Will moms still love him after this?
The new year is off to a bad start for bad boy Justin Bieber: he once again broke up with girlfriend Selena Gomez, a photographer died after getting hit by a car while attempting to snap pics of Bieber and now there are infamous images of what tabloids say are Bieber doing drugs.
Last week I was critical of Biebs’s actions and much to my surprise, some grownup fans had something to say about it.
“Leave him alone,” wrote Sandra. “You probably didn’t grow up with all eyes on you. He’s got no privacy and is just doing regular teen stuff. Give the guy a break.”
I beg to differ, Sandra. What about Bieber’s superstar life is “regular” teen stuff? Regular teens wouldn’t get away with as many traffic infractions speeding around in hundred-grand cars. You have to admit, there is a sense of entitlement that all teen stars very quickly get comfy with.
There is a level of responsibility celebrities have when they know they influence millions of (in this case, impressionable) fans.
Yes, it is true that he has had to grow up in the public eye but now we are seeing the realness that is a teen. We are seeing that he’s not some momma’s boy who is still breastfeeding, as I recently said on my radio shows. We are seeing the rebellious side that IS normal for teens.
This isn’t a debate about marijuana being bad for you and that if Bieber did drugs he is a terrible person. It is simply about making responsible decisions when you have the platform he has.
If in fact Bieber was smoking up and it was in the privacy of a friend’s house or hotel room or wherever, it’s unfortunate that someone captured the blurry images in the first place. But it would also be a good PR move for Bieber to fess up to what he did without some sort of cryptic tweet hours before the pics were released and tell kids about the harmful effects of reckless drug use.
Tabloids work in wonderful ways. You might not know it, but celebrities get fair warning before a story runs. They have time to come up with a PR plan sometimes days before the gossip hits the airwaves.
I am very excited to see what 2013 brings for Bieber. I sense it being the year of the downward spiral.
