harm their body’s shows the damage that celebrity culture can bring. While I’m not saying that obsessions with celebrities is a new phenomenon, I do believe that the exposure they now have has led to a deeper emotional attachment by fans. There is no longer a division between celebrity gossip and news, instead they have merged together proving the importance of gossip in our lives. 

You’re never going to see a #cut4germanwingscrash. But there will be other harmful reactions afflicted by fans over their favorite celebrities.