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It’s something that I’ve never really understood.
You know when someone says they’re obsessed with a certain celebrity, do you find that a bit odd? I mean, chances are you don’t because I’m sure you have a certain celebrity who’s national insurance number you know off by heart. But I think there is a clear distinction between liking a celebrity because of their work and literally immersing yourself in their day-to-day personal life.
I think with the emergence of social media its so easy for us to have access to these high profile people. I mean, you can literally tweet the President of the United States, how crazy. But why do we care so much about these individuals lives? Why do we idolise them and put up posters of them in our bedroom? Wait, do people still do the poster thing? Maybe not.
“They look pretty”
I think it’s safe to assume that one of the biggest reasons why we obsess over certain celebrities is simply because we fancy them Which is fine. I get the fancy part, it makes sense. I can list you off numerous celebrities that I might have a crush on. But what i don’t understand is why does this then mean I need to become enthralled in their life. I couldn’t give a damn what Jessica Chastain had for breakfast to be totally honest with you. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be following these celebs on social media or whatever because that’s a very easy thing to do. But to be keeping up to date with every facet of their life, in my eyes, is a little strange. Also as a celeb, knowing that there are people out there that care about what you’re doing, no matter what it is, must be a surreal feeling.
“I just like what they do”
I also understand that the obsession may just come from being a huge fan of their work. I get that too. But let’s not kid ourselves. Reality TV has created a culture where we are becoming infatuated with people that are just behaving questionably on camera. Not to say that just because you have taken part in a reality show that you’re talentless but where does the obsession come from? And it’s so easy these days to become an influencer or internet personality. When people see that you have some sort of following, it just grows exponentially no matter what your contribution to society is.
Setting up for failure
I do think though to a certain degree it is dangerous to put celebrities on a pedestal. Let’s not forget that even though they may seem larger than life they’re just people. They wake up, brush their teeth and pay their taxes (well some) just like you do. And no matter how much it feels like you know this person, you don’t. Every time you see this person they are just acting. Whether it’s in a movie or on social media. We all create personas for what we want people to see which may not be accurate to who we really are. So what this leads to is disappointment. Oh you found out that this person doesn’t believe in the same things as you and now the world is falling apart. You can separate the two. You can be a huge fan of Kanye West the rapper but don’t let this infiltrate your personal feelings towards him.
Who’s your idol?
And it is actually very interesting that when asked this question a lot of people will say a celebrity that in fact they may not know much about. Idolisation doesn’t have to be someone in the public eye. A more healthy idolisation actually may be someone you know personally and is doing things that is greatly impacting your own life. At least then you have that personal connection and there is less chance of being disappointed. The youth of today is constantly being presented with unrealistic representations of what life is really like. Go outside, experience it for yourself. You are not meeting celebrities everyday, you’re interacting with ordinary people and those are the ones that have the real influence on you.
Friend or Foe
And this is all very telling when your friends want to share posts from their favourite celebrities that have probably been re-shared millions of times instead of giving your new side hustle a shout out. Now I’m not here to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t share on their own social media. If you want to share pics of celebrity babies or half naked insta models then you do you. But what does this actually mean? What purpose is this serving you? Do you think Kylie Jenner cares that you shared her latest Insta post? No. But someone out there, trying to grow a business, or sharing their artwork, it would mean the absolute world to them. Having said this though, doesn’t have to be “either or” you can do both.
The truth about celebrities
The reality is, celebrities are just people that a lot of people happen to know. Yes this gives them influence and power but what are they actually contributing to your life? Recently I started unfollowing celebrities that were actually offering nothing to my existence. I was simply following them because they were famous even though their content was whack. Whether you share or like their post, celebrities will survive. they’ll be fine. Why not focus some of that energy into the people that really matter, the people that actually need that comment, like or share? You’ll never catch me going gaga over some girl from Love Island. But if I see you grinding, putting out amazing content and adding value to my life then I am all yours whether you have 1 follower or 100,000.
What is success?
Because when it comes down to it we idolise people who we perceive as successful. But ask yourself this, is every famous person successful? I actually don’t know, because they are most certainly successful in some aspects of their life. But conversely there are hundreds of successful people who aren’t famous. Don’t let them pass you by.
The real question
And all this culminates with 1 question. Are you a sucker? You’re not, so don’t act like one.
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