Last week, Star released the results of its annual " Most
Hated Celebrities " poll, revealing Gwyneth Paltrow as the
most reviled person in Hollywood and Chris Brown merely
the twentieth most hated. (More people hate Taylor Swift
and Matt Lauer. See addendum. ) Hating celebrities is
obviously a cherished online activity, but why do we do it?
Are we projecting anxiety? Attacking symbols? Bullying ?
To more precisely understand the phenomenon, I
considered the most loathsome attributes of each
celebrity. I found that each fit into one of three overlapping
categories: Tries Too Hard, Doesn't Try Hard Enough, and
Crimes Against Other Celebrities.
Tries Too Hard is the category of do-gooders, poseurs,
strivers, and phonies. Cultural aversions to inauthenticity
and shamelessness — which we often believe to go hand-
in-hand — cause us to revile those whose lives and
mannerisms seem rehearsed. Seventh most hated
celebrity Madonna has a fake accent and talks too loudly
about yoga; ninth most-hated Anne Hathaway seems like
she's playing the award-winning role of Anne Hathaway ,
instead of just being herself. The worst offenders are those
believed to pair falseness with condescension. Cluelessly
condescending Gwyneth Paltrow believes she can improve
the lives of others by telling them how to eat, sleep, groom,
even poop . She's a " rich white woman with an eating
disorder turned into a branding opportunity," critics say.
She tries too hard at acts that should be effortless, like
digesting. Tries Too Hard, it should be noted, is a category
dominated by females. Male offenders are those who
overstep assigned roles, like Ashton Kutcher (No. 13 on
the list) striving for tech-world relevance or Justin Bieber
(No. trying to rap.
Doesn't Try Hard Enough describes the opposite problem.
Kristen Stewart (No. 2) slouches and doesn't wash her
hair. Lindsay Lohan (No. 16) sleeps through court dates
and doesn't brush her teeth. Most egregiously, Lindsay
Lohan may be wasting her talent — not trying hard enough
when trying hard could result in greatness. Alternately, she
may exhibit signs of entitlement — showing up late on
movie sets while remaining "indignant she was not
considered for Black Swan." Those who hate Lohan the
most view her very being as an assault on the values of
hard work and merit-based achievement.
Just as the line between working hard and trying too hard
is razor thin, the line between doesn't try too hard
( beloved celebrity Jennifer Lawrence) and doesn't try hard
enough (hated celebrities K.Stew and LiLo) is narrow but
significant. (Note that I'm speaking about public
perceptions, not my own inclinations. I adore Lindsay and
Kristen .)
Eighth most-hated celebrity Justin Bieber, meanwhile, is a
paradox of effort. Contrived hairdos and words like swag
suggest he tries too hard. But the narrative he sells is
about luck against the odds — or, as a critic might put it,
success that is unearned. An informal survey I conducted
of Bieber haters yielded the following complaints:
"conceited teen prick," "drop-crotch pants," "perpetually
open mouth," "swag," "swaggy," "squirmy dance move
that is like a figure-eight moonwalk," "scrawny but thinks
he is big, the kind of guy who watches himself in the
mirror at the gym while lifting two-pound weights." His
bravado is simultaneously affected (trying too hard) and
ineffectual (meaning he needs to try harder).
Crimes Against Other Celebrities is our final category. It is
male- and adultery-dominated. Angelina (No. 15) stole
Jen's man. LeAnn Rimes (No. 12) stole Brandi Glanville's
man. K.Stew cheated on R-Patz. Jesse James (No. 19)
cheated on Sandra Bullock and is an ex-Nazi, to boot.
Leno (No. 14) backstabbed Conan; Lauer (No. 6)
backstabbed Curry; LaBeouf (No. 17) beefs with everyone.
Taylor Swift (No. 18) and John Mayer (No. 4) are serial
celebrity heartbreakers.
The only celebrity to exhibit characteristics of all three
groups — the heart of celebrity darkness — is girlfriend-
beating, chair-throwing, eye-shitting misogynist Chris
Brown (No. 20). He attacked Rihanna, Drake, Frank Ocean,
and many others. His overzealous feuds and weird boasts
suggest he tries too hard. Backslides into violence and
rage suggest he doesn't try hard enough to change. (Or
have the decency and discipline to walk away from fame.)
He may have ranked low on Star 's hate list, but as the only
celebrity to embody all three categories of celebrity
loathsomeness, Chris Brown may be the most
categorically hateful celebrity in the world. He is a
Renaissance man of hatefulness. America's most well-
rounded specimen of human revulsion.
Addendum: According to Star 's poll, these are the twenty
most hated celebrities
:
1. Gwyneth Paltrow
2. Kristen Stewart
3. Jennifer Lopez
4. John Mayer
5. Katherine Heigl
6. Matt Lauer
7. Madonna
8. Justin Bieber
9. Anne Hathaway
10. Kris Jenner
11. Kim Kardashian
12. LeAnn Rimes
13. Ashton Kutcher
14. Jay Leno
15. Angelina Jolie
16. Lindsay Lohan
17. Shia LaBeouf
18. Taylor Swift
19. Jesse James
20. Chris Brown

At least bro, u for use the space key for ur keyboard.

Tval: At least bro, u for use the space key for ur keyboard.

ur head correct bro.....wch kyn writeup b dis way pesin no fit differenciate?.?

Your post is over crowded.did you copy and pasted it without editing it?i couldn't read it

OP, remind me to add this post when I'm compiling the list for 'the 20 most disorganized posts on Nairaland'

Thanks for the effort though

I can't read dis poo
pls can someone tell me what Op is trying to say??

Op, your writeup is in complete disorder, as someone has already suggested, try using the space button on your keypad it helps alot.
Btw, if there is no justin bieber in that list, no party.

Who are dose ones. Abeg we want our naija celebs here

snowprince07: I can't read dis poo
pls can someone tell me what Op is trying to say??

He's trying to say I copied a good article somewhere but can't express it. That's the power of having a tool that's bigger than himself. English is not hard but understanding its Language is difficult for so many people even when they not asked to speak it but freely copy and paste.

The power of copy and paste is being expressed here. Brilliant write up but dull OP. So he makes the post look amateurish, childish and uninteresting. This goes to show why people still fail even when the cheat in exams.

what abt tonto dike?
many nairalanders hate dat babe
but y d hate?

too much sex causes bad eyes...my bad sha...