It was Shahrukh Khan who articulated it the best when he said, “I work for the super star whose name is Shahrukh Khan”.
Celebrities are not real people. They are objects of derision and worship. They are images and projections of the needs and desires of millions who idolize them.
As Shahrukh eloquently puts it ‘Everybody wants a part of you, and they pay you for it’
When asked about the toughest thing about being a superstar, he said “Getting up in the morning and finding out you are not completely bitten off. There are some parts of you that are left,”
Celebrities may be real people underneath the publicity but these days the media is fiercer than ever and our opinions as fans louder than before.
We make our idols superhuman by putting them on a pedestal and spending time and effort in promoting them and their work as their fans – should we not have the right to criticize them as well ?
A celebrity is as much a public image as a person. The bigger the image, the further it can be seen and the more attention it draws.
The more attention a celebrity draws, the larger (and sometimes, the less like the original) it becomes. The celebrities’ benefit in money and brand because of how the fans and media portray them. Then why do they have meltdowns when criticized by the same fans and media that originally made them what they are.
As a self-proclaimed fangirl, I have spent my fair share of money, time and resources keeping up with my favorite artists, actors and personalities. But as a fan I have come to realize it is OK to hold your “favs” accountable and criticize them when they act harmfully.
The fact is that the popularity of Celebrities binds them to a higher standard of behavior and ethics. Their actions, words and ethics may be looked at as passable by their fans. Are these celebrities a good influence on their fans, in that case?
Absolutely not.
Criticism is not just important, it’s a vital part of everything you do – especially if you’re a mega celeb.
When Lizzo released a snippet of her single “Grrrls” back in June, it contained an ableist slur. While the term may have a different connotation in the U.S. than in the U.K., the term still originates from “spastic,” which describes the movements of people who experience spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy.
Fans called her out on various social media platforms, disappointed by her lyrics. Criticism ranged from demanding the song be taken off all streaming services to changing the lyrics and re-recording. Instead of ignoring the criticism, Lizzo acknowledged her shortcomings.
Lizzo displayed humility in her statement. She listened to her fans, took down the song, educated herself, re-recorded it and apologized.
Another example of this is Coldplay. It is no secret that music touring is very damaging to the environment. According to a report from Julie’s Bicycle, a nonprofit environmental organization, live music in the U.K. alone produces 405,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year.
Music fans have been calling out this criticism for a while, and in 2019, Coldplay listened. They decided to stop touring due to environmental concerns.
After two years of consulting environmental experts and figuring out ways to make touring sustainable, Coldplay is back on the road and committed to cutting their carbon emissions by 50%.
Whereas Korean and most Asian celeb ecosystems base their identities on deep respect for their fans ( case in point BTS’ Army), most Indian celebs do not appreciate their millions of fans who make them who they are.
Whether it was Priyanka Chopra who slapped a fan on the sets of Anjaana Anjaani, Jaya Bachchan screaming at media, Salman Khan getting angry with fans for taking his pictures, the attitude just percolates down to television actors as well.
Recently Indian television actors have not only been rude to their fans but also shut down fan criticism by doxxing them in public.
Recently, be it Aishwarya Sharma from Ghum Hain Kissi Key Pyaar Mein, or Karishma Sawant from Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, they have crossed lines of publically dealing with fan criticism as celebrities.
Aishwarya Sharma blocked fans and Karishma Sawant shame posted a fan’s profile.
Fans who watch and promote celebrity work as well as media who review albums, films, shows and all other creative works do something quite crucial: they analyse things, assess them, and then share their views with the wider public.
Why is that an important thing? Because creative works can’t exist in a vacuum. They need to be listened, watched and responded to.
Shows and movies have been pulled off, restarted, given a lease of life or even killed because Fans wanted it that way.
So are the characters celebs play on screen.
Fans help to promote the celebrity’s creative work, potentially convincing other people to give it a chance when they wouldn’t have otherwise, and often allows for better understanding of it.
Think about all the times a review from a media house like ours has pointed out a hidden detail that gives a piece loads more depth, or some context that makes a song suddenly click into place, or a show interesting enough for you to invest your time in.
Take the case for fashion. There’s a big difference between bashing a person’s outfit on the street to make them cringe and commenting that a celebrity’s clothing choices aren’t the best.
Celebrities have access to stylists, designer clothes, and red carpets just for the purpose of showing off their wardrobe. Pointing out the humour of their ridiculous dresses is punching up, never down, and it’s a way for us non-famous people to discuss fashion instead of feeling it is entirely inaccessible to us.
You are not your clothes. You are not your one performance at Coachella. Your identity does not depend on one single person’s review or a fan’s comment of an otherwise celebrated album or a film or a daily soap.
Hasn’t stan culture taught us that no one has more power than a murder of fans on the internet, waiting to attack?
Beat that.
But for a lot of these celebrities – would they talk to a media person the same way they would insult a fan?
The core issue for these celebrities seems to be that the idea that the fans and the media have a disproportionate amount of power over public narratives about artists and how their work is received.
On some level, they’re right; a bad review can keep people from seeing your movie, your show or buying your album. But to act as if there’s some global conspiracy among fans who are underground-tunnel-dwelling twitteratis to keep the celeb down, or to hurt their feelings, is paranoid at best.
Even when you’re mega famous and wealthy, you need to know that you’re not perfect. If you do, then you are entirely out of touch with reality to be able to wholeheartedly believe you are better than any other human in the world.
No one made a promise to keep liking your work the entire time.
There’s a difference between being hurt, or disappointed (perfectly normal!) with the feedback you may be getting, but attacking someone for breaking a promise they never made is downright unacceptable. (Karishma, this is for you)
Yes, you can seethe when criticised. You don’t have to listen to all criticism and adjust yourself accordingly.
But you have to learn to tolerate it.
We did not force you be become a public figure. But now that you are – grow up and own up. Stop abusing your fans.
