July 3rd, 2026, marked the union of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce – “an american royal wedding.” 

Swift’s wedding has sparked controversy for being tacky and for being a symbol of celebrity wealth. Fans swarmed the exterior of Madison Square Garden, screaming at a catering van, begging for servers to throw slices of leftover wedding cake into the crowd. A pastry box is lifted; the crowd roars. “Throw it! I’ll catch it!” one fan yells. One lucky fan actually managed to snag a dessert, exclaiming to the camera, “Oh my God, guys, we’re having Taylor Swift dessert!” 

The cake was a dessert “so exclusive” that its leftovers were treated as something significant when in reality, it was just cake. Online opinions have been quick to mock the fans for acting like “beggars” and being treated like “stray dogs” hoping for scraps. Such discourse reveals the extremism of celebrity worship. I think it’s quite absurd that we’ve put celebrities on such a pedestal that some people have been conditioned to see this behavior as normal. Yet, I have nothing to say against Taylor Swift’s wedding because, after all, this is Swift’s wedding. I have no room to comment on the wedding itself. I am not critiquing Swift for the devotion she inspires because that is the same as blaming the sun for the heat. 

I am uneasy because of such desperation, but I also see a group of people experiencing unadulterated joy. It is clear we live in a world of inequality, and the visual of a billionaire’s wedding and her fans fighting over crumbs is an image of the gap between the rich and the rest of us. But the alternative – critiquing fans for being excited and happy about something they love – also makes me uneasy. Should we demand that celebrities hide their joy so we are not reminded of our own lack? Should we police the extravagance of a private wedding?