Rehab For Addiction: Will it Hurt Ke$ha's Career?
Written by Craig Rogers, Posted on , in Section Therapy News
Recently, the pop singer Ke$ha announced that she would be going to a rehab facility to deal with the an eating disorder she had developed due to intense dieting and pressure to remain thin. Soon after this announcement, rumors began to spread that this stint in rehab wasn't to deal with an eating disorder, but rather addiction. These accusations were vehemently denied by Ke$ha and her representatives, with them insisting that it was only due to her eating disorder that she was seeking out help. Ke$ha's mother was even quoted as saying "She might be crazy and she might get shitfaced drunk, but everyone does" in defense of her daughter. While we may never know what actually drove Ke$ha to seek help from a rehab program, the fact that her management feels it is important that everyone believe that it is because of an eating disorder and not an addiction offers an interesting insight into how our culture views drug abuse.
Would Going To Rehab For Addiction Hurt Ke$ha's Career?
It can be presumed that Ke$ha's management believed that her career or public image would be significantly damaged by the knowledge that she suffered from addiction, but why is it more acceptable to have an eating disorder? One reason may be that Ke$ha's lyrics tend to center around partying, drinking, and various forms of substance abuse. Because she fills this niche in which her songs are focused on a party lifestyle, it makes sense that she might be less appealing if it was known that she had developed an addiction.
Are We OK With Celebrities Starving Themselves To Look Thin?
While it makes sense that Ke$ha would want to downplay a problem with addiction for the sake of her career, her willingness to talk about a potential eating disorder indicates a belief that society doesn't have the same hangups with these issues. If this is true, we have to ask ourselves what kind of message it sends when we find it acceptable for people to starve themselves to achieve the perfect look, but stigmatize those that seek help for substance abuse.
