As a former second generation K-Pop fan, it was very common for me to hear the words, "He is my idol!" It is a common phrase said by many fans of Bangtan Boys or BTS, BIGBANG, MBLAQ, GOT7, Monsta X, and the list goes on and on. Not to mention during my life as a young mini me, living in the countryside of sweet ole cloudy southern Germany, I also would here the long raving cries of love and adoration from my classmates who were big One Direction fans. It seem that no one could do no wrong and as if they personally knew the members themselves... because the mafia fanfic they read on Wattpad was very "telling" and now they know the secret "lives" these members live. All part of the imigination... I guess. This was all back in 2013-2014.
Fast forwarding to today in 2025, the story continues on. Idolization continues on everywhere from celebrities, influencers, the wealthy, etc. Anyone with a platform pretty much. Shoot, I seen people with under a thousand subscribers on Youtube be idolize.
One thing I learn in my journey as a reborn Christian is to not say the following words, "I want my life to be like their life." That prayer ideally should not come out my mouth.
Why?
Well because I do not know what their life is like. Social media, most of the time, used to show people's highlight reels. The best of the best. So when I say I want my life to be like this said famous person who drives nice cars, owns a penthouse in downtown Manhattan, an American Express Black Card, and has a dreamy husband , I need to evaluate my way of thinking. This person could be in an abusive, toxic relationship, or is in lots of debt, or could be a new age guru with questionable ways to gain followers and more fame.
So why do people say, "You are my idol."
Well it could just be a saying but we can't just say, "You are my idol." Especially as Christians we shouldn't be idolizing anyone. Parasocial relationships is one of them as well. Developing an unhealthy attachments to celebrities who would consider you as a stranger or nothing but a dollar sign is not ideal. All it does it put the celebrity on a pedestal and when they don't uphold that perfect image you created in your head , suddenly cancel culture is in full affect. All the albums, posters, keychains, and videos you took at their concert (that you spent your entire paycheck on) is in the trash, just to find out they were a broken human looking for help or who needs help.
I recommend to read the saga book series, The Archives of BFF Vol.1: 35 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Idolize Us. It follows the life of a mega famous, co-ed, music group called Switch. The book is set up like a tell-all interview, where each member is openly admitting their scandalous dark secrets. I personally see each book as Unsung episode, expect their is like a ton of part ones, twos, threes, etc.
From infidelity, fights, abuse, overdoses, and covering up scandals with big bucks, you [the reader] is place in the position as a fellow Switch fan. Page by page do you learn the hard truth about the group coming to faith of Jesus Christ while living a life full of pain, adultery, deceit, and unforgiveness. Did I mention that there is illustrations too?
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