Have you ever met someone and right away was just like ‘Nope, I’m not a fan’? You know, just all kinds of bad vibes causing your mind to go straight into inexplicable, self-justified dislike mode? I sure as hell have. Sometimes you just can’t help but go with your gut; and often times that feeling is very hard to reverse — hard, but not impossible. Listen, I’ve also met plenty of people that I really liked from the get go; and they turned out to be turds; so you can’t really blame me for being skeptical half the time. And that’s just the people we actually interact with face to face! What about the opinions we form about people we’ve never even met? Yes, I’m talking about celebrities. We think we know them, but based on what? The Media? Give me a break. With the amount of biased articles and news segments out there, it’s pretty much impossible to truly know someone. Yet here we are, having strong opinions about these people left and right.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m just as guilty as the next guy. Hence my latest analysis. For a long time I’ve had quite an opinion about the following few; an opinion I didn’t think would ever change…
- KIM KARDASHIAN – Let’s look at the “facts”, shall we? She came to fame after the release of a scandalous sex tape, which is rumored to have been done on purpose. She had a whole wedding which was almost definitely a publicity stunt. Her entire empire is practically built on a body image and face that’s completely unnatural. If that’s not enough to cringe at the mention of a person’s name, knowing that they’re making millions without any actual skill, I don’t know what is. For many years I’ve shared this opinion with a lot of others. It’s easy to hate someone you don’t know when their “wrongdoings” are blasted all over the internet. It’s a bit more of a challenge to step away from the preconceived notion that what’s said about them on television is the wholehearted truth; actually take a step back and form an opinion that is completely your own, not the one that the media wants you to have. Kim Kardashian is a happily married business woman with four children, who besides working the system to her advantage is actively working on making the prison reform system better; literally saving lives. Do I personally like the makeup tutorials that are sprouting on the internet faster than cockroaches? Do I like the fact that females think they need to use the same amount of foundation on their face as I would plaster on my walls, to cover the millions of holes I’ve created in my apartment before I move out? No. Is it going to continue to exist in spite of my personal opinion on it? Yes. Should she be ridiculed for finding a way to make it work to her advantage? I don’t think so. Sure, the sex scandal helped her get up there but it’s what she and her crazy/driven mother did after the fact that’s really worthy of respect. Any one of you can leak a sex tape of yourselves tomorrow; chances are the results will not be the same. So yeah, my opinion of her has changed immensely, and for the better. Keep on keeping on.
- ROBERT DE NIRO – I used to think of this guy as my virtual husband. In my eyes he could do no wrong; it was one of those blind obsessions one would have for an actor whose image you adore. Fact of the matter is, it’s just an image! You do not know this person; you can only relate to him through his roles, which are made up and played out, so how can your admiration for him as a person possibly carry any actual weight? It can’t and it doesn’t. Yet still here you are, sweating after an old man whom you’ve built up in your head… And then it happens – He finally shows his true colors, and it’s as if a spell has been lifted. It took Donald Trump to get elected in order for De Niro to come out of his shadow as an actor; most commonly known as a calm and collected badass; and to come forth as the irrational and deranged cry-baby that he is. Thanks to Trump, my unhealthy addiction to Robert De Niro is no more. Phew.
- TAYLOR SWIFT – I’ve honestly never liked Taylor Swift. I’ve always found her music kind of repetitive and boring. And while I’ve never followed her Love Life enough to have an opinion on it, I have heard that it’s just a constant stream of boys and breakups, which is probably why her music is so repetitive and boring; that alone has kind of been enough reason for me to be annoyed with her entire persona. Then one day I was just like… Why though? Here is a girl who never pops up in Tabloids; obliterated with her lady parts blurred out as she gets out of a car. Here is a girl who works hard and writes all her own songs. Here is a girl who in spite of constant criticism managed to get on top and stay on top. Here is a girl who doesn’t lash out or participate in negative commentary; even when Kanye jumps on stage to bash and negate her victory. Here is a girl who continues to stride in spite of people hating on her because she’s simply “too nice”. And here I am, a non-list non-celebrity, claiming that Taylor Swift is “annoying”. That makes almost as much sense as someone sitting on the couch, eating a bag of potato chips, judging an Olympic gymnast for doing an imperfect landing. Having said that, I’d of course be lying if implied that my recognition of her talent and perseverance meant that my Spotify would suddenly be filled with her songs; it’s still not my cup of tea. However, I must give respect where respect is due. She is America’s sweetheart for after all… Oh but wait, there’s a twist. She’s a singer, right? So perhaps she should stick to what she knows. Yeah, I said it. Don’t be going around sticking your little nose where it doesn’t belong, sweetheart. You were barely born yesterday and all of a sudden you’re an activist and a feminist; just because you have a platform to reach millions, doesn’t mean you even know the meaning of the words. I recently heard her talk about her political views and I almost gagged. Like, you poor little thing; your heart is in the right place but you so don’t understand how the world works. I get the same feelings when the world’s beloved Jennifer Lawrence comes on screen in an “educational” video about economy. Insert major eye roll here… You’re an actress! You were given a script and you are now delivering it. And because you’ve earned the place of a respected actress, you think it’s okay to use that to manipulate people?? Gross. So yeah, if it wasn’t clear, my opinion of Taylor Swift has gone a full 360. She’s very much annoying and her music stinks.
With two out of three ending up in the Nay Box, you may think I’m just a negative Nancy. I of course disagree. I evaluated them fairly and thoroughly. It simply came down to one of those “once you see it, you can’t unsee it” situations. There’s actually another person, my opinion of whom has changed tremendously and for the better; but ya’ll ain’t ready for it. We’ll save that mind bomb for another day.