In a year that’s seen actor/singer Olivia Rodrigo release her second hit album, Guts, as well as appear on the 2023 TV schedule as a guest host on SNL, the public eye couldn’t have been more firmly on her. That’s the price of admission for being a pop star in the “always on” world of social media and the internet, which is probably part of why celebrities use fake Instagram accounts. However, the “Vampire” singer has offered her own take on why these accounts are so handy, and it’s pretty relatable.
More commonly known as “finstas,” these stealth accounts allow quite a bit of anonymity for big names like Ms. Olivia to browse without judgement. And when speaking with The Face in a recent interview, not only did Olivia Rodrigo admit to having her own finsta, she provided the following reason for doing so:
I do. But nothing’s on it. I just use it to stalk my crushes. I’m sooo good at finding stuff out about people on social media. It’s one of my favourite pastimes.
Olivia Rodrigo’s personal reasons for having a finsta account seems pretty tame, considering some of the other things we’ve seen done through similar accounts. Rodrigo is far from the only celebrity or notable figure that’s been connected to this phenomenon, as previously we learned that Pete Davidson’s mother started a fake Twitter to defend her son’s tenure on SNL. Also, HBO CEO Casey Bloys owned up to using his own faux social media account to hit back at people who were critical of the network’s product.
Unsurprisingly, finstas and other stealth accounts are pretty common in the world. Which could also explain that time the internet was going nuts over Billie Eilish’s supposed TikTok handle, before she became verified under her own name. What may have been intended to be a finsta account could have been turned into an official channel; though it doesn’t change the fact that Eilish had a hell of a placeholder name.
Stalking crushes is not only super relatable, when done in a healthy and light manner like Olivia Rodrigo seems to be doing, it’s also something we’ve all done through our own faux socials at times. It also just makes her songs all the more grounded in reality, as the heartbreak and snark heard through the lyrics of tunes like “Good 4 U” and “Vampire,” aka the alleged Taylor Swift diss track, sound rooted.
Admittedly, looking back to Olivia Rodrigo’s time on Disney+’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series could make someone wish for a plot line that mined a couple songs out of this very subject. While Nini Salazar-Roberts was given a “meaningful sendoff” in Season 3, and the entire show ended after this year’s August drop of Season 4, that shouldn’t stop true fans from imagining what this would sound like.
Olivia herself probably has had similar thoughts, which could only make for even more fun on her next album. However, that’s something we’ll have to keep an eye out for in the unknown future. In the meantime, those with a Disney+ subscription can seek out the Olivia Rodrigo content they so richly deserve.
Not only is all of High School Musical’s streaming spinoff available, but so is the documentary Olivia Rodrigo: Driving Home 2 U. Don't worry: if you have a fake Disney+ account to watch those titles in secret, we won't tell. It's odd, but your secret's safe with us.
