Mainstream celebrities have covered the walls of our bedrooms and controlled our tabloid pages for decades. From 90s teenagers copying the grunge style of icon Courtney Love to today’s youth begging for Hailey Bieber’s makeup products for Christmas, celebrities have had society in a chokehold since the dawn of time.
These celebrities, constantly in the limelight, feel almost like friends. Copying their clothes, keeping up with their Instagram stories and talking about their dating lives; consumers tend to get attached to the icons that fill their feeds and congest their brains. Similarly to their friends, fans tend to defend their beloved stars against any hater. To their fans, these celebrities ooze perfection.
But what happens when these celebrities aren’t who we think they are?
The new drop of the Jeffrey Epstein list has given celebrity culture a reframe. Although there has been speculation for years that some of our favorite pop singers or actresses could make a feature on that list, nothing has been solidified until this month, when a list of people in power tied to Epstein was released. The shocking document listed some serious A-listers, including Naomi Campbell and Cameron Diaz, previous presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump and many others.
There are a few large takeaways from the list, one being that the celebrities we (think) we know and love might not be who they seem. After years of accusations against some of the world’s most famous, will the Epstein list finally be the breaking point for Hollywood’s tireless defenders? The list deflates the picture-perfect celebrity, showing them for who they truly are: rich and extremely flawed.
The list gives us a reason to take the rose-colored lenses off and look at these celebrities with a little less glorification. The glamorization of people in Hollywood has arguably extended their ability to get away with anything. This has been seen repeatedly — from inappropriate and misogynist directors to internet stars saying slurs on camera — the endless defending of people who are already in a more powerful position than the average human has extended the realm of tasteless possibilities for some of Hollywood’s most corrupt. With the drop of the Epstein logs, celebrities are desperately trying to fix their brand or cover their tracks.
The groundbreaking list argues that it’s time for those in power to face the consequences of their actions. For audience members, the list conveys that endless glamorization of those in front of the camera may not be as deserved as we once assumed.
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