May 11, 2016
The Biebs took to Instagram recently to tell fans that he's done posing for pictures with them.
If you happen to see me out somewhere know that I’m not gonna take a picture. I’m done taking pictures. It has gotten to the point that people won’t even say hi to me or recognize me as a human, I feel like a zoo animal, and wanna be able to keep my sanity.
Come on guys, you could at least say, "Hi" to him. Right?
In a post too lengthy for twitter Justin Bieber explained why he's done posing with fans and to say that just because you bought his album doesn't make you entitled to anything more than the music.
Bieber expanded on this in a response to a fan.
Ok Justin I c u pic.twitter.com/xpvJ7kiiWH
— bigger than satan (@braekess) May 11, 2016
Yes, celebrities are people too. People who want to go to the movies or eat their lunch on a park bench without being bombarded by photo-takers. And Justin Bieber is far from the first celebrity to lament the paparazzo culture we live in. You don't really have to pay people to take celebrity's pictures, they'll do it on their own. There's no excuse for those who harass and cross the line to get a selfie with a star.
But at some point you've got to wonder if it comes with the job (the answer is yes, it does). If the adulation of millions, and the money of millions, comes with a price (yes). When you put yourself on the world stage, especially as an entertainer, you make yourself a commodity.
This is not to say that Bieber isn't entitled to refuse fans a picture. There's no doubt that with the amount of popularity that Bieber enjoys, dealing with fans who recognize him everywhere he goes must get tiresome. But it's worth wondering if when you make it big, get paid a lot of money to entertain the masses, if maybe you're entering into an unspoken agreement with the fans. No fine print required.
Image: Billboard