Art Direction by Gigi Mcgee.

Parasocial Relationships are one-sided relationships that consumers form in attachment to celebrities and other social media personas. For this project, I created a book consisting of five articles I found on parasocial relationships in an effort to bring awareness to a part of our society that we often ignore. My goal was to stimulate conversation around an area where many are ashamed or shy to admit they've formed an attachment to someone they don't know in real life.

My image making focused on ideas that were described in the articles. Key terms like “phantom reciprocity” “celebrities being akin to gods” and the idea that “celebrities owe their fans something” were a big source of inspiration. I included vellum sheets in the book as a metaphor for the relationship being only one-sided, fake, or not real. Screens also acted as a major component of this piece, as many of these relationships are exacerbated by the presence of the internet and social media.

The mirror on the front is meant to remind the reader to reflect on their own behavior with celebrities while engaging with the project.