The Celebrity Bandwagon and Fame

Paris Hilton hounded by the Paparazzi

I have lots of friends who tell me that they want to make it big in the entertainment industry. While this is a noble and ambitious dream, I sometimes feel like such people are oblivious to the downsides of becoming a celebrity. Even worse – we have other overly enthusiastic people point out to us how being famous is like heaven on earth. “What’s not to love?” they exclaim. “You have everything you ever wanted handed to you on a silver platter!”

Well, I can’t deny that there are definitely perks to achieving any positive form of fame. There would be a sense of recognition and accomplishment, limitless benefits and opportunities – and, most importantly, the feeling of superiority and affluence that comes as an added bonus. However, hardly anything comes without a downside of some kind.

I believe that the worst thing that a celebrity is forced to endure is the absurd lack of privacy. Of course, I’m not saying that it is impossible to maintain any personal space. Yet, sometimes, there’s just no telling what somebody else is willing to do to benefit themselves – even if it makes your life a living hell. Let’s consider the latest Kate Middleton photo scandal. I have ‘friends’ who find it immensely amusing – worse still, they take the stand that it happens to be an incident has been a long time coming. For example:

“They should have taken some precautions like stepping up their security. They should have expected the Paparazzi would be there to capture the "sensual" moment.”

These comments were accompanied with a self-edited photo that shows a grossly incorrect and small-minded take on the matter:

Does it really seem plausible that Kate Middleton would stage a publication containing half-naked photos of herself just to attract attention? I believe that this doesn’t just showcase the writer’s small-minded take on the life of a celebrity in general– it also exhibits a total lack of respect by insulting Kate’s integrity as a woman. 

Celebrities are human too – they have feelings and pride of their own, just like us. I highly doubt that anybody would purposely seek any form of negative attention. And even more ridiculous – how could they possibly be at fault just because they had thought that they would be safe to act at ease?

Britney Spears

What I really meant to call attention to is the ridiculous lack of discretion and personal space that such celebrities are put through. Frankly, I believe that it would feel horrible to have our lives and personal details available to the public like an open storybook. 

To add on to that point, it can't be denied that any form of normalcy may be hard to come by once fame is achieved. There would be no more casual get-togethers with friends in public or easy dinners out. Having adoring fans might feel pleasant and exciting at first, but the novelty of it may soon lose its luster. Not to sound too extreme, but this lack of freedom may soon take on the mental similarity of an iron cage. 

This doesn’t just affect the celebrity as a person – anybody closely associated with the celebrity is now vulnerable. Even the family members of the celebrity must now be wary of their own actions in public. Of course, it might not necessarily be such a bad thing to be associated with a celebrity. However, it might not really be all that appealing when you are hounded down by rabid paparazzi just because of your relationship of association with somebody else.

Another downside that arises from the existence of fame is the paranoia and unfortunate reality that not everybody around the celebrity really cares about their success.  Many celebrities refrain from making any new friends besides those in their own circle of exposure. This may not necessarily be a bad thing, but it can be hard to stomach the fact that the people around you are so often cutting you down behind your back.

Demi Lovato

Finally, the least-worrisome aspect of being a celebrity would be the hard work that comes with it. I believe that this isn’t really something too hard to deal with because, let’s face it – everything you do in life requires some form of hard work. However, for celebrities, such hard work also comes with the watchful public eye. Celebrities who are unable to withstand the pressure may resort to horrible outlets. For example, take Demi Lovato and her self-mutilation. Would she have been driven so far if such a tremendous load of stress hadn’t been placed on her?

I suppose that you might be wondering what exactly I wanted to bring across to you with this article. Well, I guess that I have just grown tired of people always commenting about celebrities like they aren’t even human – like they live to cause trouble and seek attention. Or even worse - people who perceive fame as a special paradise where nothing can ever go wrong. I hope that the next time you encounter somebody with a similarly ridiculous mind-set, you might encourage them to look at both sides of the fence before making a baseless remark! I leave it up to you now, dear reader!

Please don't hesitate to send in any of your own thoughts or feedback to Ordinarysgkid@hotmail.com or to follow me on twitter at @NatKathXo :) Comments on the article itself is welcomed too! Please share the article if you happen to find it interesting! :)

Credits: Google for Images. First: newsflash.org, Second: local blog, Third:sodahead.com, Fourth:Seventeen.