![\"Molly,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/molly-a-singing-and-dancing-mechanical-bird-by-bliss-kolb-is-45BBVZICIJB5NC7O4PWIEPIODY.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIt was something most people have likely done at one time or another: complain to others about feeling judged or dismissed during an interaction, maybe even take to social media to post about it.<\/p>\n
But just because we might all have the same impulse, we all don\u2019t have the same reach and impact. Exhibit A: a dispute between singer Kelly Clarkson and a small store in Brooklyn that’s brought out angry fans and heated commentary.<\/p>\n
The conflict from over the weekend, involving a high-priced mechanical bird, is raising more issues than just the quality of customer service. It’s also a case study in power dynamics, and the differential that exists between someone with a high profile and those without.<\/p>\n
It started Saturday when Clarkson went to Art of Play, a store in Brooklyn that offers items like books, games and playing cards and also hosts magic shows. But the interaction turned negative, she said in a social media post, when she \u201cwas looked at as if I couldn\u2019t afford it\u201d and went on to say the store had \u201cjust lost a huge sale\u201d. She named the store and gave it a thumbs down.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Molly, a singing and dancing mechanical bird, by Bliss Kolb, is displayed at Art of Play (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n
A back-and-forth ensued, with the store making its own posts saying initially that the item wasn’t for sale and then adding that they had tried to find her an alternative. Clarkson said that wasn’t true.<\/p>\n
Since Clarkson’s initial post, there’s been a barrage of commentary online \u2014 and, the store owners say, in the real world. There have been hateful messages and reviews, and even someone showing up at the store, said Adam Rubin, one of the partners.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t understand why these people are willing to debase themselves on behalf of a celebrity they never met,\u201d he said. Representatives for Clarkson did not respond to repeated attempts to get comment.<\/p>\n
The power of celebrity is potent<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-general-view-shows-art-of-play-X5OGAZMEINEYDFOOXQDUNFOXPA.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
A general view shows Art of Play (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n
Celebrities have power in different ways. They can influence what people feel as well as impact what they think or believe, said Alfred Archer, assistant professor at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, who has done research around the ethics and politics of fame.<\/p>\n
In a situation like Clarkson’s, the influence is heavily weighted in the celebrity’s favour as a result, he said. That doesn’t mean celebrities should be censored or barred from speaking, but they should be aware of that reality when deciding what they say and how they say it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t hold the celebrity responsible for everything that their followers do, of course,\u201d Archer said, but those who have influence should remember that their words can resonate widely and \u201cbe careful about what they put on social media and what they communicate in public for that reason\u201d.<\/p>\n
That power can also have positive ripples \u2014 like when Ms Rachel, the children’s educator and YouTube star, asked people on social media to support Black-owned businesses. She gave recognition to small businesses like a coffee shop in New Jersey, leading to a huge jump in sales and popularity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think really the responsibility here is to use this power in a responsible way,\u201d Archer said. \u201cAnd of course, what that looks like in any individual case is going to be a decision for a particular celebrity to make. But they do have to think about it a bit more carefully than an ordinary member of the public does.\u201d<\/p>\n
Social media changed the equation<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/a-customer-purchases-items-at-art-of-play-I2SGEH2ATVDSRCWKJNOTI3ZSJE.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
A customer purchases items at Art of Play. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n
While everyday people have always been fascinated by the famous, the explosion of social media and the glut of information \u2014 and the way we follow our family and friends right along with our favourite stars \u2014 means there’s more of a likelihood that people can develop parasocial, or one-sided, unreciprocated relationships with celebrities. That can lead to the kind of harsh messages and bad reviews that the Brooklyn store says it has experienced.<\/p>\n
That aspect of modern life is baffling to Franchesca Ramsey, a writer, podcaster, and content creator.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think social media itself has heightened people\u2019s ability to feel a connection to a celebrity or a public person that they don\u2019t know,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack in my day, you liked a musician, you put up a poster on the wall. You read the magazine articles about them. You maybe went to their concert. You watched their music videos. But beyond that, it didn\u2019t feel like a two-way relationship. It felt like I\u2019m the fan and this is the person that I really enjoy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSocial media has … kind of created this false sense of reality where, I really think even the act of watching someone\u2019s content on your phone and it looks like they\u2019re talking directly to you,” she said.<\/p>\n
Asked what advice he would give another small-business owner facing this kind of situation, Rubin didn’t have any. \u201cThis is not something that a small business owner has the capability to deal with,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is something that happens on a level of fame and celebrity that I don\u2019t have access to, (that) most normal people don\u2019t have access to.<\/p>\n
Watching the crowd of reporters from his plumbing supply store next door to Art of Play, Daniel Graffeo couldn’t believe the uproar was still going on several days after the initial encounter, but wasn’t totally surprised. \u201cNowadays everybody’s looking for something, you know, publicity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He hoped it would never find him. \u201cI would not want to be in that situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including the most divisive issues this election, and the country\u2019s best sausage. (Source: 1News)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was something most people have likely done at one time or another: complain to others about feeling…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":630876,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[430,156,157,111,139,64,69,417],"class_list":["post-630875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-music","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-north-america","tag-nz","tag-television"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=630875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/630876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=630875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=630875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=630875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}