Thursday, December 1, 2022

Avril Lavigne Conspiracy


Avril Lavigne: Celebrities That Might Not Exist


A photo edit by a fan comparing Avril Lavigne's appearance in 2003 and 2013


Introduction 

Whenever celebrity conspiracy theories are mentioned, it is inevitable that Avril Lavigne will be brought into the conversation. Circa 2005, a theory arose that the pop star had died two years prior and been replaced by look-a-like Melissa. 

Why did this theory quickly grow in popularity? What is the root of societal interest in celebrity conspiracy theories? 


Who is Avril Lavigne? 

Avril Lavigne is an early 2000s Canadian punk singer-songwriter best known for her first album Let Go, which included hit songs "Sk8ter Boi" and "Complicated." She continued to release two more albums, none of them gaining the same popularity as her first, but keeping her on the punk scene. 

Lavigne has also left a trail of famous lovers including Deryck Whibley and Chad Kroeger. She recently announced her engagement to fellow punk rocker Mod Sun. 


The Origin of the Theory 

This conspiracy theory began as something much simpler: fans believed that the young musician became overwhelmed by the attention and her music label would sometimes send her look-a-like Melissa to impersonate her for the paparazzi. 

Supposedly, a Brazilian fan page for the artist was the first to mention the slight differences in Lavigne’s appearance after the success of her first albums. Fans then began to analyze slight changes in her nose shape, jawline, eyes, voice, etc. 

The theory quickly snowballed from Lavigne having a stand-in for publicity to the belief of the artist's death. There are three popular theories that have surfaced about the star's death. First that Avril Lavigne died in 2003 via suicide and was replaced by Melissa so that the record label could continue to profit off of the star's popularity. Next, Lavigne died in a tragic snowboarding accident. Lastly, after growing to resent her popularity, the record label arranged for Avril's death and replaced her with Melissa to continue to make money.


The Rise: How & Why Conspiracy Theories Develop

    Avril Lavigne, being a new & upcoming pop-punk star in the early 2000s, found her audience in primarily teenagers. Excerpt from "I Was A Teenage Conspiracy Theorist":

“Teenagers are particularly vulnerable” to finding patterns where none really exist, Galinsky said, “because there are so many things happening simultaneously—biologically and socially—that make them feel less in control.” ... They’re obsessed with social hierarchy, and they are achingly aware, at all times, of how much agency they covet and how little they have."

    This lack of control often pushes teenagers to seek external validation for their ability to influence the world, often times turning to conspiracy forums. A teenager simply seeking answers quickly turns into overactive pattern recognition and a heightened sense of anxiety over the world, which feeds into itself, causing the cycle to continue. ("I Was A Teenage Conspiracy Theorist")

    This conspiracy theory didn't come out of nowhere; in fact, many celebrities have been accused of being clones or of being "replaced" in some way, Paul McCartney being a notable example. Anything from Taylor Swift being the clone of a late satanic priest to BeyoncĂ© being a clone sent by the Illuminati to provide subliminal messages through music has been proposed to explain why a celebrity may look different in their red carpet photos. Social media hadn't quite reached it's peak usage yet, so most people found out about such conspiracies through sources like MTV or talk shows that made fun of the idea. However, the concept supposedly started on a Brazilian fanpage. As social media gained popularity, such theories became more overt in online forums or social media juggernauts such as Facebook or Twitter. (The Guardian)


How 2000s Celeb Culture Breeds Paranoia & Resentment 

    2000s celeb culture became invasive with the rise of the entertainment industry & social media. The entertainment industry primed audiences to follow complex storylines and piece them together to create an overarching narrative. Then social media arrived to exaggerate the issue with new constant updates and gossip directly from the celebrity. More direct interaction between fans and celebrities has led to a strange formation of parasocial relationships that often lead the fan into thinking they know more about and that they are closer to the celebrity than they are in reality. 

    Ted Casablanca, an E! News article writer with two decades of experience, talked about how the types of "anonymous tips" that journalists get have changed. "You’ve got a lot of crackpots contacting you saying they’ve got inside information,” he said. Since social media emerged, these "tips" have become less about harmless scandals and gossip, and more about attacking the celebrity through targeting their image, simply because they don't like them. Celebrities weren't the only ones getting hate though. In fact in Avril's case, her record label is often the target of condemnation. 

    The two most common theories for why Avril supposedly died are that she committed suicide but the record label hid it to continue selling her music or that the record label executives killed her off to replace her with someone who would only do what they wanted. In either scenario, the one at fault is her record label, not Avril herself. This is an important distinction because the people creating this conspiracy theory didn't think of it out of hatred for Avril, but rather resentment at her "controlling" record label. Remember that the main people getting involved in this theory are usually teenagers, who have a natural distaste for authority and would love to project themselves (and their own issues) onto a young, rich celebrity. 

    Another important element here is the paranoia over the record label's capabilities as successful business owners in Hollywood's back pocket. Although their names aren't instantly recognizable like Avril's, they have no less influence and likely even more. Such influence allows them to get away with many things that the average person would never get away with. Watching the elite getting anything they want with little to no consequence or effort is frustrating and breeds resentment. Resentment that has made itself known through the multitude of theories involving someone being killed by the elites. (“How a Fake Baby Is Born.”)


Responses from Avril Lavigne

In 2017, a Twitter thread by the user @givenchyass became very popular where they described why the believed Avril Lavigne was replaced by a clone. It garnered much attention, leading the post to have 196 thousand likes, 100 thousand retweets, and 160 thousand favorites. In the thread, they compared genre of music, the way Lavigne looks different in pictures across years, and states that "instead of letting the news of her dying go into the media, [her record company] used her look alike." Many fans responded to the thread, stating various proof such as Lavigne's popular song "Complicated" must be about Melissa Vandella, that "Avril" lost her Canadian accent because Melissa is American, and that how she pronounces sounds aren't the same way she did in past songs.

Fans came to her defense, sharing pictures where they highlighted that pictures that took place many years apart contain the same birthmarks, and that the difference in her face is plastic surgery.

Avril Lavigne has responded to this theory many times. In an interview in 2018, she states that "people think that [she] is not the real [Avril] which is so weird!" Left with a rather ambiguous response, fans continued spreading this theory that she was replaced by a woman named Melissa Vandella. After her statement, Avril "went a bit robotic" and "even accidentally started pressing random buttons" in what people thought was meant to be a distraction.

Moving to 2019, her music changed genres because she wanted to evolve musically and show the pain she has experienced through her music. In an interview discussing her album "Head Above Water," she states that the conspiracy is a dumb internet rumor and that she's surprised that people believe it. Some of her fans saw the change in genre as Melissa wanting to sing her own style of music instead of fitting into the punk narrative that followed Avril.

In early 2022, she says in an interview that many people state that she looks and sounds the exact same as she did in the past, so she doesn't understand why people still bring up the theory that she is a woman named Melissa. She then said that her fans coming up with a name for a fake woman is so bizarre that she can't help but find it funny.

With the rising popularity of TikTok, she addressed the rumors in mid-2022 with a video that discussed how all the comments on her Instagram are her fans asking if she is the real Avril Lavigne. In the video, she does not confirm nor deny if she is truly real, but by picking fun at her comment section, she shows that she finds it amusing in how little proof there is that she isn't truly herself.

@avrillavigne

♬ original sound - Millennial32

Responses From Die-Hard Fans


During the 2021 VMAs, the already-spiraling rumors skyrocketed with Avril Lavigne's first appearance on the red carpet in 2 years. MTV put quotation marks around her name, leading fans to believe that even MTV was unsure if Avril is truly the real Avril.

Twitter exploded with threads about this being confirmation of Avril Lavigne's death, and memes were made about the confirmation. Even Vulture, a popular entertainment site, quoted the mishap on their Twitter. 

Die-hard fans stated on Twitter that although they fully believe she is the original Avril, they see the rumors and wonder if they are actually true. This could be problematic because, with enough reinforcement, fans might start believing that Avril actually is Melissa. This could then lead to issues with believing other conspiracy theories that might be more dangerous.

Conclusion

Throughout the time of this conspiracy living, most fans have expressed that they do not truly believe that Avril Lavigne was actually replaced by a clone who goes by the name Melissa. However, her target audience is a very impressionable age. Teenagers are more susceptible to conspiracy theories, and it is well known that when a person believes one (seemingly harmless) theory, they are more likely to believe ones that can be dangerous to society and themselves. Without proper education about conspiracies and the danger in believing them, people are more likely to harm themselves and the world around them. 

Works Cited:

Alternative Press Magazine. “Avril Lavigne Confronts Conspiracy Theory That She's a Clone.” Alternative Press, 1 Nov. 2018, https://www.altpress.com/avril-lavigne-reacts-clone-conspiracy-theories/. 

Cresci, Elena. “Why Fans Think Avril Lavigne Died and Was Replaced by a Clone Named Melissa.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 16 May 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2017/may/15/avril-lavigne-melissa-cloning-conspiracy-theories. 

Cushing, Ellen. “I Was a Teenage Conspiracy Theorist.” The Atlantic, 13 May 2020, https://web.archive.org/web/20221118184827/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/i-was-a-teenage-conspiracist/610975/. 

Givenchy. “Avril Lavigne Is Dead & Was Replaced by a Look Alike: A Conspiracy Theory Thread .” Twitter, 12 May 2017, https://twitter.com/givenchyass/status/863222658766450693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E863222658766450693%7Ctwgr%5E573d2fbebdf4f0c599e2595e1e1ca9d41c5c560a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rollingstone.com%2Fculture%2Fculture-news%2Fthe-avril-lavigne-death-hoax-that-wont-die-117706%2F. 

Kaplan, Illana. “Avril Lavigne on Head Above Water, near-Death Experiences, and That Crazy Conspiracy Theory.” Entertainment Weekly, 11 Feb. 2019, https://ew.com/music/2019/02/11/avril-lavigne-head-above-water-interview/. 

Lavigne, Avril. “Avril Lavigne on TikTok.” TikTok, 27 June 2022, https://www.tiktok.com/@avrillavigne/video/7114106481695264043?embed_source=70842511%2C120811592%2C120810756%3Bnull%3Bembed_blank&is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7114106481695264043&refer=embed&referer_url=kiisfm.iheart.com%2Fcontent%2F2022-06-28-avril-lavigne-hilariously-calls-out-lookalike-conspiracy-theory%2F&referer_video_id=7114106481695264043. 

MrJamesWeber. “How Did Avril Lavigne Fall from Her Grace?” Reddit, Jan. 2022, https://www.reddit.com/r/popheads/comments/s7yu5p/how_did_avril_lavigne_fall_from_her_grace_was_it/. 

Newton, Jennifer, and Tereza Shkurtaj. “Is Avril Lavigne Dead? Conspiracy Theory Explained.” The Irish Sun, 3 Nov. 2022, https://www.thesun.ie/news/1003349/avril-lavigne-dead-conspiracy-theory/. 

Song, Sandra. “Fans Think Avril Lavigne's Clone Showed up to the VMAs.” Paper, 13 Sept. 2021, https://www.papermag.com/avril-lavigne-clone-2021-vmas-2655005049.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1. 

Tiffany, Kaitlyn. “How a Fake Baby Is Born.” The Atlantic, 13 July 2020, https://web.archive.org/web/20221118184833/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/07/fake-pregnancy-celebrity-theories-benedict-cumberbacth-babygate/614089/. 

Tiffany, Kaitlyn. “Maybe You Missed It, but the Internet 'Died' Five Years Ago.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 31 Aug. 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2021/08/dead-internet-theory-wrong-but-feels-true/619937/. 

Uzer, Ashley. “Avril Lavigne Is Still the Motherf*Cking (Pop-Punk) Princess.” Galore, 17 Jan. 2022, https://galoremag.com/avril-lavigne-is-still-the-motherfcking-pop-punk-princess//. 

Williams, Leah J. “Behind the Wild & Obviously True Internet Theory That Avril Lavigne Died in 2003.” Pedestrian TV, 16 July 2019, https://web.archive.org/web/20211028111819/https://www.pedestrian.tv/music/avril-lavigne-dead-theory/. 


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