We all know who these intriguing individuals known as ‘celebrities’ are, and many of us idolize them. Endless amounts of money are poured into the mass media, simply to find out who is getting divorced or engaged, who is cheating on whom, who is too fat or too skinny. We keep our eyes peeled for “baby bumps” and inspect closely what they wear. However, many of us no longer understand precisely what a celebrity is, or analyze the effects “ the phenomenon known as the Culture of Celebrity” (Epstein) is having on our social understandings as ordinary individuals.
Epstein tries to shed light into the phenomenon by quoting a definition of “The celebrity” as “a person who is well-known for his well-knownness.” Unfortunately, people today think of being a celebrity and being famous as one and the same thing. However, the truth is that fame is “earned,” while the celebrity status is “cultivated [or] thrust upon” an individual by the media industries, promotions and publicity. In the recent years, celebrities have started playing a much expansive and greater role across many aspects of the cultural field.
Indeed, we all want a meaningful existence as humans. We want to feel secure and our belief that there is always room for growth is nothing but a myth that we feed off. It is this potential (although significantly small) that is demonstrated by celebrities that we could be more than what we are, and this is what makes us relate to them. “Celebrity culture encourages everyone to think of themselves as potential celebrities, [] Reality, in fact, is dismissed and shunned as an impediment to success, a form of negativity” (Hedges).
It is apparent that we as a population of the world are not represented by most of these celebrities. Although signs of an open society are displayed by them, the unique lifestyle that is displayed by them is full of hedonism and wealth that a majority of us cannot attain. Despite this, we live our lives believing that we can be in their positions and strive to accomplish this, and somehow we tend to relate to them. It is because celebrity culture that parasocial relationships have formed in our society, where average individuals like us feel an intense sense of connectedness with these celebrities in a one-way relationship.
A certain discursive power has also been granted to these celebrities within society because of their status. The voice of celebrities is heard above others, the media systems chancel this voice as being legitimately significant. We listen to their advice, we follow their trends, and more astonishing (since they are no way near reflecting the general population) we permit them to represent us as ordinary individuals.
A majority of Americans seem to be too sheepish to acknowledge that they enjoy reading articles and headlines about celebrities or watching daytime TV that covers the latest celebrity scandals. No matter how embarrassing it may be for us to admit it, almost every one of us finds celebrity culture attractive and fascinating to some extent. In fact, it is big business since all these business tycoons, movie and TV stars, musical icons, and sports figures are not only capturing our attention but our money as well. Of course, as abovementioned, there is a reason we are attracted to them.
No doubt, celebrities are humans just like all of us, but they inhabit a world of fabulous beauty, fame and wealth. We get drawn in by the glamour, and become infatuated with the gossip because we dream of living a life like theirs. Even the magazines we see on a regular basis attempt to make us believe that celebrities and ordinary individuals are alike with photos that say that the celebrities are just like us. We also dream of being recognized or well known as they are. People listen to them, see them, and stay up-to-date about them. Thus, the birth of celebrity culture is a result of our yearning to be recognized.
According to Chris Hedges, “celebrity culture has seeped into every aspect of our lives,” not only our culture, but even politics. Now even politicians have garnered the celebrity status, and President Barack Obama is a prime candidate of the prime celebrity and their power. It would not be wrong to label President Barack Obama as a “brand.” As negative as this may sound, the truth is that because of how popular our president has become and how people treat him like a celebrity, he is able to deceive us into overlooking issues that concern us. This is what has been labeled by Hedges as “Empire of Illusion.” Nonetheless, even though the popularity of President Obama might be seen in a negative way, it cannot be denied that his “brand” is working, and people feel secure, regardless of whether it is a false sense of security.
Considering all of the above, it would make anyone wonder whether there is a bright side to celebrity culture. Well, for starters, it does give ordinary people like us something to talk about. Talking about celebrities is nice since we get to connect other people who are also ‘fans’ those same celebrities, whom we would otherwise never know. It is like many of us have got a friend in common. Unfortunately, we are not just talking about them anymore. Instead, celebrity culture has transformed into a full blown obsession, and people have become way too obsessed with them.
Sure, it may be true that we may gain invaluable human narratives from the lives of celebrities that may improve the quality of our lives (Gabler). Indeed, celebrities are real human beings just like us; they have families, they love other people, whether other celebrities or others, and perhaps, we may be able to learn a lesson or two from their lives. However, if we stop to think for one moment, their lives our nothing like ours, they do not encounter the same problems in lives that we do, and they are at an advantage in practically every avenue of life, while we are not. Therefore, it seems absurd to try to peek into their lives for life lessons, and then again, it not the lesson they could teach us but their status as a celebrity that has gotten us so obsessed with them.
Thus, it is very hard to see any positive aspect in celebrity culture. However, it is apparent that celebrities do not particularly represent us in ways in which our own discourses or statuses are reflected. Unlike the life of an average individual, the lives they live are very different, and we simply admire the fortune and success they possess, in fact, we yearn for it. We year to be attain the same status as theirs and step in their shoes, and this is why we have become so obsessed with them, to the extent that they are influencing our beliefs, and what we do. Contrary to the supposition that celebrity culture is based upon, celebrities to do not represent us as a society, rather they represent an ideal that we wish to be.
Works Cited
Epstein, Joseph. "The Culture of Celebrity." Weekly Standard. 11.5 (2005): n. page. Print. <http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/006/187rmfyj.asp>.
Gabler, Neal. "Celebrity Culture Is Beneficial." Trans. ArrayCelebrity Culture (Opposing Viewpoints). Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Print.
Hedges, Chris. " Celebrity Culture Is Harmful." Trans. ArrayCelebrity Culture (Opposing Viewpoints). Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Print.
