Oh, that Justin Bieber. Now that he's 19, the latest model in the long string of kid stars who the world loves to equally champion and revile has been feeling a bit of growing pains.
Not unlike his many predecessors, Bieber seems to finally be buckling under the admittedly massive pressure with which he must contend on a daily, hourly, or even moment-to-moment basis.
Particularly now with the all-consuming realm of social media being what it is, not to mention the 24/7 news cycle, it's no wonder that we've been seeing some rather outrageous but not surprising behavior by the Biebs over the last week or two.
There's no doubt that most kids at 19 are a bit contrarian. You're not quite 21, you're no longer 14, and all you want to do is break away from your past while trying to transition into your future. Biebs and those of his ilk have to do this, though, under the panapticonic glare of the world's collective eye.
As such, it's not too incredible to see that part of Bieber's problem of late has been his uncanny reliance on social media like Instagram and Twitter to fire back at his endless lineup of critics, who have been taking him to task for his obstreperous behavior of late.
Here now are just a few highlights of the "Beauty and the Beat" star's recent tweets that have to be seen to be "beliebed":
Though it's actually a link to his (now infamous) Instagram posting, Biebs had this to say about his ongoing battle with "the press":
"Everyone in my team has been telling me, 'keep the press happy' but I'm tired of all the countless lies in the press right now. ... if Anyone believes i need rehab thats their own stupidity lol I'm 19 with 5 number one albums, 19 and I've seen the whole world.
"19 and I've accomplished more than I could've ever dreamed of, i'm 19 and it must be scary to some people to think that this is just the beginning."
He might be getting slammed for his epithet-laden rants (particularly that f-bomb explosive one against a photog), but Bieber remains in his mind a staunch Christian who tweets, "know your truth and keep the Lord close to your heart. be grateful and give back."
Sometimes brevity is truly the soul of wit, and that's why you have to love that even Bieber can't help posting the occasional one-word tweet: "hola."
"I am grateful for all of u. U are what made some of the other stuff ;) worth it," Bieber tweets.
"love to big man Will Smith for the great talk yesterday. We know the truth and we must stand tall. Love u man! thanks!" as another tweet that makes sure we know that Bieber knows "the truth." And that he's not alone.
How did Bieber honor International Women's Day? In this tweet here: "Happy International Women's Day....hello ladies ;)"
"Not gonna let them get the best of me again. Gonna get focused on this show tonight. Adrenaline is high now. Gonna put it on the stage," Bieber tweets, though maybe this one would have been better kept to himself?
Especially considering that, immediately beforehand, he had posted this one: "Sometimes when people r shoving cameras in your face all day and yelling the worst thing possible at u...well I'm human."
Back to the Christianity that flows through Bieber's heart, we have this one that reminds one a bit of Annie Wilkes in Stephen King's Misery (yikes): "but know this...im only judged by one power, and i serve him."
"i understand it is part of the job to be judged...but judge me on the facts, judge me on the music, and be careful of the judgement u pass," Bieber tweeted before the previous admission.
"so make up stories about fake fines and make no mention of the positive....," Bieber tweeted as the first in a series that went to "or say when i came out of my show with my shirt off because after performing for 2 hours i might be sweaty i was going into a club (really?)" then concluded with "or any girl i stand next to is my girl or that i dont care, or that i dont feel, or that a 19 year old going to a club in europe is wild..."
Thank goodness he keeps reminding us he's 19, otherwise we'd forget.
One thing we'll never forget - no matter if Bieber continues to remind us of it ad nauseum or not - is that his contentious relationship with the media is, for someone who's only 19 (really?), most likely just getting started (unfortunately for Bieber and us).
"my relationship with the media is not always easy but im trying. Im all about the music and the performance and i respect my fans," Bieber tweets.
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Read more: Justin Bieber's Hard Week: Net Reactions
