When Celeb Crushes Get Out of Control

We love that AllisonJY decided to use her less-than-pleasant past experience to help other Sparklers. Great tips! —SparkNotes editors

Life can feel great when you have a celebrity crush. After all, sometimes you just need someone who represents your idea of perfection to give you a sense of hope. But what do you do when a celeb crush gets overboard and threatens to consume you? What do you do when the slightest bit of news about him or her drives you to the brink of insanity?

Here are some tips I have on dealing with this problem:

1)      Do NOT jump into the dating scene just to forget your celebrity crush. Chances are you’ll end up comparing your boyfriend or girlfriend to your idol and you’ll end up hurting his/her feelings. Moreover, there is a higher chance of you ending up with someone who is not suitable for you if you’re choosing haphazardly.

Also, do NOT date someone merely because he has “eyes that, like, totally look like Christian Bale’s.” And yes, a classmate of mine really did say that. Trust me, your significant other will know if you like him only for his unoriginal facial features.

2)      Realize that as long as they are humans, they are imperfect. What you see of your celeb crush is only his/her on-screen persona. Off-screen, you have no idea who the person really is. A lady who seems polished and social may, in fact, be someone who craves privacy and, if given the choice, would rather hole up in her house with a bucket of popcorn, dressed in a baggy sweater, hair unwashed. A man who plays a villain may be a sweetheart in real life, while the protagonist on screen may be a self-centered, fame-obsessed monster at home.

3)      Also, if you can admit that your crush is human, then obviously he/she has the same basic needs—however unattractive—as you. Every celebrity has to eat, drink, sleep, and er, go to the bathroom. And while I won’t give you the same advice I’ve read elsewhere on the web (that is, to imagine your idol defecating. Tacky!), I would say that when you’ve realized the person has the same basic needs as you, the crush will seem much less mystical and much more part of reality. It's kind of like a unicorn turning into a horse.

4)      DO cultivate more hobbies unrelated to your celebrity crush. Believe me, when you’re having fun knitting or doing puzzles, you will forget all about your idol. Also, you may meet people through new hobbies, and this will also help to widen your social circle, thereby giving you much more to do than to obsess over what new rumor is arising.

5)      READ! And I mean a book, not the internet (with the exception of SparkLife of course). When you read, your entire mind is concentrating on analyzing the words, and will not stray to matters that would bring you down, i.e. your celebrity crush being seen with yet another leggy model. Also, take heart that while you may not be able to compete with that model looks-wise (I’m just speculating, no offense if you really are more attractive!), you will definitely be able to steamroll her with your knowledge and vocabulary.

I'm not advocating that you burn all your posters and crack your CDs in half. What I’m trying to promote here is moderation. A healthy liking for a famous person is fine, but when you end up feeling extreme pain, or stressing out those around you, you know that you’ve gone overboard.

Oh, if you’re curious, yes, I really did write this because I have an overwhelming celebrity crush on a certain Japanese musician based in the City of Angels. But it’s getting better now. Really.

Got any more tips on this issue? Share 'em in the comments!

Related Post: Auntie SparkNotes: The Unattainable Crush (Or Jack Ryan Will Emotionally Cripple You)

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