Anyone who has the popular app TikTok has probably seen the influx of edits on celebrities and characters. While some are innocent, others hold the intent of sexualizing the person, either the actor or their role. The problem with objectifying celebrities is that people may not realize how they feel about it behind the scenes.
Some celebrities have said that the edits make them uncomfortable. YouTube stars, the Sturniolo Triplets, have said they don’t see the content as entertaining. Even though the Sturniolos have made this clear, some have disregarded what the triplets have voiced about the edits and continue to make them. These videos have been made not only about celebrities, but characters in various films. Examples include Jake Sully from “Avatar,” Ghostface from the “Scream” franchise, and even Nick Wilde from Disney’s “Zootopia.”
Stepping away from the fact that these edits oversexualized people and characters, some can also “ship” people together. While some of these “ships” are wholesome, others are of people who are already in relationships. An instance of this is Corey Mylchreest and India Amarteifio from the Netflix show, “Queen Charlotte.” Mylchreest was already in a relationship, but that did not matter to most. Some people have even gone as far as to say that they hoped Mylchreest and his girlfriend would break up so that he and Amarteifio could be together. These events can cause unnecessary tension in celebrities’ personal lives.
People could argue that these videos are made for fun, but many do not realize the effects they can have on others. Most would not want to be treated this way themselves, and the same rule should go for celebrities. If the argument is that they are celebrities, then why are characters from Disney movies being sexualized as well?
Ultimately, no one should be making edits that over-sexualize celebrities without their consent. Even though they may be in the spotlight, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t human and don’t have an opinion on whether thousands of people can make sexualizing remarks and sounds to put into their photos or videos.
