Miley Cyrus caught smoking salvia with a bong while Hannah Montana was still airing.
Videos emerged of a 14-year-old Justin Bieber saying the n-word, which he immediately apologized for, but another old video came out with him saying the n-word again... in the same week.
Ariana Grande licking a doughnut in a store that she didn't buy and afterward commenting "I hate Americans."
Lindsey Lohan charged with a DUI in 2007 and struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, which continued to damage her public image and career in later years.
Considering numerous reports of actions like these from different celebrities, an age-old question comes to mind: should celebrities be held accountable for their actions?
Some people might argue that because a celebrity's life is put on blast, the media or someone random could catch that celebrity off guard, which may cause them to act differently. I agree that it is foul-play to film someone without their consent and especially in their worst moments. The fact that they even have these moments just further demonstrates that celebrities are, get this, human. They make mistakes like any other person out there. Like you and me.
This is especially relevant to child stars that grow up in the limelight such as Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber. How exactly do you handle so much fame At the same time, your brain is going through a puberty train-wreck (which causes teens to make those "really bad decisions"), but the excuse of "oh they're just young, they don't know what they're doing" cannot be applied to everyone and everything.
Just look at Ryan Lochte who lied about being robbed at gunpoint in Rio, but instead seemed to urinate and vandalize property in camera footage and offered to pay for it during the Olympics in 2016. The spokesman for Rio Olympics described the incident, saying "let’s give these kids a break. Sometimes you take actions that you later regret." Ryan Lochte was 32 at the time.
While I may not agree with the certain actions of some celebrities or what they may say, as long as they do not harm anyone or spread false information, I could hardly care less about what they do. Do they like to drink a lot? I would hope that they would hold back on drinking more, but otherwise, I don't really care about their personal life.
On the other hand, with Justin Bieber saying the "n-word," that is definitely something that we should hold celebrities accountable for, and they should acknowledge and apologize for their mistake, which he did.
If celebrities aren't criticized for what they say or do and are allowed to get away with it because of their celebrity status, then that just teaches the younger generation that equality is not even close to existing. That is, teaching them that as long as you have fame, you can do anything you want and get away with it.
Additionally, it is enabling people to repeat the same action and to feel less guilty about it since, well, Bieber did it, why can't I?
This is why celebrities need to be properly criticized for actions that clearly damaging to anyone, whether it's something racist, false, ignorance, prejudice, etc.
I don't, however, support threats or severe backlash on celebrities. They make mistakes, and it's up to them to admit them, but they by no means deserve anyone telling them "to die."
Overall, the main takeaway? Celebrities SHOULD be called out for what they do and say since they aren't perfect. I also argue that their fanbases and influence should convince them to watch their actions and words a little bit more in public. Having your words and private life being scrutinized is to me, unimaginably difficult, but own up to your mistakes, learn, and move forward.
