Apologies to Avril

Apologies to Avril
(and celebrities in general)
By Krissy Brady

I would like to apologize to Avril Lavigne on behalf of those who know her or are a fan of her music, and who aren’t out to use her success for their own financial gain. I once read the Toronto Sun, and stumbled upon an article called Avril is sold out. It was about a guy from Avril’s past who was selling old love letters she had written on eBay. Some people were even selling rocks from Napanee, and were getting almost three dollars a piece for them. After reading it, I was embarrassed to be a human being. The fact that I am of the same species as people who do anything they can to profit off of Avril and other celebrities disgusts me. What disgusts me even more is that people actually buy what is being offered by these leeches, not even questioning their legitimacy, or more importantly, how it could effect the celebrity. It seems like you can’t be a fan of someone anymore, without people wondering whether there is a string attached.

I wanted to become famous, but now I’m not so sure. I mean, there is so much planning involved. I would have to discard all old photos of myself that could be considered “material”; I would have to burn everything I’ve ever written, ever worn, and ever touched; I would have to watch what I say; better yet, I shouldn’t talk at all. I could also never go out in public because I would be accused of having multiple love affairs.

Avril is a person who I have a lot of respect for. She moved away from home at a very young age to make her mark in the music industry, and is she ever. She has a distinctive style, and the best part is she can actually sing. She has worked beyond hard to get to where she is, and everyone should respect her for her guts alone.

To all of you who have criticized Avril, saying that she is overrated and just a product of an agency and some songwriters, let me ask you this: are you selling a gajillion records? Have you won a Juno? No, just the opposite actually. You are selling merchandise that Avril’s cousin’s second husband’s half-sister’s stepdaughter spit up on for financial gain, instead of getting a life.

I have no respect for people who, or publications that, think it is okay to exploit celebrities in order to make some extra cash. Who cares if Jennifer Lopez has been married three times? Not only has she worked very hard for everything she has, she also hasn’t forgotten where she came from. But no, let’s not look at the values that got her to where she is; let’s manipulate everyone so they look at her in a negative light, as if it is going to change how her true fans feel about her. Celebrities are not our puppets. They are human beings doing what they want to do for a living. So let them.

About Krissy BradyKrissy Brady is a freelance writer residing in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada. She is the editor-in-chief of Brady Magazine, an online writer’s trade directory dedicated to putting writers on the map. She is also a poet, whose book Tidal Wave is currently in production (Rain Publishing).This article is free to publish as long as it is kept completely in tact.