Why Everyone Is Flipping Out Over Beyonce's Tumblr

The usually-quite-private Beyonce made a big jump onto the Internet last week, sending out her first tweet and launching a Tumblr. Predictably, the Internet went nuts over her arrival, and even people not typically inclined to obsess over Beyonce found themselves hypnotized by the dozens of personal, candid photos she posted. Why is this so compelling? On Gawker, Anne Helen Petersen explains: It's authentic, meaning you really are privy to moments from Beyonce's family vacations, and it's intimate, showing close-up pictures of Beyonce appearing to look right at you—sometimes sans makeup, sometimes in snorkeling goggles, sometimes with boobs made out of sand, sometimes in a Spider-Man costume. Compare those to intrusive paparazzi snaps taken from a distance, or mannequin-like magazine cover shots.

It also allows you to live vicariously through Beyonce, showing her on a yacht, in a tropical paradise, with a wall of champagne, or hanging with Gwyneth Paltrow, leading most who view it with an intense desire to "join the party," Petersen notes. (It also appears to reveal the origin of Blue Ivy Carter's name, Vulture adds: One video shows Beyonce with actual blue ivy while on vacation.)