You would think that being famous for being “so relatable” to her viewers, the star would have more empathy towards others especially in the service industry.
The 12-second video all starts innocently — friends are singing “Happy Birthday” to actress-host and vlogger Alex Gonzaga, who smiles and grins goofily as a server holds out a large chocolate cake. Then the entire thing happens in a matter of seconds: she dips a hand in the chocolate cake and smears it on the server’s forehead, as the guests present erupt into a fit of giggles and laughter.
This launched a massive uproar across social media, who clearly saw the incident as Alex crossing the line between being funny and just plain rude. Even more bothersome is the scene of partygoers who went along with the antics and found the interaction amusing.
That said, just the opposite reaction came about from the public, many of them who have watched and subscribed to Alex’s videos and were shocked by the incident. Look, one can argue that being a goofball is part of Alex Gonzaga’s charm, a comedian and one of the pioneers of celebrities-turned-YouTubers, after her antics on her vlogs amassed her an army of devoted fans and hailing her as an idol of the masses.
Alex has mastered the art of being “relatable” and managed to use this to further launch her career outside the typical confines of being an artista — teleseryes and movies — and into the digital sphere. It’s the “celebs, they’re just like us!” schtick that has led her to command millions of views on her videos, as people adore the idea of getting to know the actress “behind the scenes.”
Horton and Wohl coined the term "parasocial relationship" in 1956 to refer to a certain kind of psychological relationship viewers or fans experience towards a celebrity or public figure — usually through watching several episodes of TV shows, which develops their loyalty to a celebrity and lets them feel a high level of intimacy, as if they know each other in real life. This is even more likely to happen when a celebrity uses a direct, personal, and intimate conversational style, even on-screen, making fans feel as if they’re friends and know the star on a personal level.
In this digital and social media era where anyone can be a star for just about anything, authenticity plays a massive factor in achieving popularity. Gone are the days when all you had to do is look good or have some sort of talent to be famous — you had to make audiences feel you’re one of them, too.
Alex, with all her shiny YouTube plaques, million-peso endorsements, who made serious bank just by “being herself” and posting hilarious videos that made herself look relatable to the masses, was excellent at that, until she wasn’t. Of all the videos she’s been in, it took one unrehearsed and unedited 12-second clip of her being in what was likely a comfort zone for her — a birthday celebration among friends — to showcase her true colors. In that short clip, the star exposed herself for being truly out of touch with the very people who are devoted to her channel, and more importantly, what it means to treat another person, regardless of social standing, with equality and respect.
Those few seconds were all it took to break that veneer of her viewers thinking they knew the celebrity behind the celebrity facade — many of whom are also likely service industry workers like that hapless waiter in the video, who probably watch her vlogs in between their breaks to keep themselves entertained amid a high-stress work environment.
The fact is, service industry workers are some of the most underpaid and under-thanked employees in this country or elsewhere. Everyone — be they servers or cooks, housekeepers or security guards, flight attendants, call center agents, or other hospitality workers — knows the pain of having to endure rude or entitled customers, being pressured to solve problems immediately, or even being constantly ignored when being greeted, all while being in a job that doesn’t pay them well enough in order to feed their families or sustain their own lives.
So when a huge celebrity adds to the culture of mistreating service workers, treating them less than equal by making them the butt of a joke they didn’t sign up for, it’s a huge slap in the face to these people who are only working hard to make an honest living, and who certainly don’t earn millions of pesos just by smearing cake frosting on a stranger’s face for cheap laughs. Put simply, it’s plain bullying.
As someone who makes a living off being “relatable” to the millions of Filipinos who subscribe to her vlogs, many of whom endure less-than-desirable conditions to survive, you’d think she would know to learn what it means to truly empathize with these people and treat them with kindness and respect. And this applies to everyone, not just service industry workers.
Others argue that she should have just smeared the cake on her husband Mikee Morada’s face, who was just standing behind her. And maybe she should have — at least they have that context and understanding that would have made the antic go over better. But why even smear frosting on someone’s face at all in the first place, especially if it would bring the other person shame and embarrassment? It shouldn’t be hard or even worth pointing out to be kind to people from all walks of life, even and especially when you’re trying to be funny and mine laughs. And the fact that Alex misses this main point is what really takes the cake.
READ MORE HERE:
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Enabler Behavior? Netizens Call Out Dani Barretto On *Cheering* For Alex Gonzaga’s Act
