Celebrities reaching out to fans, and vice versa, via Social Media is undoubtedly a great thing. It offers celebrities the chance to receive instant feedback on their latest work. It also offers fans the chance to get in touch with people they admire. It can be tricky, however. Recently, it has become increasingly common for female fans to state their admiration for certain celebrities in a way that might not always be welcome. We spoke to a few of our favorite celebrities to find out how they felt about this.
From Ahmed Hatem’s Instagram
“What bothers me the most is when someone speaks disrespectfully of my wife”, Karim Fahmy says.
From Ramsi Lehner’s Instagram
Looks, Body Image, and Equality
What many fail to realize is that men are under a lot of pressure to look a certain way, just like women. This is something that actor Ramsi Lehner discussed with us, “there has been so much focus put in all these campaigns for women to love themselves and it’s easy to forget that it’s the same for men”, he explains. This can be easily traced back to the entertainment industry itself, “the industry is created so that it makes perfect people”, he says. Actresses have been speaking up against being praised for their looks alone and not their talent. Ramsi has his own take on how actors react to the same thing, “we’re built differently, I guess. It bothers me, but I wouldn’t lose sleep over it”, he continues, “it’s flattering of course. It’s somewhere between flattering and ‘there’s more to me’”. And even with Social Media the way it is, audiences still don’t know the full extent of reality, “I don’t even look like that in real life; it’s makeup and lighting. I’m a bum in real life”, he says.
From Karim Fahmy’s Instagram
“I don’t even look like that in real life; it’s makeup and lighting. I’m a bum in real life”, Ramsi Lehner tells.
Personal Life and Social Media
What people don’t always consider when communicating with celebrities on Social Media is that their words could hurt someone’s feelings. Actor Ahmed Hatem, for example, was recently engaged, and it’s a given that his fiancé sees his fans’ comments, “we had been dating for a while, so she knows”, he says. This doesn’t mean that Ahmed is Social Media’s biggest fan, “I hate Social Media; people are living their lives virtually and since in Egypt actors are treated as if they were aliens, these kind of comments are expected, but I don’t like it at all”, he tells. Still, it can’t be all Social Media’s fault, “of course Social Media has its benefits. It gets your name around, so that’s good for me as an actor”, he explains, “but of course there are some disadvantages”.
From Ahmed Hatem’s Instagram
“I hate Social Media; people are living their lives virtually and since in Egypt actors are treated as if they were aliens, these kind of comments are expected, but I don’t like it at all”, Ahmed Hatem says
Flattery, Limits, and the True Meaning of Stardom
We can’t completely overlook the fact that it is a largely flattering thing to have such a following from the opposite sex. This, Karim Fahmy explained so eloquently, “it doesn’t bother me at all. On the contrary, it’s a sign to your success and how much people remember you”, he tells. According to Karim Fahmy, only a talented actor will reach this kind of popularity, “good looks are only a great addition”. Sure, it does show how memorable you are to your audience, but sometimes the comments get too personal and the person’s significant other is brought into it. This is where Karim draws the line, “what bothers me the most is when someone speaks disrespectfully of my wife, but even then the other fans take care of it”, he tells.
