The Consequences of Reputation and When It Matters

The importance of a well-received reputation creates mixed opinions for EHHS students when it comes to relationships. A popular example of this effect was with Taylor Swift’s possible and very controversial boyfriend Matty Healy from The 1975. The idea of their relationship caused problems with Taylor Swift fans because of Healy’s prior rude and racist remarks as well as inappropriate behavior when addressing other musicians and fans. His behavior makes fans feel disappointed in Taylor for even possibly being with him. This bothered fans and made some of them feel like they had to support her less. However, as of recently, sources like People Magazine, have confirmed that the pair have broken up. Since this announcement, fans have switched up and some have fully re-supported Taylor just because of this breakup from a casual relationship.

This example brings up an important point: Does reputation matter with friendships and relationships? For most EHHS students, it really does. When asked if a celebrity they loved was in a similar situation as Taylor Swift, students said that it would matter to them if the person they liked did something really wrong. Sophomore Ayvah Vincent says, “I would have to let them go. If it's so bad, you wanna stay neutral until you hear both sides of the story. But you do have to let that person that was accused go, because it’s really harmful and could end up really bad for everybody.” Other students like Junior Daniella Orozco say that it would have to be something “extremely” bad for her to “unfan” someone she loves.

Students also all mostly agree that “canceling” someone or ruining a reputation over who they are dating is wrong and unnecessary in most cases. Sophomore Justin Sieng says, “I hate cancel culture. It’s not always fair to cancel someone over who they are dating, I think, unless it’s something truly awful. At the end of the day it’s their life and not so much anybody else’s business.” Freshman Adrianna Pappacoda agrees and says even if a friend was dating someone she didn’t like, she would not say anything just because it’s not her place.

In general, most students at EHHS agree that a reputation is important in some regard, but all in all, it comes down to respecting the privacy of other people. Some students also care about how they’re perceived while others at EHHS like Ayvah Vincent think they should start “caring more than they should.” EHHS students also say that they don’t usually participate in the spread of rumors that create bad reputations for other people. Justin Sieng says, “I like to listen and keep it in the back of my mind for later, but I don’t want to be a part of ruining somebody else’s reputation by saying things that might not always be true.”