Crushes are a normal part of life. Celebrity crushes are even more mainstream.
I tend to fall in love with the male lead of whatever my favorite show happens to be at the time. As a kid, I was certain I was going to grow up and marry Rider Strong from Boy Meets World(though I was so young back then, I couldn't tell the difference between Rider Strong and Shawn Hunter).
As I grew up, I predictably fell for both Nick and Joe Jonas, Andrew Garfield, and, my celebrity obsession for the last eight years, Grant Gustin.
I also had my fair share of cartoon and anime crushes (Zuko from ATLA anyone?) There's no shame here!
Celebrity crushes are not only normal, but something people can bond over.
Curious about what celebrities (or fictional characters) made people's lists, Redditor Jeece712 asked:
"Who was your celebrity crush as a child?"
Jack + Rose Forever
"Leonardo Dicaprio. I cried so hard when I was a kid and my mom told me Kate Winslett was getting married, I thought her and Leo were in love IRL because of Titanic, and I thought she broke his heart. I was a dumb."
– kittenAngst
Jinkies!
"Linda Cardellini as Velma in the Scooby-Doo films. Now it's just Linda Cardellini"
– FireyBrick
"I'm a man of substance. Dorky chicks like you turn me on, too!”
– Mayg14
They Were All Quite Attractive
"Danielle Fischell is an excellent answer."
– KzooKLR
"Ooooh I totally had a crush on Topanga!"
– electrolytesaregood
"I crushed on Shawn for a bit."
– EveryBuddyUp
"Sean was cute af."
– boopandkitten
The Epitome Of A Teenage Heartthrob
"Kelly Kapowski"
– TheWolphman
"More like Kelly KaPOWski!!!"
– 0xB0BAFE77
All I Want Is Your Love
"Natalie Portman....Padme"
– Deleted User
"Me too!!! I was already like 12 but God, it was an instant crush, she is beautiful and very elegant. It started from the second film of the prequels tho"
– inimicali
"Natalie Portman, was falling for her right along with Anakin"
– crepitusss
Wonderful Animation
"Kim Possible. I guess the thing for redheads never went away judging by my girlfriends nowadays..."
– mattu334
"Aladdin. Don't look at me like that."
– Bubbly-Round-7103
"Gwen from Ben 10..."
– Minion__Edifier
"Kim Possible and the mother from The Proud Family."
"They may not have been actual celebrities, nor did I quite understand the feelings I had for them at the time, but goddamn were they the sh*t!"
– BellingerGuy310
Self-Discovery
"Raven, from the really bright and colorful Teen Titans Go. Yet it still took me another 7 years to realize I wasn’t straight."
– soysaucemmm
"draco malfoy.. it was my gay awakening"
– Initial_Sound_5020
"I had my sexual awaking with zac efron in high school musical. I literally jumped my wall to him singing 'the start of something new'"
– Significant_Comment7
That Whole, Full House
"middle daughter on Full House"
– bigtex2003
"Uncle Jessie was so hot. I remember watching with my grandma, we were both there for him lol"
– Keyspam102
"Uncle Jessie’s wife, Becky. Super hot back then."
– RRahl
"Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber) from Full House."
– PlatypusWrath
Superheroes = Super Crushes
"Well, this is gonna date me for sure but, when I was about 4 or 5, Superman/Clark Kent as played by a young Christopher Reeve."
"All my life I crushed out like crazy on guys with dark hair, blue eyes, and glasses. I ended up marrying a man who looks eerily just like Reeve when he played that role (more the body type and the face than the coloring, though). The bummer is that he insists on wearing contact lenses, at least when he goes outside. He thinks it's hilarious that it drives me wild when takes off his contacts when he gets home and puts on his glasses."
– zazzlekdazzle
"Sharkboy"
– sworbfish
"Wonder Woman & The Bionic Woman"
– 5inn3d
"Lynda Carter 100%"
– 4Run4Fun
And A Few That Need A Mention
" Shania Twain."
"That did impress me much."
– happybuffalowing
"Lee Meriwether as Catwoman. Me-freaking-ow."
– swibirun
"Jodie Foster. In retrospect… I never had a chance."
– Gaudy_Tripod
Truthfully, I doubt any of us ever had a chance.
Ah, well, we can dream!
@hebagowayed/Bluesky
@waitmanwbeorn/X
@eighthoften/Bluesky 
@antigonesdream/Bluesky 
A1