People around the world are struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, facing issues in their everyday lives such as lack of food in grocery stores and having to stay home in an effort to adhere to social distancing.
The pandemic has revealed another, less life-threatening issue: the ego of celebrities who believe they are struggling just as much as we are and want to be seen as relatable because of it.
A prime example of this issue is Gal Gadot’s now-infamous viral Instagram video posted on March 18. In this video, Gadot and 21 other celebrities, including Will Ferrell and Natalie Portman, sing John Lennon’s “Imagine,” taking on different lines of the song in separate locations.
Gadot posted this video to uplift her followers during this time, captioning it “We are in this together, we will get through this together. Let’s imagine together. Sing with us.”
The video is not great, to say the least. It’s awkward to watch, considering most of the people singing are actors who, well, can’t sing.
Of course, it shouldn’t be about the singing, but instead the effort they put into the video. Isn’t it enough that these celebrities came together to try and cheer people up? Isn’t it the thought that counts?
The answer is no, not really. The video is an empty gesture, doing little to offer any real comfort during this time. It feels disingenuous; celebrities want to help people, but not in a meaningful way.
I find that the effort of rich people ultimately amounts to nothing if they aren’t actually using their platform in a way that matters.
This can be seen through the immense backlash on social media, especially in the comment section of the video itself.
Many said hearing celebrities sing “imagine no possessions” despite having the money to buy whatever they want felt ironic. Others said they were not, in fact, “in this together” because of the large wealth gap between Gadot and the average person watching.
Gadot’s viral video is just one example of cringe-worthy attempts made by celebrities to appear relatable. Another case involves Ellen Degeneres, who has posted multiple videos on Instagram where she looks bored at home and begins to call up other celebrities to chat. Social media users have found it hard to feel bad for her considering she’s making these calls from a mansion.
Celebrities’ actions during the pandemic highlights an issue of celebrity culture in general: the people in the limelight think if they do the bare minimum, they will be praised for it because we live in a world where hardcore fans of anybody and anything can exist.
Since we watch them on screen, they sincerely believe we want to watch them live worry-free on social media as well.
It also highlights how the rich simply do not give away as much money as they could to support others nor use their platforms to push or actual change.
Of course, there are those who are using their platform for real action, proving that such things are possible. Rappers Lil Nas X and Megan Thee Stallion, as well as actress Indya Moorem donated money to individuals on Twitter who comment on their posts or directly messaged them with links to their CashApp.
Moore, who prioritized the needs of black trans and/or queer fans as a black nonbinary person themself, was “able to pay out $3000 to 51 black queer + trans folks facing financial crisis during this time” and will try to donate again, according to their tweets.
Celebrities shouldn’t expect their supposed relatability to help the average person get through these tough times. In fact, what we need is for rich people to understand they are not like us. They have privileges we are not afforded, resources we don’t have access to and an exorbitant amount of money they can rely on to get through the pandemic while the average person is trying to apply for unemployment benefits.
Hopefully, as we continue to deal with the pandemic, we will begin to see more celebrities realize how their privileges enable them to help and actually reach out in a meaningful way.
