What Good Are Celebrity Feuds?

2016 has had its fair share of beef. We asked our members: Can any good come from a high-profile feud?

When we think of the phrase 'celebrity feuds,' we tend to think about the typical ones that make the headlines: Taylor and Kanye; Taylor and Katy; Taylor Momsen and the entire Gossip Girl cast; Mariah Carey and pretty much anyone who side-eyes her; the list goes on.

To be perfectly honest, I don't like to acknowledge these as 'feuds.' I like to think of these as petty little tiffs that have been emancipated from their origins and exaggerated by the media for 'entertainment' purposes.

In that sense, there is no good in celebrity feuds, especially when the wider public cannot even guarantee that these feuds are in fact 'feuds.' How do we know that, secretly behind closed doors, Taylor and Kanye or Mariah and Ariana aren't actually really good friends? What's to say that these 'mishaps' aren’t simply publicity stunts, just for the sake of creating some humorous attention?

Perhaps the wider public shouldn't look at these 'feuds,' but instead observe more healthy, competitive celebrity rivals. Because even though no one should be comparing themselves to another, a bit of competition never goes astray. Such rivals include swimmers Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps, who according to their social media accounts are actually really great friends, but have competed against each other in the same races for their entire careers. (Though, undeniably, there’s a winner in this particular contest, and it's not Lochte.)

We could even look at on-screen rivals. Take Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and Chris Hemsworth (Thor) for example. Great mates in real life, but brothers and enemies in the Marvel franchise. Or Captain America and Iron Man, who until Captain America: Civil War, worked alongside each other; now they're competing against each other. It’s fiction, but it’s fun.

I believe that if we were to look at these rivals instead of petty, irrelevant celebrity feuds, not only would we be less obsessed with the personal lives of celebrities, but maybe they'd feel less of a need to attempt such publicity stunts. At the end of the day, these people are no more human than anyone else, and no human is programmed to get along with every single person they encounter.

Fact is, there are going to be people out there who love you and people out there who really can't stand you. Are you going to let that drag you down? I don't think Taylor Swift has let it drag her down.

Congratulations to Jordyn for winning this writing challenge, answering: What Good Are Celebrity Feuds? Jordyn wins a $50 Westfield gift card for her submission. For your chance to win, check out our latest writing challenges in our Comps section. Also, be sure to follow this guide on how to win the writing challenge!

Photo: YouTube / TaylorSwiftVEVO.