In light of the drama surrounding the film adaptation of It Ends With Us, the roles of celebrities and the standards given to them by society have raised questions about whether we should place them on pedestals.
People have looked up to celebrities for decades, but celebrity status alone does not warrant role model status. Time and time again famous figures have revealed some concerning flaws. Part of this can be attributed to “cancel culture” or society publicly denouncing someone. However, a fair share of this can be attributed to the actual wrongdoings of the celebrity.
In some instances, looking up to a figure can be beneficial. For example, J.K Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, built up her successful career from scratch. Her accomplishments can inspire other writers to not give up on their dreams. However, the line has to be drawn with her offensive, transphobic comments.
Once a famous figure comments on something harmful, a person should no longer support their character, but they may look up to their accomplishments.
Some people resort to blaming celebrities, but we can also blame society. Everyone makes mistakes and has flaws, whether extreme or moderate.
When a celebrity is made out to be something more than a human by society, it’s only a matter of time until people dig into their past and find dirt on them. This cycle continues repeatedly, yet people still are disappointed to find out their beloved idol isn’t perfect.
The American actress Blake Lively has been widely loved for many years, especially for her unique Met Gala outfits. After recently starring in It Ends With Us, thousands of people on the internet have attacked her for being insensitive and rude.
Lively has been accused of promoting her hair care brand and her husband Ryan Reynolds’ recent movie, Deadpool & Wolverine, while on red carpets for It Ends With Us. Fans are upset because they believe she was shining the spotlight on herself when it should’ve been on promoting her new movie and the awareness it’s bringing towards domestic violence.
Lively and Justin Baldoni, the director of It Ends With Us and Lively’s co-star, had an alleged feud during production. The movie’s final cut was Lively’s version, not Baldoni’s. Supposedly disagreements between Reynolds, Lively, and Baldoni played a part in this. In addition, users on the internet have reposted old videos of her resulting in backlash.
On August 10th, one interviewer, Kjersti Flaa, posted a video on YouTube titled “The Blake Lively Interview That Made Me Want to Quit My Job.” In this interview, Flaa congratulated Lively on her baby bump and Lively responded by saying, “Congrats on your little bump.” Flaa is infertile.
TikTokers have posted interviews with Lively and called her out. One user described her as not being a “girls’ girl.”
Some of Lively’s actions and words are undoubtedly rude, but these actions prove we shouldn’t put celebrities on pedestals. Famous figures are normal people, just like us. They think the same and make the same mistakes.
Celebrities’ characters should be separate from the art they create. If we were to deplatform all immoral artists, then half of the art we see today would cease to exist.
Society only knows celebrities by the image they put into the media for our consumption, such as Lively. They have managers and public relations experts whose jobs are to craft what everyone else sees or believes to be true about them. Ordinary people don’t have their words and actions filtered before being put into the world.
People should not devote their lives to celebrities. Our time should be spent with the people around us, not people with whom we have no personal connection.
