“How can you have a crush on a celebrity, you don’t even know them.” 

People distinguish between a celebrity crush and a crush on someone in your “actual life”. As if one is more valid than the other. But how well do you really know anyone that you have a crush on? How well do you know your classmates, your co-workers? 

Not actually knowing someone is a prerequisite for developing a crush on them. In a way, we create a fantasy version of every person we fall in love with. And figuring out that they are their own person, with issues and shortcomings and ambitions, is a make-or-break point in any new relationship.

To me, the process we go through with our celebrity crushes – starting out idolising them, figuring out they are not perfect, that they have character flaws, they poop, etc – can be pretty much the same as what happens with our “real-life” crushes. In some cases, getting to know the actual person behind a crush is such a turn-off that our infatuation evaporates. But in other cases, we see their shortcomings, continue to support them, and the crush turns into love. This is when the screaming at concerts turns into cheering.