Research shows that there’s a difference in celebrity fanship and celebrity worship, which can kill career ambition.

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Today “She said yes!” is blasting headlines over TV News channels, radio stations and podcasts. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement announcement crashed the Internet. When the news broke, a Swiftie said she’s more excited than she would be if it were her own engagement. And a professor at the University of Tennessee cancelled classes after hearing the breaking news. It’s one thing to be excited as a fan, another to focus more on Swift’s life than your own. And it begs the question, “Where’s the line between celebrity fanship and celebrity worship?

When Celebrity Fanship Becomes Celebrity Worship

When Taylor Swift mentioned the release of her new album, “The life of a Showgirl,” it almost broke the Internet. And on August 18, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., millions of “Swiftie fans” stopped what they were doing in the middle of the day, waiting with baited breath for what was touted as a big announcement.

National radio and television shows and TikTok buzzed with anticipation. Was she expecting? Would she announce a 2026 Super Bowl appearance? Could she be planning another music tour? “What does it mean when your life is centered around a famous person’s every move?”

Avery Morgan, productivity expert and chief human resources officer at EduBirdie, told me that a little fan-club energy is fine if it fuels you. But she cautions if you’re doomscrolling someone else’s wins while feeling stuck in your own life, it’s time to flip it. “Use the scroll to decode what you actually want, not what you’ve been marketed into wanting.”

Studies show that many people spend time dreaming about being someone famous or wealthy. But scientists tell us that celebrity worshippers are usually more extreme. They have certain psychosocial characteristics, harboring concerns about body image are more prone to cosmetic surgery and have a personality style characterized by sensation-seeking, cognitive rigidity, identity diffusion and poor interpersonal boundaries.

Sometimes celebrity worshippers have narcissistic features, dissociation, addictive tendencies, stalking behavior and compulsive buying. They’re more likely to have poorer mental health as well as clinical symptoms of depression, anxiety and social dysfunction.

Steps to Turn Celebrity Worship Into Authentic Ambition

Research reveals that 63% of Gen Z and one-half of Millennials compare themselves to celebrities and feel behind in their careers. Turning celebrity worship into authentic ambition is a form of radical self-care. People who practice self-care are healthier, happier, have longer career trajectories and longer lives.

Morgan shares four practical steps for spotting what’s really driving your envy and transforming it into a career plan that reflects your true goals — not someone else’s.

1. Audit your ambition triggers.

She recommends every time you have the “I’m so behind” feeling, pause and ask, “Who triggered it? What were they doing? And what state were you in before you even opened the app?” She insists that the comparison will tell you if it’s ambition or emotional avoidance. “You had a crappy day, opened TikTok to numb out, and boom — there’s a 24-year-old walking a red carpet. Suddenly, you feel like a loser. That’s not career clarity. That’s burnout talking.”

Morgan advises that you notice if the envy shows up consistently (same person, same kind of success, like awards, creative freedom or career pivots). “Those patterns reveal unmet needs: recognition, independence, risk and expression. Start there. Your real ambition lives underneath what you think you’re jealous of.”

2. Investigate your projection.

Morgan explains that celebs aren’t real in the way you treat them. You see what they choose to show, and you see what you want to see. She suggests that you ask, “What exactly pulls me toward this person? Is it their boldness? Their ease? Their self-trust?”

Chances are, she says, that trait already exists in you, too. You’ve just been trained to hide it. “Maybe you were raised to be agreeable, and now you’re obsessed with someone who’s blunt and unapologetic. Maybe you admire risk-takers because you’ve spent years playing it safe. So stop fixating on people who don’t reflect your path, focus on the traits you need, and think of what it would look like to express that, in your way.”

3. Compare process, not outcome.

Morgan underscores that what you see is the glamour of the finished product, not the late nights, rewrites, breakdowns or pitches that never landed. She wonders if you really understand the habits behind that success, explaining that most successful creatives build on boring but powerful rituals like deep work blocks, early walks, sports and limited screen time.

Instead of focusing on successes of others, Morgan encourages you to ask how many hours you spent this week building something that matters to you and name one task that moved you forward. Once you focus on your own progress and see the first results, you build true satisfaction, your goals feel real and you stop being shaken by other people’s success.

4. Define fame-free success.

“Celebrity culture wants you to think success=visibility, wealth and a New York Times profile,” she states. But if you don’t want their day-to-day, don’t chase what looks like a shiny life from the outside. Real satisfaction only shows up when you actually enjoy what you’re doing, not just how it looks.

She recommends that you test-drive your fantasy. “Want to be a writer? Publish one anonymous blog post. Dream of being a founder? Sell one product. No website. Just a DM. Want freedom? Track how often you cancel on your own goals for someone else’s approval. That’s how you learn what energizes you versus what just looks cool in a headline. Your ambition doesn’t need to be viral or glossy. It just needs to be yours.”

‘Wednesday’ Character: Gen Z Icon Or Celebrity Worship?

“Wednesday” season two is crushing it on Netflix, racking up 50 million views in just five days. Morgan describes Wednesday Addams as dark, unapologetic and terrifyingly efficient, the perfect Gen Z antihero, adding she might also be the workplace productivity icon this generation desperately needs.

“She gets things done while looking like she could laser-beam your soul with one glance,” declares Morgan. “For a ‘too sensitive’ Gen Z workforce, where one in three would quit just over public criticism, Wednesday’s brutal (and oddly healthy) lessons in self-reliance and efficiency are worth studying.”

Morgan suggests how, if you’re Gen Z, you can play by Wednesday’s playbook at work.

1. Master unbothered focus. “In a world of constant notifications at work, Wednesday still zooms in on her mission, tuning out chaos to follow her thread of obsession. Pick one key priority each day and don’t touch anything else until it’s done, silence the noise, including muting Instagram for at least 90-minute sprints.”

2. Forge strategic alliances. “While Wednesday didn’t enjoy teaming up with people she didn’t trust, she did it anyway because it helped her get things done,” explains Morgan. “You don’t have to like everyone you collaborate with (and they don’t have to like you), but strategic alliances can open doors, save time and sharpen your thinking.”

3. Balance loyalty. “Wednesday cares about her people, but she won’t sacrifice her bigger goals for them. You don’t have to choose between being a people-pleaser or going ghost; the real power is staying in balance.”

4. Make the Gen Z stare strategic. Wednesday’s iconic death stare is a meme, but it is also an act of strategic non-engagement, Morgan points out. “Not every battle is worth your energy, and sometimes the most productive thing you can do is nothing. The stare says: ‘I’m here, I’m unbothered, and I dare you to interrupt me. It’s her way of claiming space without wasting words.”

5. Own your whimsy. “Wednesday has a whimsical side. Her cello playing, her writing and her fencing are a priority, even though she doesn’t monetize these skills.” If you want to be more like Wednesday, that’s not necessarily celebrity worship. It could be healthy emulation, telling you to enjoy your protectivity and creativity for their own sake and protect time for hobbies.