In a society where interconnectedness is a huge part of our culture, it is important to address that some discussions are harmful. In mainstream media, as well as social media, it is extremely common to see articles or posts commenting on others’ lives, bodies, and choices. This has, largely, been normalised by media outlets such as the Daily Mail, who are known to speculate and gossip about celebrities and influencers. These are often things following themes of women “flaunting” their bodies, when they are just existing (as seen with Billie Eilish), as well as revelling in the personal lives of celebrities, discussing their decisions or experiences, such as a divorce, as if they are plot twists in a TV show. This extends to members of society, as well as just those working in media outlets - it has become so normalised that the choices someone has made in their life, or the existence of their body, is a conversation topic for many.
The normalisation of discussing people’s lives is extremely harmful, both to the people who are being spoken about and to the people who see such conversations. It can easily lead individuals to think, firstly, that this is normal, as well as possibly encouraging them to have similar conversations about people they know in real life. The separation between celebrities and fans has been narrowing for years, but giving members of the public access to a conversation about their lives or how they look, has clearly been very harmful to individuals in society. An increase in bullying every year is a clear sign of this.
Influencers and celebrities are seen as role models to many young people, but having a negative opinion on a celebrity, and then seeing them being targeted in the media, may lead to the idea that it is okay to talk about people in this way.
Written by Kate Hopwood
Artwork y Zara Masood
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