It’s not uncommon to see celebrities – that have crossed paths in one way or another – remain lifelong friends. They share similar difficulties, likes, dislikes and experiences, as they are working the same job and can understand each other’s feelings. Because of that, it’s quite common for those in the public eye to share the same circles and contacts. This can be very beneficial for people in the public eye, not only for the relatability, but for privacy and understanding as well.
However, there are some people that fail to remember that – just because two people worked together in the past – it does not mean that a relationship must continue. Once working on the same project, they are co-workers – it’s no different from yourself and the lady across the office from you. Will you be close friends with her in 10 years? Probably not and that’s okay. But to Courtney Cox, Jennifer Anniston was once the lady across the office and the rest is history. It is one great story.
When it’s a collaboration project promoted to the public, those taking part are pushed into unrealistic expectations of friendship from fans who want more from them. Personal stories on set and photos are expected to be shared online, when in reality, these people might not be friends. When these celebrities are filming a movie, TV show or recording a song, it’s work and it’s their job. Of course, this isn’t always the case, and brilliant friendships have bloomed from talent working in the media.
We have all seen Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez show us the most wonderful friendship, and Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj create lots of great music together. They, and many others, have shown us how having someone in the same position as you can be crucial in terms of understanding, empathy and feeling understood.
The music and entertainment industry can be an extremely toxic place. While amazing women are put together for movies and shows, others are pitted against each other for a great chain of tabloid headlines. Take Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber who have been confronted with it for years. But instead of giving away control over it, they took matters into their own hands. All it took was being pictured together and it caused a plot twist no one saw coming. That is female empowerment right there.
So you might see these on screen friendships turn into real life sisterhood or two frenemies shutting down the hateful narrative others have written for them. Either way, we don’t know the end of the story and it is not our place to ship anyone or assume they are best friends behind the scenes. We as viewers are here to watch and mind our own damn business.
ROARA Magazine 