Why is it that so many people are obsessed with the lives of celebrities? Stardom has always fascinated us to some degree but we are now living in a time where it all goes far beyond a mere sense of wonder.
For some people it really has become an obsession. If you go into any newsagent then you will find a large selection of magazines that are devoted entirely to the present batch of desirable celebrities. I say 'present batch' because the world of celebrity is an incredibly fickle one. Those who are wanted above all else today are casually discarded tomorrow. What a strange place we live in where so many people are in such a rush to read about our society's 'gods'. All of those elite people who live in a fairytale world of designer clothes, telephone number salaries and silicone body parts. Why are these beings so magical to us? Celebrity magazines attract a huge audience who can't get enough of who is bedding who, what perfume they are wearing and what has been done to which of their facial features.
We are in a time that has an enormous divide between rich and poor yet so many of us clamour to know the latest goings on of people who will never know what it is like to struggle with money. Perhaps it is the romance of the celebrity existence that makes it so attractive to us. We are like social magpies, seeking the shiny glitz of a perfect lifestyle whilst remaining oblivious to the fact that we are supporting that same lifestyle by investing in celebrity orientated magazines and docu-dramas. The great irony of it all is that these people would not inhabit their exalted positions if it were not for our fascination with their lives.
Celebrity does not need to be all negative though; in the past it has given us healthy role models for our children and goals for us to aim for. When we hear a 'rags to riches' story it makes us feel good and we wonder if we too could perhaps succeed at something that we want to do. If a hero of the music or film industry lives by good morals and a positive attitude then we are happy for our kids to admire them. The unfortunate thing is that it is rare and downright unfashionable to have many decent role models anymore; bad examples are far better earners.
We should treat the reverence of celebrity with caution. Some elements of it are harmless or perhaps even good, but a far greater part is very dangerous. We do not need to spend so long focusing on the lives of the rich and famous as there are no real rewards. Instead, we should be taking time to study our own lives and how we can improve on them. We are only here once and it would be a shame to spend so long looking at others when we could be concentrating on ourselves.
0 comments:
Post a Comment