I am a Swftie through and through, but there’s a clear separation between our lives. Who she dates and the intimate details of her life are not my business nor anyone else’s. This can form a parasocial relationship between the fan base and the celebrity. Parasocial relationship broom Find a Psychologist, being defined as one-sided relationships, where one person extends emotional energy, interest and time, and the other party, the persona, is completely unaware of the other’s existence. Parasocial relationships are most common with celebrities, organizations (such as sports teams) or television stars. The celebrity is clearly aware of their fan base, but they’re not as aware of the individuals following their every move through a screen.

I’m listening to Is It Over Now? on repeat just like any other Swiftie. I indulge in the Harry Styles debauchery, the TikTok sagas that tell stories of their relationship and the illicit affairs that took place, but doing anything other than that is insane. Trying to find who cheated on who with whom is ridiculous at the least and invasive at the most.

The obsession surrounding celebrities like Olivia Rodrigo, Tom Holland and Zendaya is the reason why we see modern celebrities hiding their children from paparazzi and only sharing their relationships in the shadows. The fans that soak up every image of these celebrities ruin it for everyone else, as we see them gradually share less and less of their lives. 

One example is Emma Stone, who shared her history with panic attacks while in the presence of paparazzi and revealed it goes much further than just stage fright. Despite us not physically holding the camera, we’re still stalking celebrities’ Instagram, trying to tell who’s pregnant before they announce it, and betting on whether their relationship is marriage-worthy. This takes a physical toll some celebrities. Regardless of how we rationalize it, it’s an invasion of privacy.

With the amount of information available to us about our favorite celebrities, it often feels as though we’re gifted window into their lives. That window, however big or small it may be, is not always at the acceptance of that celebrity. The Kardashian-Jenner family being a good example of this. Kris pushed the children into the limelight. They were too young to truly understand the impact this would have on their lives, for the rest of their lives, not to mention the impact this would have on their children and future spouses as well. 

It can be easy to forget that Taylor, Tom and Olivia are human beings, with blood coursing through their veins and thoughts going through their brains. You don’t need to physically invade another’s space to suffocate them. This is why SIA became popular the way she did, hiding her face and her true identity. Some things are better left to the imagination, and that includes the private lives of celebrities.