scijessreads

Yes, this post is in reaction to recent public conversations surrounding Taylor Swift, Beyonce, and celebrity in general. With the releases of their respective albums, it was hard not to notice the sharp extremes that ended up feeding algorithms and feeds. You were either for or against Cowboy Carter. You were either for or against TTPD. So little space was given to nuance and the in-between, that it feels like a microcosm (or maybe it is the whole thing write large) of the apparent lack of media literacy or civil discourse that has long been around public figures and social views.

This isn’t to compare either of the two women. Both are exceptional artists, have built long careers on their ability to take what is given to them and turn it into art, and have had to whether the rise and fall of mass opinion. They are also not the first, nor the last, to have to do these things.

What this is about is a more ruminating view on celebrity, and what we expect of them. Honestly, should we even expect anything of celebrity and artists other than their art? Yes, if they had no audience, their art would not have the same stage (at least for the popular ones), but should the artist be expected to sacrifice themselves to make everyone else happy? Notice, I said should. because unfortunately that is what has to happen so much of the time for an artist to even be heard.

And when they do sacrifice, give so much to the world, how do we treat them? With respect for their efforts? With respect for their differences in experience that allowed them to make their version of art?

No. We often try to break them apart, piece by piece, in an effort to say that their art is wrong. Is not enough. Is too new. Is too much the same. It doesn’t go far enough. It isn’t good enough. They owe us what we want because we made them. And if no one sees what we see, they are wrong.

Parasocial relationships with celebrity are fraught with the notion that our view of the celebrity matters. That they are speaking directly to us. Which is dangerous ground. Ground where opinion can veer perilously toward fact, without any reasonable space for opposition. Where honest critique can feel like daggers because it goes against what we think is true. When we, as audience, have no idea what is true. All we know is what we are given. And in most cases, what we are given is a sliver of a fraction of what actually happened.

Artists and celebrity can choose, to an extent, how they present themselves to the world. And for those that can choose, it can often be a hard-won battle to do so (especially for women). The experience of the artist is theirs alone. And while we can view their work through our own experiences, that does not mean that they are the same, nor are either of them any less valid than the other. Those with celebrity and fame may have some things easier, and often to have privileges that most of us would love to have even a fraction of. But that doesn’t mean that their lives are necessarily better or easier. They just have a different set of things to content with.

We are quick to jump on bandwagons without thought. It is too easy to access information, but how are we to know if that information is actually true? We are quick to cut down those who disagree with our opinions, or to defend a celebrity against critique like we are their best friends. No one is above critique, even if you love them. We need to be able to acknowledge that even those we love (whether in our own lives or those we follow from afar) can have less than stellar moments and actions. Immediately becoming defensive cuts off any avenue for true civil discourse and learning new things and new ways to approach old ideas.

Sometimes, we can separate art from artist. Sometimes they become so intertwined that it may be impossible to do so. But in everything, we need to find nuance. Find the ability to see that our opinion and view of the world is not the same as everyone else, that they can have valid opinions and criticisms that counter our own. And we should honor and respect those. The value that we find in art is ours alone. Is based on our own experiences, and how we can see them (or apply them) to the art that we consume. To the people that we follow or admire or interact with daily in person or online.