Beyonce, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lebron James, Kim Kardashian, just a few names among the many of today’s highly prestigious list of celebrities. A celebrity is a man or a woman that has gained attention in the media through entertainment or athletics. In today’s society we put celebrities on a pedestal and view them as superior to the everyday person. It has become a normal occurrence to adore these celebrities and keep track of their every move. This raises some important questions, what makes someone a celebrity? And why are we so obsessed with them and celebrity culture? Forbes Magazine uses a complicated formula that takes earnings, press clippings, magazine covers, TV /radio appearances, and internet web hits all into consideration. However the way we react to these celebrities and their rising fame is ultimately what constitutes their star power. Instead of engaging in personal interactions where we discuss our own lives, we discuss the lives of famous people documented in the tabloids as if we actually know them. Our celebrity obsession has become so intense and all-consuming that we live vicariously through celebrities, sometimes at the expense of sacrificing our own lives and well-being. The reason for this obsession could possibly be a method of escaping. We rather pretend to live in a world of glitz and glamour than face the reality of our everyday lives. We begin to see this figure has “role models” and “icons” and blindly follow their every move. We buy the products they promote and watch the show’s they star in just because we believe they are superior. Along with this admiration comes a sense of envy and hate. Celebrities serve as both an object of worship and of disgust, simultaneously representing what we strive to be and yet what we dislike most about ourselves and society. This worship of those who are famous make it hard for people to find their identity and truly be themselves. In the media today celebrities are glorified for their looks, leaving the average person feeling insecure and ashamed. Celebrities give girls unrealistic notions about beauty and how to look. Girls want to look just like the stars they see on the screen so much that they end up harming themself and their body. To sum it up we are obsessed with celebrities because they have what we don’t. They have a glorified life that we are not used to, they have all the fame and money in the world and even if it may be unnatural the looks and perks we strive for. Pop culture is never going away. The entertainment world is growing everyday and becoming a bigger part of our everyday lives. While it is all not completely bad, some aspects are detrimental to society. Our obsession with celebrities and their lives is a fad that is doing more bad than good. Maybe we obsess over celebrities because we want to feel just as important? Or maybe because of pure jealousy? What do you think?
Links:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jo-piazza/americans-unhealthy-obsession-with-celebrities_b_1385405.html
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-big-questions/200912/why-we-are-obsessed-celebrities
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nora-turriago/the-dangerous-american-ob_b_8721632.html
Picture Links
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/30/beyonce-wiz
http://www.marieclaire.com/fashion/g2513/best-celebrity-red-carpet-2014/
Maura, as many of us know, celebrity obsession is very real. I think that one of the main reasons that we are fans of certain celebrities is simply cause we idolize them. We admire the lifestyles thy posses and maybe even wish that we could live the same. I also believe that the general public is driven by our own curiosity. We buy magazines about them and search the latest news on the internet because we are curious. We want to know what is going on in their lives, what clothes they were, cars they drive, etc.. I even found that there is a disorder called celebrity worship syndrome.
http://dailyburn.com/life/health/drink-coffee-before-workout/
I believe that people obsess over celebrities because of their talents and appeal to society. What people don’t understand is that these celebrities are like us: they’re human, regardless of superiority. Most of the points you have made here are somewhat true, but you need concrete evidence to make your argument valid. Also, what scientific concepts can correlate with this point? What do you think is a scientific concept that can relate to why people obsess over celebrities the way they do? While celebrities and media is something I enjoy discussing, I think this blog post could be a lot better with evidence, studies, and even anecdotes.
I agree that some people take their celebrity crushes a little too far to the point where they can be considered obsessed, but I don’t think all celebrities are bad. Many of them have charities and foundations that do really great things in society. Lebron James is paying millions of dollars to send kids to the University of Akron every year. I encourage you to look up what some celebrities do for their communities. Yes many celebrities don;t deserve the love and praise, but you may realize some are better people than you think.