It's been quite a year since last January, that's for sure -- though I'm not going to talk about that. I'm actually writing today thanks to a couple of interactions with co-workers -- one current, and one former. The first was a conversation at work last week, that stemmed from quite a strong reaction on my part to Zayn Malik's comments about having wanted to leave One Direction essentially from the start. Anyone who knows me at all knows I can be vehement about my convictions particularly when they come to my opinions regarding pop culture, and the topic of Zayn's talking shit about the entire reason he's famous was no exception. A co-worker commented on my strong feelings about pop culture, and how I should share them.
Another former co-worker suggested, via a comment on my Goodreads page, that I should start a blog to talk about what I'm reading, since I'm not exactly shy about my thoughts about books either :)
While I do find it hard to think that anyone else really cares what I have to say about either of these topics, it doesn't actually stop me from talking about them all of the time. When it comes down to it, I lead a pretty boring life overall, but I really do love my music, movies, TV, and books. There's not much I know, but pop culture is one of the things I really enjoy, and I'm okay with embracing all thing pop culture in my life. There's nothing more exciting to me than getting to discuss a favorite TV show or the latest great book I read with a friend or co-worker. So I figured, what the hell....maybe I'll try to blog about some pop culture stuff I've immersed myself in lately.
Thinking of something to write about is tough, because I'm kind of all over the place with what I read and watch at any given time. I'm usually reading two books at any given time (one physical, one audiobook), and my TV watching is all over the place. There's not usually a rhyme or reason to what I'm consuming at any certain period of time.
That being said, as I finished Tyler Oakleys book Binge today, it dawned on me that I've been reading/watching a lot of stuff lately about real people, particularly those in the limelight (because why would I bother otherwise?). And one recurring theme in all of those things I've watched is this, pretty much: Fame can and pretty much does suck. Like, a lot.
I mean, I totally get that for a famous person to whine about being famous kind of makes them seem ungrateful (the same thing that I just bashed Mr. Malik for earlier in this post). But I'm not talking about celebrities ungrateful for their fame. And it hasn't struck me as whining. Some of the stuff I've been watching in particular isn't even coming from the celebrity's viewpoint - it's an outsider's view of the effects fame had on them.
This first hit me a few weeks ago, after watching Love & Mercy, followed by the documentary Amy the very next day. They were both really good, engrossing things to watch, but left me feeling really sad. In the cases of both Brian Wilson and Amy Winehouse, fame brought them a lot of trouble, particularly in terms of the people who surrounded them and were there to "protect" them. Their intense fame led to isolation, which ultimately led to people in close proximity to them who took advantage of that isolation and need for protection from the outside world, and only led the to further trouble. Brian Wilson's story was so heartbreaking (at least as portrayed in the movie, which I realize probably isn't 100% accurate), because he really trusted the doctor who was "caring" for him, and who clearly didn't have Wilson's best interests at heart.
Winehouse's story was even more heartbreaking, since you could watch the trajectory from a girl who just loved to sing, to having fame thrust on her so suddenly and at such a young age, to spiraling into the depths of addiction. What was especially awful in her case was the fact that her own damn father didn't have her best interests at heart -- he knew she was his own ticket to fame and notoriety and he took full advantage. It wasn't enough that the entire world wanted something from her, even at the moments when she truly seemed to want to get better, he just wanted to get famous and benefit from his daughter's fame.
Then you have stars who are famous on a slightly lower level than Wilson or Winehouse, like Tyler Oakley and Felicia Day, whose fame stems mostly from their work on the internet, which both of their books (Binge and You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost), respectively) address. Online fame is a strange and new kind of fame in the present day, since the internet itself hasn't really been around all that long, and the rise of social media is even more recent. YouTube (and other internet) fame is an even more relatable kind than that of famous actors or singers, because when you watch a YouTube star, you really do think "hey, that could be me." I mean, Hannah Hart is famous for her videos of literally "cooking" largely inedible dishes while drinking. It's such a simple concept, and it's really hilarious.
What makes internet stars even cooler, I think, is that they have a platform that allows them to make a real difference when they want to. What Tyler Oakley and Hannah Hart have done for the LGBTQ community, and Felicia Day's contribution to and embracing of nerd culture, is remarkable. These people represent everyone, and allow viewers to really feel like they're not alone -- they're heard, and these stars represent them, in a way that the worldwide humanity efforts of big stars like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie don't. I mean, honestly, all you have to do to see the power of fame used for good, particularly on the internet, is follow John and Hank Green. Every year, they host the Project for Awesome, which raises silly amounts of money for charity and really seems to make a difference in the world.
Anyway...I've gotten a little off track. The point is, this internet fame is a new brand, but doesn't seem to be without it's pitfalls. Oakley and Day both address the insanely hard work that led to the fame they ultimately received, but never totally expected. They both address the way this made them feel like they were burning the candle at both ends, losing sight of themselves in the midst of their fame. I think a unique thing about becoming famous through YouTube videos is that you are your persona, but you also aren't. YouTube personas are carefully crafted, and marketed with intention. Yes, Tyler Oakley is being Tyler Oakley in his videos. But that's not all of who he is, or a true picture of who he is. It's a weird kind of fame, and one that seems to make those experiencing it feel guilty for not wanting all of that attention at a certain point. After all, those fans who watch your videos and support you are the reason you have that attention, and the exciting new opportunities in front of you (like, in Tyler's case, interviewing One Direction!). How do you say you need to take a step back and take care of yourself for a few minutes? Luckily, Oakley and Day both experienced dark days and seem to have come out on the other side -- for now, at least.
Another thing that came up in Binge was Tyler Oakley's love of and relationship to One Direction turning sour very suddenly, on the basis of a tweet. His response to a tweet by Liam Payne suddenly turned him into an enemy of the band as far as the fans were concerned, and ultimately led him to feeling the need to flee the internet for a few days, as tags like #WeWantTylerOakleyDead began trending worldwide. Day describes a similar experience in her book, addressing the dark side of the internet when they don't agree with you, and mob mentality takes over. As wonderful as the internet is, it's also a really scary place when the flood of praise turns to hatred suddenly and unexpectedly.
Does the vitriol die down? Sure, eventually....but I can't imagine feeling like the entire world suddenly hates me. And honestly, at some point, they're going to -- we're all human, and as humans we have feelings and opinions, and if we share them, at some point someone is going to disagree. We'll say something that offends someone else, or is politically incorrect, or simply misspeak. The difference is, if you're famous -- those words travel around the world at lightning speed, and suddenly a statement or apology is expected. Which infuriates me, but....is a topic for another post.
So, yeah -- the stuff I've been reading and watching has made me think a lot about fame, it's rise, and it's unexpected pitfalls. Thanks to the media frenzy that follows celebrities, there's no peace to be had by them, and it's honestly kind of amazing that any of them survive to be half-normal and keep plugging on like functional members of society. I mean, at the end of the day, celebrities are just normal people, really. Who have lost the ability to live a normal life, by virtue of the job they've chosen. Does it make me examine my own relationship with the celebrity stuff I indulge in? Yeah, to some extent. It makes me more conscious of what I say about celebrities -- particularly on the internet -- no matter how much I dislike certain ones. I wouldn't want to read some of the things about myself that I read about celebrities. No human deserves some of those comments. But thank goodness we have people like Jimmy Kimmel to find a way to make us laugh in the face of the worst of humanity.
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