By Brenna Eagan, news correspondent
Now that she’s been photographed kissing teen superstar Justin Bieber, pop singer Jasmine Villegas had better watch her back. Bieber’s considerable following has been lashing out via Twitter, YouTube and message boards at his “Baby” video co-star, who is rumored to be his real life squeeze.
The two were spotted together late last month in the backseat of a car engaged in a tame lip-lock. This fueled the ongoing rumors that they became a couple while Villegas was opening for Bieber on his North American tour. To put it mildly, not all of his young female fans are happy with this development.
“I never forget to say this everyday. I HATE YOU JASMINE VILLEGAS. BURN IN HELL. HOPE U DIE,” wrote a fan on her Twitter account.
Another tweet came from a fan surely suffering from a case of what has become known as “Bieber Fever.” It reads, “I love you more than myself I was very sad to know that you kissed JASMINE VILLEGAS I hate her more than anything.”
Villegas is just the most recent victim of the wrath of Bieber’s fans. After a humorous photo shoot for Elle magazine inspired by “The Graduate,” Kim Kardashian made a joking comment that she would date Bieber were he legal, and learned the hard way that you don’t mess with the Bieber fanbase. Hell hath no fury like a fangirl scorned.
“RT [re-tweet] if sometimes u hate kim kardashian because she has got obsession with justin bieber,” was a message posted by several fans following the photos’ release.
However, Justin Bieber isn’t the only recipient of ardent and often overwhelming preteen affection. “Twilight” star Robert Pattinson is likewise adored by hoards of young female fans and lives his life accompanied by an almost constant soundtrack of high-pitched squealing. In one incident, a 7-year-old fan asked if he would bite her, an homage to the vampire he plays in the popular films.
“It wasn’t a joke … I looked at her and thought, ‘Do you know what you’re saying?’” Pattinson told E! Online.
Pattinson’s legions of fans have even inspired a documentary, called “Robsessed.” The film looks at Pattinson’s life, his interactions with fans and the “Twilight” phenomenon that has girls going crazy.
His rumored girlfriend, co-star Kristen Stewart, has also attracted her fair share of fan criticism. In an interview with USA Today, she said the fans covet Pattinson and thinks most of them are so jealous they hate her in response.
It’s clear that handsome young men such as Bieber and Pattinson are an extremely marketable commodity. The movies and albums they make are just the beginning; then comes the merchandise galore. Backpacks, lunch-boxes, T-shirts and much more emblazoned with their faces mean there is serious money to be made from preteen girls whose parents have deep pockets.
A Justin Bieber doll is also in the works, and is set to come out just in time to be the hottest item this Christmas. The only problem is that all of the extra press and exposure celebrities are getting today might make fan obsession run a little too deep. Girls feel invested in these celebrities lives, and that’s what makes Bieber’s new gal-pal such a sensitive subject. It becomes a personal affront to a fan who believes she is in love with the star.
As one fan tweeted, “I’m a Bieber girl, in a Bieber world. His music’s fantastic, let’s Bieberblast it, I love his perfect hair, his face is everywhere.”
