13
Mar
Celeb Crushes: Harmless or Harmful?
by Ashley Thill
0 Comments | Posted by thatgirl in Living Life, Making Waves
Growing up, I loved ‘N Sync (sorry Backstreet Boys’ fans). My favorite was Justin Timberlake with his blonde, Brillo-pad hair. My daydream involved him singing me a rendition of “Want You Back” and running away with him, but I secretly knew it probably wouldn’t happen. I see parallels today with Zac Efron, the Twilight gang, and the Jonas Brothers.
Image courtesy of Hollywoodgrind.com
I viewed a video on YouTube recently, however, that shook my idea of supposedly innocent celeb crushes. In the video, a 3-year-old girl named Cody cries hysterically for nearly five minutes over her love for another Justin, 16-year-old pop star Justin Bieber. The video ends on a funny note when the phone rings, and she runs off, believing Justin is calling her. The video now has nearly three million views.
Could we take this video as a possible sign about how far our celebrity obsessions have gone since my boy band childhood?
According to an article in Psychology Today, we are hardwired to reach out to celebrities and actually connect with them as people. So, we sympathize with Carrie’s dating woes on Sex and the City, gossip about Tiger Woods’ extramarital affairs, and root for Team Jacob or Team Edward.
By now, I’m sure we’ve all heard about the negative effects the media can have on body image, especially for young girls. Images of frighteningly thin and airbrushed models distort ideas about what defines beauty. We hear about eating disorders and plastic surgery that are female tactics to achieve this “beauty.”
What about Cody and Justin Bieber though? He doesn’t seem to be harming her body image, but could he possibly affect how she handles relationships in the future?
Two British researchers, David C. Giles and John Maltby, have studied the effects of celebrity obsession in adolescents. They divide teenagers into two categories; one group who follows celebrities merely for entertainment and another group that builds intense feelings for celebs. These feelings can often be detrimental. From their study of 191 preteens and teens in the United Kingdom, Giles and Maltby estimate about 1 in every 10 adolescents falls into the second category. They connect these unhealthy obsessions with relationships, especially romantic ones. If a character a teen is fixated upon looks like Jake Gyllenhaal or Megan Fox, the teen may search for a partner who resembles them. But, the effects can be far more dangerous. If a fantasy character has an abusive streak, an adolescent may take this as normal behavior in a relationship and even seek it out.
While I don’t think we need to rid ourselves of the Justin Biebers or Edward Cullens of the world, I do believe in the importance of guiding teens into developing healthy relationships with others. We should not just focus on celebrity couples but focus on everyday couples who have nurturing, strong connections with one another. Real-life love is way better than the made-up stuff.