ARE YOU BIEBERPHOBIC?
Justin Bieber is one of the most popular singers on the planet – nevertheless, DNA readers love to hate him! Phillip Portman asks…
As DNA’s Online Coordinator, posting bare butts and shirtless selfies of sexy celebrities is all part of my job. Cheeky photos and videos get our online community excited and, for the most part, are a bit of harmless fun. So when 19-year-old Justin Bieber went on a shirtless selfie spree on Instagram earlier this year, it was the perfect time to see what DNA readers thought of the Biebs.
Despite his 43 million Twitter followers, 56 million Facebook likes, three billion Youtube views and five #1 albums on Billboard’s chart, our online community appear immune to Bieber Fever. Many claim they can’t name a single Bieber song while others call him talentless, a lesbian, a train wreck.
Earlier this year, TMZ leaked nude shots of Justin covering his cock with a guitar. Usually, a naked celebrity scandal is welcomed with open arms but something about Bieber doesn’t sit right with DNA readers. One wrote that he was enjoying the spectacle of Justin’s downfall while another threatened to cancel his subscription if we ever posted about him again. Others even said we were promoting kiddie porn. Justin is one of the biggest pop stars on the planet – why is he so deeply hated?
I have a theory, and it’s controversial. People don’t actually hate Justin Bieber. It’s just the cultural convention – it isn’t okay for adults to like him. Even if you do, it’s not okay to admit it. Humming along to Baby is out of the question, and don’t admit to downloading his songs, even if they feature vocals by Nicki Minaj or Mariah Carey. A hostile attitude is a must, even if you don’t know what his music sounds like.
Commonly, people complain that Justin is too young, but is he really? He’s older than British diver Tom Daley, who is a DNA blog favourite, and only two years younger than rugby star George Burgess whose nude selfie attracted very positive buzz online. The real issue, I think, lies in the fact that Justin Bieber is marketed to appeal to tween girls. It’s the same scenario with the One Direction boys. Adults are not allowed to like anyone who sends teenage girls into hysteria.
Speaking of hysteria, Beliebers went wild when Justin spat on them from a balcony earlier this year. In 2013 we also saw Bieber get tattoos, show up late for concerts, pee in buckets at fancy restaurants, have his pet monkey removed from his care (shades of Michael Jackson here), fight with paparazzi and get carried by his bodyguards down the Great Wall Of China because he was too lazy to walk. It’s easy to see why people think he’s a wild child, but aren’t all teens crazy? Don’t all rock stars have a bad boy attitude?
It’s fair to say the media is partly responsible for the Bieber bashing. From the beginning they poked fun at his hair, questioned his talent and gleefully reported every mess up. What about the great things Justin has done? Did you know he’s granted over 200 wishes as part of the MakeA-Wish Foundation? How about all the sick kids he’s visited in hospitals around the world?
At the end of the day, Bieber is rich and famous, he’s travelled the world and has twice as many fans as the population of Australia. He might be a spoilt brat and we might be jealous, but wouldn’t you be driving around Hollywood in a pimped out Ferrari if you were in his position? I’d be pissing in my posh hotel bucket, that’s for sure.