Justin Bieber Fan: Parasocial Extreme

            I certainly think that that mayhem around Justin Bieber’s image as America’s sweetheart has died down over the past few years due to his multiplicity of rebellious and absurd behaviors. However, for some reason, this week I remembered a video that I had encountered a couple years ago, showing a three-year-old girl’s undeniable infatuation with JB. The girl, Cody, is shown crying because she “loves Justin Bieber” and because “she doesn’t get to see Justin Bieber.” The video ends with an adorably comical moment, where the home-phone rings and Cody states in a matter of fact way, “I bet that’s Justin Bieber.” Cody became a YouTube sensation, which resulted in her being on Jimmy Kimmel Live where she got to meet the one and only, Justin Bieber.

            It’s undeniable, Cody is adorable, and seeing her get to meet her dream man is a cute moment. However, I think it’s important to take a step back and realize the potentially harmful implications of such a deep parasocial relationship. Certainly, Cody is only three-years-old, but it seems that at this ripe age she’s already exhibiting an anxious-preoccupied attachment style. Because she was not able to see Justin Bieber that day (presumably in a virtual form) Cody had an outlandish emotional reaction. This is an example of the anxious-preoccupied attachment style, which despite being formed in infancy has the capacity to influence people later in life. This can be especially maladaptive, as people with this attachment style perceive themselves as unworthy of love, while also setting the expectation for others to accommodate their needs (Theran, Newberg, & Gleason, 2010, p. 271). This preoccupied attachment style has predicted more emotional intensity of parasocial relationships, which seems to account for the extremity of Cody’s reaction to her insufficient Justin Bieber time. (Theran, Newberg, & Gleason, 2010, p. 275).

            Cody also seems to show the indoctrination of young children with gender-specific roles and reactions. Young girls learn about romance, intimate relationships, popularity, and appearance from other girls. (Drury & Bukowski, 2013, p. 131) Conveniently, Cody has an older sister, and repeatedly focuses on being “in love” with Bieber and his “cuteness.” Does Cody example this adoption of other girls’ sense of romanticism? Perhaps.

            In sum, the video of young Cody crying over her childhood parasocial love is funny and adorable. But it is important for us to recognize the perpetuation of gender scripting amongst children. Furthermore, the ability for Cody’s video to go viral and for Jimmy Kimmel to use it on network television perpetuates the preoccupied attachment style without identifying the problems it may pose. Though there is a lighthearted value in the video, we need to be cautious to not ignore the forces undergirding why this video makes us laugh and smile.

References:

Drury, K. M. & Bukowski, W. M. (2013). Sexual development. In D. Bromberg & W. T. O’Donohue (Eds.), Handbook of Child and Adolescent Sexuality (pp. 115-144). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Theran, S.A., Newberg, E.M., & Gleason, T.R. (2010). Adolescent girls’ parasocial interactions with media figures. The Journal of Genetic Psychology: Research and Theory on Human Development, 171(3), 270-277. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00221325.2010.483700