The article explores the complex relationship young LGBTQ+ individuals have with celebrity crushes during their formative years. Many feel pressured to align their crushes with societal expectations, often gravitating towards opposite-sex figures. The author shares personal anecdotes and observations of friends who experienced similar struggles, emphasizing the confusion and fear surrounding their real identities. These celebrity infatuations can offer a safe outlet during a tumultuous time but may also lead to a lifetime of teasing and reflection on teenage desires and societal influences.
"During a fraught, hormone-infused time filled with societal pressures, it's not unusual for young LGBTQ+ people to claim an opposite-sex celebrity crush to fit in."
"My college group chat teases our friend Bradley about his teenage crush on Nicole Kidman, a hyperfixation only a closeted gay boy could come up with."
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