There was once a time when celebrities would attract the eyeballs of so many people around the globe, not because of some controversy or cause, but because they were talented people acting in phenomenal stories. Red Carpet events were a sight to behold as this was the place you'd get to see Robin Williams hamming it up with Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt. Clint Eastwood and Julia Roberts are in the same place as Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks was pretty crazy.
Each of them was dressed to the nines in good-looking suits and dresses. Women wore hairstyles that looked elegant and beautiful.
Nowadays, the outfits look more like more expensive versions of clothing prostitutes would wear and they don't always appear on a woman. Now it's all about statements and causes. Celebrities are often tiresome leftwing cookie cutouts of each other, devoid of the personality that once defined a Hollywood actor or actress.
However, the celebrities are now facing a new problem. As the economy begins to decline and people are struggling to stay afloat, the flamboyant and often mind-numbing elitism of celebrities looks more and more offensive. This came to a head during the infamous MET Gala, which has celebrities and attendants shelling out thousands to dress up in lavish clothing often straight out of the Capitol in "The Hunger Games."
One influencer named Haley Kalil wore one of these elaborate costumes and posted a video that started with "Let them eat cake," a phrase attributed to Marie Antoinette. This got a response from many TikTokers who found the lavishness of her lifestyle in the midst of such an economic downturn disgusting, which then kicked off a massive online trend that has now gone well outside of TikTok.
“It’s time to block all the celebrities, influencers, and wealthy socialites who are not using their resources to help those in dire need,” said TikTok user "ladyfromtheoutside." “We gave them their platforms, it’s time to take it back, take our views away, our likes our money, by blocking them on all social media and digital platforms.”
The TikTok user called for blocking celebrities and referred to it as a digital guillotine or a "digitine."
Kalil, who had 10 million followers is apparently experiencing a downturn.
But Kalil isn't the only one being led to the chopping block. Beyonce Knowles, Taylor Swift, Jojo Siwa, and the Kardashians (who have reportedly lost millions of followers already) are all being led to the platform, digitally. The "#Blockout2024" hashtag has appeared and is wreaking havoc on a number of celebrities' followings.
The idea is sound. Strip the thing that influencers and celebrities require to function; attention. Blocking them on social media results in far less attention and with far less attention comes fewer brand deals and role offers. They begin to fade away.
Since the movement is new, we're yet to see just how much of an effect it will have or what the longevity of it will be. As I write this, anti-Israel internet denizens are making it about which celebrities are not speaking out against Israel. Blocking Gal Gadot for being formerly IDF has become a popular call. I can't imagine this will go over well with many Americans who will turn against the celebrity block trend purely out of spite for the anti-Israel people.
But I anticipate something of a domino effect occurring. While I don't see the concept of the celebrity completely going away, I do anticipate complications down the line. If this blocking continues I can't imagine a lot of celebrities will want to be seen being so lavish anymore for fear of being the next social media target. They'll start to tone themselves down as a result, effectively doing the people's job for them.
But no matter how you swing it, these celebrities are going to get quieter, at least for a time.
To be honest, this isn't a bad thing. Celebrities have, frankly, gotten out of control in terms of their self-importance. The appreciation we had for them in the past thanks to better actors and actresses from the past carried over to the celebrities of today and that public normalcy of celebrity obsession gave them chips on their shoulders that they didn't deserve. They became increasingly out of touch and ridiculous.
Now, robbing them of the thing they take for granted could teach Hollywood that it's not the giant it thinks it is and that their opinions don't only not matter, but they're detrimental to their success.
Then we might get something we've wanted for a very long time...
...for celebrities to shut up.
Feel free to take part in the trend.
