Photo courtesy of YouTube.
You never forget your first problematic fave. For me, it was Taylor Swift in her country days. I was 15 and caught an offensive, homophobic lyric in her boy-bashing anthem, “Picture to Burn:” “So go and tell your friends that I’m obsessive and crazy/ That’s fine I’ll tell mine that you’re gay.” How could such ignorance have been hiding behind all those glittery frocks and girl power? (FYI: Swift has since edited the lyric to make it less offensive).
Of course, the phrase “problematic fave” didn’t exist in 2008 when Swift released her song, but the concept is age-old: a person, generally a celebrity or fictional character, who one admires while acknowledging his or her questionable views, opinions or actions. Since its 2013 origins, the term has found its way from underground Internet meme into colloquial conversation.
In Hollywood, problematic faves can be found in droves, and their infractions range in seriousness: from Ariana Grande getting caught licking doughnuts on display at a local bakery to Miley Cyrus’ outright appropriation of black culture. The popular Tumblr blog Your Fave Is Problematic is an archive of notable people and characters who have said or done anything even slightly controversial.
But while the phenomenon involves pointing fingers at celebrities for their flaws, the emphasis on “fave” makes it clear that their mistakes do not define them. It’s an important distinction from the tabloid trash aimed at sensationalizing, humiliating and defaming so many stars. It’s as if to say they aren’t perfect, but then again, who is? Ironically, calling out the rich and famous on their problematic behavior is a helpful solution to all the negativity.
For one, the problematic fave holds celebrities accountable for their actions. In April, Avengers: Age of Ultron fans criticized Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner for calling Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow a slut when a reporter asked why the character seemed to be romantically involved, or “shipped,” with a different superhero in each new film in the Marvel franchise. Days after the interview aired, both actors issued statements apologizing.
Furthermore, the trend improves relationships between celebrities and their fans. Fans are able to openly address that their heroes are imperfect, which gives them more agency than ever, and takes the obsession and idolatry out of celebrity culture.
To a greater extent, the attitudes and actions that deem our faves problematic are indicative of the rapidly changing social climate in which they occupy a central role.
The world is and probably always will be full of problematic faves and — if we’re lucky — those who call them out. And that’s sort of a beautiful thing, isn’t it?
