By Olivia Merrick
Now, more than ever before, life is immensely difficult. Each day brings a new challenge, as average people attempt to figure out how they’re going to afford electricity and food because they’re out of work due to COVID. But, with more thought, I’ve realized that these people are indeed much luckier than a select few. It is actually celebrities and influencers who are struggling the most during this time, as they have been forced to maintain their normal lives.
Going onto social media frequently serves as an excellent reminder of how lucky we are to be able to stay home all the time, as for the average celebrity, this is not the case. They are still forced to travel to their vacation homes in eight different countries, where they must do the unfathomable in these terrible times: photograph themselves laying on their private beach in their five-thousand dollar swimsuit. The money they have made off of their brand deals and reality TV shows can only take them so far. I mean, how can we expect them to survive on the millions of dollars they make every year if they aren’t able to go out and jeopardize public safety?
Some of the most incredible moments of sacrifice during the pandemic have come from celebrities and influencers. From Lana Del Rey having to compensate the safety of the people who attended her book signing in October because the mask that matched her outfit was made of mesh to Harry Styles attending a wedding without masks, many people have realized that celebrities live horrible lives full of hardships we can never fully comprehend as mere, average citizens. Many were moved deeply when Kim Kardashian rented a private island near Los Angeles and invited nearly forty people to her birthday bash in October, grateful that she was able to do what many haven’t been able to in months: see family and friends.
And, with the booming popularity and use of social media, we are all so fortunate to be able to see celebrities blatantly disregard rules put out by scientists to protect our most vulnerable. Nothing restores faith in humanity quite as much as a Christmas TikTok dance with ten or more “influencers” as the ICU capacity in Los Angeles dropped to zero percent. Being able to watch these creators break rules and make thousands of dollars doing it has warmed my heart beyond comparison, as I would hate for them to have to give up one video or collaboration to keep a county with over ten million people safe.
Most importantly, celebrities have inspired their impressionable fans to break rules. After all, if your favorite celebrity is able to go out to dinner with thirty people and directly violate the gathering limits imposed by their city, why can’t you? Celebrities live in a reality that is so close to what the majority of people experience, so if it’s safe for them to do, it’s safe for us to do. What is the difference, really, between Rita Ora and her ability to receive high-level medical treatment because of her celebrity status if she contracts COVID, and the accessibility to treatment and toll the virus will take on the average elderly citizen? They’re totally comparable, and obviously, celebrities only model perfect behavior, making it uber safe to draw inspiration from them.
Celebrities have had to sacrifice so much during the pandemic, they are no longer able to go out and get their favorite twenty dollar salad on the daily or be constantly hounded by the paparazzi, so praising them for their tireless efforts to make the same content they always do is the very least, we, as fans, can do. After all, celebrities are really good people, who are never motivated to harm the well-being of our most vulnerable through gathering and making content with their best friends, who also have not been following social distancing. I, for one, believe that celebrities are the true unsung heroes of the pandemic and that they deserve so much more credit than frontline and essential workers because of the sacrifices they have made to continue posting videos of themselves rambling about absolutely nothing to make a few thousand extra dollars. When we reflect on this time, hopefully, we will admire celebrities and all they have done to help us through this terrible time by constantly reminding us of their privilege.