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Writer's pictureMaria Chettoor

Starstruck: Modern-Day Celebrity Struggles


Celebrities often get body-shamed, name-called, or pressured by the media and society. Picture courtesy of Kailyn Becker.

Celebrities seem to live the perfect life: expensive cars, huge mansions, and designer clothes. Even with their wealth and fame, however, some struggle with hate. They often get body-shamed, name-called, or pressured by the media and society. Do they deserve it because of their fame? Of course not. Just because people put celebrities on a pedestal doesn’t mean they deserve damaging insults.


Even though people portray celebrities as invincible and apathetic, they do have feelings. They go through immense pressure to make sure they look flawless in the spotlight. Celebrities also have to deal with remarks about their weight and body image. Billie Eilish, a famous singer, openly talked about her struggles with her body image and how the media has affected it. According to Insider, "the singer famously spoke about her decision to wear baggy clothes as a means of shielding her body from would-be shamers." Not only that, but celebrities barely have any privacy from the media. Their efforts to conceal their personal life often get ruined by the relentless paparazzi.


Kylie Jenner, for example, wanted to prepare to be a mother in a stress-free environment, so she decided to announce the arrival of her daughter at the very end of her pregnancy. “My pregnancy was one I chose not to do in front of the world. I knew for myself I needed to prepare for this role of a lifetime in the most positive, stress-free, and healthy way I knew how,” she said. Kylie later apologized to the fans who became upset that she didn’t reveal the pregnancy sooner. It shouldn’t be like this for anyone, celebrities included. The pressure of having millions of eyes on every decision must be exhausting, and it can affect someone’s well being and happiness.


Celebrities tend to be hated for mistakes made a long time before gaining fame. The so-called “cancel culture” makes the pressure for celebrities to be perfect even harder. If a celebrity has had success recently, someone will dig up a rude tweet or picture from years ago to expose their wrongdoing. Jameela Jamil, known for her role in The Good Place and radio host on BBC’s The Official Chart, believes celebrity cancel culture represents a “pointless waste of time.” “It’s not about allowing people to say things that are offensive or that would harm someone else’s human rights,” Jamil said, according to the Independent, arguing that there exist times to speak up online. She goes on to say, “You can criticize them and maybe say you don’t want to hear from them for a while but you can’t de-platform them because they have so much power.” Extreme situations like rape and sexual assault allegations do present exceptions, however. In these cases, they should receive the same punishments for crimes as “normal” people.


Society needs to change the way the public views celebrities. Fame should be based on celebrities’ talents and achievements, not their weight or appearance. They shouldn’t feel pressured to act perfect and never make mistakes. Even though they have gained recognition, celebrities should be treated like people too.

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