As quarantine is being lifted in some states, many are likely excited to be able to get out of the house, although social distancing should still be the norm. In this time of fear and anxiety, many look up to celebrities for guidance as well as medical experts. Unfortunately, many celebrities are of the opinion that as “we” are all stuck in our houses “we” are all suffering in our small to medium sized houses together, waiting for quarantine to end. This idea is problematic, and shows how out of touch most celebrities are, as the situations are so vastly different between the likely unemployed common Joe’s one-room apartment complex, and the uber-rich hobby enthusiast’s fantasy palace.
By far, one of the main reasons people are getting somewhat peeved at celebrities in quarantine are the insufferable posts from whining about how they are stuck in their houses “bored out of their minds” along with us. This is irritating because many do not have fancy homes, and comparing a one room house to a multi million dollar mansion comes off as problematic and privileged. When Justin Bieber states that it is tough being in his mansion alone, it’s hard to share sympathy when many parents work, cook, and take care of kids on a daily basis in their house, and that’s if they are employed. Similarly, Ellen Degeneres stated her mansion felt like prison in addition to also hiring a non-union tech company to help film her show during quarantine after stating she wanted to start filming again with her regular staff and crew. Due to the crew being non-union, Degeneres does not have to provide the same level of pay and care afforded to her regular crew. Lastly, Gal Gadot and friends’ atrociously off key rendition of David Bowie’s “Imagine” left many gripping their ears in between cringing due to the extremely privileged singing to us about imagining not having possessions or hunger.
This is not to say that all celebrities are being insufferable during this time of crisis. Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and David Letterman posted warnings about coronavirus and have encouraged people to stay home. Britney Spears has joined the #Doyourpartchallenge, which is a challenge that aims to “unite communities by delivering food and necessities to those in need while supplying local restaurants and businesses.” Doordash is also part of this challenge, supplying free Doordash gift cards for celebrities to give to their fans. Although not much, it is something, and something is better than nothing for many struggling in this time of great need.
Olive Vigna (11) who is a big fan of the Kardashians and follows Love Island doesn’t notice a big difference between celebrity content post-quarantine and pre-quarantine. “I look up to a bunch of celebrities, many of them have great intentions and I think most are not famous for the wrong things.” Others were slightly more critical. Christian Lozano (11) thought that while celebrities were trying to be a positive influence, videos like Gal Gadot’s “Imagine” came off as a little tone deaf. “I think a lot of them are corny, but most of them deserve what they have,” stated Lozano. “Their content is still doing well, because everybody is inside on their phones, but they come off as a little hypocritical.”
In summary, although many celebrities come off as tone deaf due to their mansion freakouts and attempts to relate with the common people, many are also using their platform for good. These people are trying to help spread the message of self-isolation as well, and while their content might take a hit, most celebrities will certainly stay afloat during the ocean that is quarantine.
