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Cristina Crescenzo (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

I have always been interested in the idea of celebrities and why human beings can spend so much of their time obsessing over them, their work and their personal lives. It’s even more fascinating when you take a moment and realize they are human beings just like us, doing their work and living day to day; the only exception is that their fame has afforded them more privileges. Since I would classify myself as a fan of certain people, I can get to extreme levels of star-struck, especially over people like Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato and Leonardo DiCaprio. However, like most things in life, there are good aspects to admiring someone and also bad ones. For example, with the gloss of stardom, we can often forget about a celebrity’s humanity and judge them more harshly than we ever would ourselves.

There have been many times when celebrities I like have made a mistake or done something I don’t agree with, and it feels like a dear friend has betrayed me, which in retrospect seems odd because I don’t actually know them personally. Furthermore, there are many celebrities I am not a fan of and I have even gone so far as to say I hate them, but I don’t know why? I could say it is how they portray themselves in the public eye, but who knows if that’s how they act behind closed doors. I am trying to say that most of the things we hear about famous people is hearsay from the tabloids, and I find it hard to believe some of the stuff I’ve read is well-researched and quality journalism. We also see photos on social media and through paparazzi lenses. Those pictures can be altered and manipulated to suit the narrative the media thinks will receive more attention, so nothing can be trusted. That is why I try to pay attention only to the words that come directly from the source: the celebrity. I don’t want to feed into something that doesn’t come straight from the individual’s mouth, so I take news from outlets like TMZ with a grain of salt.

In addition, in 2023, more and more famous people are under scrutiny due to social media. In the age of technology, we have allowed ourselves to be nastier online to others because we know there will be no significant consequences. Just because a person has money and status doesn’t mean that they don’t have problems and all the same feelings we do, and to assume otherwise is ignorant. I also know that loss of anonymity is something these individuals sign up for when they take this path in life, but that shouldn’t forfeit their right to our decency, because having all eyes on you can still be incredibly lonely if you think about it, since you can’t feel free to be yourself without the entire world having an opinion on you.

Thus, you may ask, “Why are you a fan?” The best answer to this question is that I connect with them on some level, through their work and what they put out into the world. The best example I could give is someone who is no longer alive, Marilyn Monroe. Her legacy is so powerful that it has transcended decades. We are still so invested in who she was and her story. There is probably a new film made about her every year. I first fell in love with her through her movies, but then I started researching her life and became enamored by Norma Jeane, the girl before Marilyn. Yes, we had very different life experiences, but I still feel a deep kinship with her and an immense appreciation of who she was and what she wanted to be. Granted, I won’t ever get to hear her true feelings, but I took the time to try and truly understand her, even if I never will. Connecting with someone’s humanity is a beautiful thing, and we should do that with everyone and forget about celebrity and fame.

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My name is Cristina Crescenzo and I am an aspiring writer with something to say as I try to figure things out. More than anything, I want to be able to connect with people through my writing, and I want to be a constant advocate of disability and mental health awareness.