Freshmen Maren Moss and Ami Jain have striking things to say about celebrity obsessions.
“A celebrity obsession [can] start with a crush or general admiration,” Moss said. “Their admiration grows into obsession.”
She said people tend to see “news about them online or though whatever thing they’re famous for.”
“I can’t blame anyone for thinking a celebrity is cute or talented,” Moss said. “But being obsessed with someone you’ll never meet is unhealthy.”
Another reason people can become attached to a celebrity is because of their private life.
“Celebrities are rarely open with their private life,” Moss said. “The mystery can be alluring, but there are issues with wanting to know more about celebrities.”
Rumors are spread, or fans make up false ideas about said celebrity.
“Those rumors could make arguments between people or ruin a celebrity’s life,” Moss said.
She also believes it’s a tactic to conform.
“A lot of the time someone will pretend to have an obsession in order to fit in,” she said.
Moss has seen many ways people would use to normalize an obsession by “having your phone or computer background set to a collage of the celebrity or having thousands of edits saved of them.”
She knows it’s a bad obsession when fans try to defend everything the celebrity does “or [have] an undying hatred [toward] someone who doesn’t like said celebrity.”
“Thankfully it’s just a phase,” she said.
Likewise, Jain agrees celebrity obsessions can get out of hand.
“People would have [an obsession] because they think they’re hot or cute,” Jain said. “It develops when people keep talking about [the celebrity].”
She believes the more a person learns about a celebrity “the obsession keeps piling on.” She is aware that one can not meet a celebrity out of the blue or on purpose.
“It’s fine to call them hot from behind the screen,” Jain said. “It’s a normal thing.”
She believes at least everyone has a celebrity obsession, even if it’s not a crazy one like having a shrine in one’s room or having some edits saved.
“It’s been normalized because of social media and its rapid spread of photos and videos,” Jain said. “[That] leads to more content and makes more people obsess over celebrities.”
