Lady Gaga shocked the nation with her catchy music, crazy outfits and inspirational attitude. She calls her fans “Little Monsters,” and for some, to call them obsessed would be an understatement. Senior Michelle Sanchez Parra, known as “Miss Gaga” to some classmates, said she falls into the category of obsessed, to the extreme.

“People know that you can’t even say (Lady Gaga’s) name around me without me starting some kind of discussion, and I usually get really emotional,” Sanchez Parra said. “I’m practically psycho.”

Sanchez Parra said about two years ago she heard Gaga’s “Just Dance” on the radio and started looking into Lady Gaga more after that. Now, she said she not only likes Gaga’s outfits or messages but also her passion and hard work.

According to Robbie Woliver, author of Alphabet Kids, a book about psychiatric problems kids often suffer from, it’s not uncommon for teens like Sanchez Parra to have an obsession with a music artist, athlete or other celebrity. He said that many obsessions can even be considered beneficial for kids, depending on the case.

“(Obsessions) can affect teenagers lives in different degrees,” Woliver said. “Having an  interest in a celebrity, or being a fan, is a natural part of youth and adulthood. It just depends on the extent of the interest and to what degree it starts affecting the teen’s daily routine and thoughts. Collecting photos, joining fan clubs and even following a favorite artist in concert is perfectly fine. When it is all the teen thinks about, or leads to negative behaviors, like the teen believes he or she is friends with the celeb, or stalking begins, then it has reached an unhealthy level.”

Sanchez Parra said she hasn’t gone that far and she said thinks having someone to obsess over is not all bad. She said Lady Gaga inspires her to pursue and work hard in her own passion for culinary arts. According to Sanchez Parra, having someone to idolize helps her strive to work harder. She said she thinks her obsession is not unhealthy because it is more than music; Lady Gaga inspires her with her strong attitude and
encouraging messages. On the other hand, she said most of her peers don’t agree with her. Sanchez Parra said her family and friends frown upon her obsession and that many of them worry about how much time and money she has spent worshipping Lady Gaga.

“My friends get annoyed ‘cause I’m always talking about Gaga or I’ll start randomly singing. I annoy myself sometimes, too. And my parents just hate (Lady Gaga), and they think I’ve wasted too much money,” she said. “My bedroom and locker look like Gaga came in and just threw up everywhere. I’ve probably spent about $250 on Gaga stuff, not including a $350 ticket to her next concert. But it’s my money, so even though they disapprove, they don’t make me stop.”

Similar to Sanchez Parra, although not quite as extreme, junior Nicole Murphy said she has a strong case of “Bieber Fever.” She said last August she and her friends got tickets to Justin Bieber’s concert, and what started out as a joke has turned into something much more serious.

Murphy said, “Well my room is full of Justin. I basically have a shrine to him, along with posters and a cutout of him. Everyone says it’s just a phase, but I really don’t think so.”

Unlike Sanchez Parra, Murphy said her obsession does not affect her daily life. She said none of her friends is as big a fan as she is, and even though she loves Justin Bieber, he is not the most important aspect of her life.
According to Woliver, it is important for students to keep tabs on their level of interest.

“(A celebrity interest stops being healthy) when it becomes an overwhelming obsession that negatively impacts the normal aspects of life like distracting from school, friends, family or when unrealistic expectations occur, like thinking the celebrity has feelings for you.”

Although she said her obsession has not damaged her life, Sanchez Parra said she has had some crazy incidents regarding Gaga.

She said, “I remember one day I wanted to be one of the first to get a ticket to (Lady Gaga’s) concert. I wanted to stay home from school, but my mom wouldn’t let me. So when it was the time the tickets went on sale online, I left class and went to the bathroom to call my mom and make sure she was at the computer and ready to order my ticket. I guess it’s kind of ridiculous, but I was so happy to know I had gotten my ticket as soon as I could.”

Sanchez Parra said she had another crazy experience when her choir director announced they would be doing a version of “Telephone” for “Holiday Spectacular.”

“I turned completely red and just fell on the floor. I started crying and was so out of control that I started hyperventilating,” she said. “It was so embarrassing, but I was just so excited.”

According to Murphy, everyone with an obsession has probably done something a little out of the ordinary
because of it.

She said, “I used to tweet Justin all the time. Then one day, I realized that my account was blocked, so the small chance that he would even read them was gone. I spent so much time, but he never actually saw any of my tweets.”

Both Murphy and Sanchez Parra said they would faint if they ever had the chance to meet their favorite celebrities, and according to Woliver, this type of excitement is common.

According to Woliver, “The bottom line is being a fan of celebrities is one thing—healthy and typical, but becoming obsessed with a celebrity, in general, can be a problem depending on how deep the obsession is and how intrusive it is in a teen’s life.”

Sanchez Parra said, “If you took everything Lady Gaga out of my life, if you just delete that, I would still be obsessed with my passion for cooking. Whether it’s about that or Gaga, you can call me a freak any day and I won’t mind.”