Chris Evans is one of the most popular actors in the current age, dazzling audiences from movies like Captain America to Knives Out. He won People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in 2022 and his name almost guarantees a decent audience. Evans recently married his longtime girlfriend, Portuguese actress Alba Baptista, in a private ceremony in Massachusetts. I, a normal well functioning human, was happy to see him marry the love of his life and expected most of his fan base to agree or do the usual “aw shucks, wish it was me” routine. The comment section showed this was not the case. I was stunned to see people say horrible things about Evans, his wife, their families and friends because he DARED to get married. People who have NEVER met Evans created conspiracy theories and raged at their favorite Hollywood hunk all because he has a love life.
I decided to dive deeper into social media to see if this parasocial tomfoolery was relegated to one comment section. Unfortunately, grown adults across Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok were claiming with flimsy evidence that the marriage was a “PR lie”, relentless stalking of Evans and Baptista’s friends and family online, and long letters directed at Evans that accused him of betraying his fan base by getting married. The shocking part was that looking at these accounts that posted this, many were people in their mid 30s – IN THEIR GROWN AGE, crying over the marriage of a celebrity whom most of them have never met. The parasocial relationships that stan culture has conditioned those online into believing are normal have gotten worse than ever before.
Many thought toxic fan culture peaked with the more fanatical fans of musicians like One Direction and Justin Bieber or with the stalking cases plaguing many celebrities. But the echochamber of social media has turned forming parasocial worship of celebrities into an accepted practice. John Mulaney, Taylor Swift, Doja Cat,the cast of Supernatural, and BTS are just some of the celebrities whose fanbases become so obsessed with their personal lives that they cyberstalk the celebrity, their friends and their families. They allow their obsession to turn them into relentless fanatics who become enraged when the celebrity does something they don’t like, such as divorce or have a baby.
There’s nothing wrong with being a super fan. If you want to shell out money to see a Taylor Swift concert or watch a Chiefs game to maybe get a glimpse of your idol is not inherently awful. Becoming so obsessed around Swift to where you allow convoluted conspiracy theories about her personal life dictate your mental state (such as the controversial “Gaylor Swift” theory) is NOT OKAY. Doja Cat caught a lot of flack for being incredibly honest about fan-celebrity relationships. She doesn’t love all of her fans, she DOESNT KNOW THEM. I’m sure she appreciates the money, time and nice things people do for her, but she can’t give them all of what they want in return. She makes music for them, she isn’t their friend. THAT’S WHAT IT’S LIKE FOR EVERYONE!!!
These celebrities are not your friends, they are human beings with wants, needs and flaws. They do not owe you anything. They act, they sing, they play sports and that’s it. You can appreciate them for the things they do, you can be a Chris Evans fan and devote fan accounts to him if you so desire. But you look like a lunatic for demanding that they open up about their personal lives and appreciate you, the individual. Chris Evans isn’t going to put off marrying the woman he loves because you wrote a couple of instagram posts for him. This isn’t like a friendship where two people have to do things for each other, this is like a Wendys. One person makes something for you, you pay for it, you enjoy it, you go home, and you don’t behave like you were born with no sense.
I pray that Chris Evans, his wife, and their loved ones never see those negative comments and posts. Imagine wanting to share your marriage with the world and being met with vile comments from some Twitter troglodyte who spends all day arguing with strangers and obsessing over GQ articles. Though, I imagine he doesn’t care all that much because he’s the “Sexiest Man Alive” and an internationally recognized actor. So if you are that fan, listen closely: He doesn’t care. He’s going to do what makes him happy. Your hatred may be boosted by other crazy internet goblins, but ultimately, it will just make you look stupid and feel miserable.
