It’ll Take Two Seconds
It was actually really lucky that I bumped into them. I had just got to the concert, and I had to go to the bathroom so I found my mom and then she decided to walk with me to find one. As we were making our way towards where we thought a bathroom might be, I saw Calum Hood and Ashton Irwin from the band 5 Seconds of Summer. I tossed my phone to my mom and asked them “Hey, do you guys mind taking a picture?” They stopped and posed for a couple shots before moving on.
I waited until they were out of sight before letting my inner fangirl show. I told my mom how excited I was and how happy I was that they’d stopped for a picture. As a band, all the boys had a reputation for being jerks and rude to fans, so I was surprised and ecstatic that they had taken the time to stop for me.
Flash forward two hours.
I’ve jumped the gate into the VIP section and I’m walking around aimlessly, and cautiously, waiting to be called out for not belonging. I’ve inserted myself in a group of some energetic back-up dancers to decrease the likelihood that someone will notice I don’t have a VIP card dangling frommy neck. We’re all hanging out minding our own business backstage, when the new singer, Daya, goes to take the stage.
We all watch half-heartedly from backstage as she performs her two songs, before she drops back down to the VIP section. When she gets there, a group of 11–12 year-old girls go up and ask for a picture. She rolls her eyes. Adjusts her earpiece. Looks at the girls with contempt and grumbles a “Sure.” She poses and they snag a shot. A mom walks up to her and asks for a picture. Daya replied with “No.” The mom insists, “It’s for my daughters.” She gestures behind her, where two girls, no older than 7, stand with wide eyes. Daya rolls her eyes yet again and responds with “I mean, I guess so.”
I didn’t bother asking Daya for a picture. She didn’t seem to be in the mood to take them, but it got me thinking. Here we have an artist, at an event where she is slated to perform two times, clearly not wanting to take pictures with fans. Maybe that wouldn’t have struck me as odd, if I didn’t just get a nice reaction from bigger and well-known stars.
I left VIP after that and told my mom what had happened. She shrugged and let it slide, telling me it was okay, because I’d still gotten a picture with the other two. I didn’t explain to her that it wasn’t that I was disappointed in not getting a picture, I was confused. I’m not famous by any means (unless you count that one time one of my tweets got, 10,000 likes), but I’ve heard about celebrities who don’t take picture with fans. Most notably, Justin Bieber, who recently announced he wouldn’t be taking any when asked, citing how tiresome it was as justification.
I understand the logic to some extent. If you’re at dinner and just want to eat in peace or if you’re out at the movies trying to enjoy “La, La, Land” because it’s cinematic gold, you probably don’t want to be interrupted. But, as a fan, I know that the likelihood of seeing this person ever again is so low that you don’t want to miss what’s probably going to be your only chance at meeting them. You don’t want to be a bother, but you don’t want to miss out. It’s a fine line that most fans have to cross. In that situation though, I wouldn’t be offended if I was gently, but forcefully told by whoever I asked a picture from “Sorry, I’m eating. Not right now.”
What I don’t get is that if you’re an artist and you’re at an event where you’re slated to perform (in this case, Daya at Jingle Ball), isn’t it your job to stop for pictures? You’re working. Fan interaction is part of work. Taking the time to take pictures during a night that you’re performing seems to be part of the job. We aren’t disturbing dinner, or ruining a movie. We’re here to support you, and we’ve gotten lucky enough to bump into you.
The boys who I got a picture with weren’t even performing that night. They just happened to be there because a band they support was performing, but they stopped just the same, and I didn’t have to beg.
Maybe I don’t have a point and celebrities aren’t at all obligated to take pictures with anyone. Maybe it really isn’t part of the job. But I do know that even 3 months later, I still talk about how nice the boys were when it comes up, and I still listen to their music. And 3 months later, I still take the time to make subtle jabs at Daya for being rude and stuck-up to some young girls who loved her, and I change the station when her songs come on. I think the mom of the girls sort of felt the same as me. because we made eye contact and seemed to be on the same page.
Want to keep or lose a fan? It’ll only take two seconds.