“Shocking pix as superstar teeters on edge of a breakdown. Pages 4-7″
“INSANE & ON THE RUN”
“He Controls Her Like A Robot”
“Stalker Claims Go Viral”
People love to watch someone spiral, as evidenced by the plethora of gossip articles ranking online meltdowns. This fascination likely explains why celebrities with mental health issues struggle to find a path to stability; according to the public eye, they will always be on the verge of another breakdown. For instance, people often cite lobotomy speculations when discussing Amanda Bynes, or they claim Selena Gomez is experiencing a manic episode whenever she deviates from the image she created as a teenager.
Regardless of personal opinion, there is a danger in viewing celebrities as immune to suffering from mental illness in the same way as anyone else. While the average person can seek help privately, empathy is often lost after a public outburst. What implications does this have for wider mental health discussions?
There is a voyeuristic appeal to watching others suffer; this explains why people love gossip, even about strangers. This voyeurism fuels interests like hate-watching and drives the appeal of horror and thriller genres. The combination of dehumanization and adrenaline transforms these public figures from individuals into characters navigating conflicts, climaxes, and character arcs, creating an experience akin to an episode of a show. Thus, the viewer often develops a superiority complex, believing they would never be as foolish as the Fleabag/Connell/Maggie archetype.
When women lash out in the public eye, they are often labelled as crazy or entitled, invoking sexist or homophobic language. In contrast, when men behave similarly, the media frequently employs racist rhetoric, likening these men to criminals and associating pointed music genres with them to paint a singular narrative. One person who is notorious for crashing out is Kanye West. Despite the antisemitism, Christian nationalism, and manipulative behaviours, people love to watch him seemingly go crazy. It is known that West suffers from bipolar disorder; however, his potential manic episodes are seen as entertaining quirks rather than serious struggles.
This is something that affects men of colour globally—the tendency to dismiss their mental health concerns. Toxic masculinity heavily influences conversations around mental health crises of men, particularly within cultures where men have a certain standard of behaviour. No matter how many problematic behaviours they exhibit, they are still a spectacle to watch.
This toxic masculinity is what keeps these men relevant; whether you disagree with his behaviours or find them amusing, he is a sight to behold. This allows the West’s of the industry to flourish and be seen as genius visionaries, enabling their alt-right shifts. The same white noise is also the reason many young men who show signs of trauma due to the industry are neglected.
A current crash out that has people foaming at their mouths is that of Justin Bieber. Aggressive towards paparazzi and posting concerning Instagram stories, people are fascinated with his recent behaviour.
A saviour complex can emerge from being a fan of someone from a young age. Many fans perceive these celebrities as individuals who grew up alongside them or even played a role in shaping who they are. Therefore, it’s not surprising that a parasocial relationship often develops to some extent. There is also an elitist mentality when watching how troubled these people are. After all, a 2007 Britney Spears is still popularly referenced when going through tough times.
While toxic men are excused by notions of masculinity, lessening the seriousness of their mental health crises, a woman’s mental stability is frequently questioned. Sexist rhetoric is, instead, amplified in response to public outbursts by women. They are labelled as irrational, bad mothers, or unworthy of sympathy because their behaviours do not conform to feminist ideals. When a woman displays a mental health concern, that is all she becomes, unlike the man who is just having a problematic period.
The hypersexualization of women is also a reference point when conversations about her stability arise. Articles will focus on whether they still look hot rather than their well-being. Another figure who has had some public outbursts lately is Chappel Roan. Once again, someone who suffers from bipolar disorder—a disorder that is all about the inability to properly regulate emotions—is punished when she is unable to regulate her emotions. Instead of sympathy, she is met with sexist and homophobic rhetoric about her looks.
Publicizing certain figures acting out, while many view it as entertainment, has a sinister aspect tied to the overall minimization of mental illness, even if the figure is problematic.
In the case of Justin Bieber, he had been in the public eye since he was 15 years old, performing while ill with many cases of having to take breaks between songs to puke, the constant sexualization by adults as a minor, and now questioning of what happened to him as the P. Diddy case continues.
Pop culture serves as a commentary on social issues. When pop culture dismisses mental illness, it is a clear indicator that we are moving towards dismissal outside of gossip magazines.
While many of these people may be objectively problematic and undeserving of redemption according to some, they act as a mirror. When celebrities are idolized, their morality often disappears. The distinction between right and wrong, stability and instability becomes blurred. This larger-than-life perception of celebrities impacts both the audience’s and the entertainers’ sense of reality. It also highlights the troubling normalization of dismissing mental illness. The individuals most vulnerable to mental health crises are often those experiencing homelessness, those exposed to violence, and those facing inequality. If the most privileged individuals are reduced to comedic headlines, what happens to the vulnerable populations around us, the ones we interact with offline who do not receive the same level of public attention?