An Open Letter to Justin Bieber

My Dearest Justin:

At some point in my middle school career I heard rumors that you were considering attending our Christian private school in Atlanta. Back when your body was free of tattoos and I had major Bieber fever, before your voice learned to calm down, I gave a major crap about what the media had to say about people like you, and in turn, people like me.

Since that time, both you and I have changed, and in similar ways.

You became a sort of multimillionaire…I got a job at a bakery.

You went on a world tour (didn’t actually fact check this)…I started this blog – people in England, Cambodia, and Russia read my blog.

But as of late I’ve also made an effort to not concern myself with the lives of celebrities anymore. I used to spend chunks of my time reading up on their lives and watching interviews; at that time, I wanted to be anyone but myself.

What I know of  your life comes from the headlines of news articles that I’d scroll past on various forms of social media, and they had come to define my perspective of you. I’d always read those headlines and gave them much more credibility than they deserved.

Apparently you egged someone’s house…and are gay with Austin Mahone??? and had a steamy “dance session” with Selena.

On a day to day basis, I don’t care what you do with your life, because I am trying so hard to be my own person and love that, but whenever your name comes up in conversation, I devolve to my generic Justin Bieber blurb:

Love his voice, but hate his personality with a passion.

 

The other day I was talking with my cousin, when one of your songs started to play, and i inserted my generic blurb.

But she was one of the first people to deflect criticism against you – not defend, but deflect – favoring a neutral stance.

The media’s sole reason for existence is to conjure up biased paragraphs that together, barely pass for news articles, she said, to make money from unnecessary drama stirred up from the mundane lives of celebrities. 

It wasn’t a full-fledged conversation, but it got me thinking. Tabloids and news sources do hold some sliver of truth, but it is so so important to remember that the media is not you, Justin.

Sometimes identity is not what other’s opinions and depictions illustrate, and there are hidden angles that I will never understand. The same applies to people in my everyday life.

In regards to you, and everyone else that I think I understand but really don’t, I will have to filter much of the nonsense swirling around on the internet, because you were a person once, and you probably still are.

Fame and fortune, babes and Bugattis have not yet stolen your heart.

After that conversation went down, I’m still not a fan or a ‘belieber’, but the only difference is that I don’t have any credible evidence to back myself up.

Turns out, maybe I never did.

We can’t believe everything we read, people!!!

 

Formally yours,

Catherine