We watch celebrities through a screen, expecting them to be everything we imagined them out to be, but in reality, they don’t always meet these harsh expectations.  They experience scandals, make mistakes and even try to cover up some of those mistakes. In hopes of being remembered as a kind and generous person, or to keep up the praise. We often keep a blind eye because their money invalidates our justice system, or we give in to the entertainment they give. Celebrities and influencers have been getting away with whatever they want for a while now, so why do they do it, and why do we let it happen?

    Lindsey Lohan was a child star who accumulated fame at a young age for her roles in Disney shows and movies. She was a star that Disney curated her to be. She was fun, kind and most importantly, child friendly, until she was known for her iconic mugshots. An article by CNN on Lindsey Lohan talks about her many scandals and repeated mistakes. The article stated how she was charged with six months in jail for violating her probation, but in reality she only ended up staying there for four hours. Lohan was like many other people who have trouble with drugs and alcohol, but Lohan only spent 4 hours in prison for her 90-day sentence. This is common among celebrities because they can afford to have a more privileged time in prison or to get away with less time spent in prison. We may ignore this because in the case that our justice system deems it is right we automatically assume they have good intentions.

    An article by the Prison Legal News states some of the many ways on how people with money can make their punishments become more comfortable to them. “For over a decade, suburban jails in Southern California have been renting upscale cells to affluent people convicted of crimes in Los Angeles County. These pay-to-stay programs, also called self-pay jails, cost wealthy prisoners between $45 and $175 a day and include such amenities as iPods, cell phones, computers, private cells, and work release programs”. People who are rich and have influence or celebrity status can afford to get the best prisons where they’re able to stay comfortably. They hire the best lawyers possible to lower their jail time because they have the money to do so.

    The justice system isn’t the only ones being lenient to celebrities, we are too.  We can love these celebrities so much or are so inspired by them that we become blind to their actions. The BBC bitesize an online support designed to help you with studying, and curate experts on the topic or teachers to help you with questions you have. In an article on the psychology of stanning, they state, “Fandoms are no new phenomenon. For years lots of people have considered them to be excessive and, in some cases, even hysterical”. We can all get to the point where we don’t think about whether these people are good, but only care about the content they give us. For example, recently, Toney Lopez, an influencer on TikTok, was accused of sending sexually explicit texts to minors. He didn’t suffer any consequences; in fact, he still has the same platform as he did before. He still has the same influence because many don’t care enough to see him face the consequences or make better decisions. Lots of us want to see a hot guy making cool dances, and we don’t see anything beyond that.

   Celebrities will continue to get canceled and get away with the same mistakes because they continue to influence our lives, whether influencing our justice systems or influencing us personally. So, how long will we let this continue?