Admiration for Celebrities Should Not Turn into Obsession

In this era of information, where celebrity news spreads like wildfire, it is very easy to get fascinated and influenced by celebrities because their lives always attract attention. High school sophomore Collin Palmers thinks that a healthy obsession with celebrities isn’t a bad thing. He feels that celebrities have a positive impact on our lives because of their sense of fashion and successful careers. I partially agree with Collin’s statement since successful celebrities can be good role models sometimes, but in many cases, celebrity antics have a bigger negative impact on people.

There are two reasons why we admire celebrities. One reason is that they represent the luxurious life everyone dreams of. The second reason is because of their work. The human fascination for a luxury life is evident even at a very young age. To my knowledge, little girls embrace Disney Princess movies and love to dress up as princesses. They love the glitter and pomp of the dresses, the castles, and the carriages.

They see themselves in these stories and this is what movies tell little girls: If you want to be the hero of your own story, the star of your life, you have to be a princess. Only princesses get that option. Similarly, owning a Ferrari car or a spectacular mansion is a distant dream for an average person whereas these are common amenities for celebrities. All these success factors make us admire celebrities. We are constantly influenced by what they do, what they say, and even what they wear.

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Deborah King, in her article, “The Impact of Celebrities” says that we are fascinated with celebrities because they give us an escape from the boredom of everyday life. “ Some believe that we are obsessed with celebrities because we need to have an escape from our everyday lives. If you are not centered and balanced energetically, and you don’t feel good about who you are, you are much more likely to follow your favorite celebrity and wish you could be them.” (King). While this could be true in the case of some folks, many others like celebrities because of their work, like their songs, or the roles they play in movies. Many people just like celebrity work, not their lives or luxury.

Many people including me, even detest the antics of celebrities. I don’t like the crazy things celebrities do to gain attention, for instance, overspeeding in fancy cars. In the movie “Truman Show”, The protagonist, Truman, had his entire life recorded on surveillance cameras which were broadcasted on television for his town to see, but Truman didn’t know that he was recorded. In the movie, two police sheriffs watched the show 24/7. When they were done watching, they found a new show to watch and obsess over. There was also a bar named the Truman Bar where people got together to watch the show. King’s article has given many examples of celebrities having a positive effect on people. For example, when Larry King had a heart attack he told the audience he decided to quit smoking, and that influenced many people to quit smoking, too. Similarly, Angelina Jolie has positively influenced millions of people through her acts of kindness to impoverished children in third-world countries. These examples show there is some validity to Collin’s argument that celebrity obsession can be healthy.

On the other hand, the extreme nature of celebrity behavior is highlighted in the country song called “Celebrity” by Brad Paisley. This song talks about the bad things you can do as a celebrity. The main point that Brad Paisley wants to make is that if you are a celebrity, you can do whatever you want. For instance, he states that “You can act just like a fool, and people think you’re cool, just ’cause you’re on TV,” and he also states that you can do whatever it takes to make sure things go your way if you are a celebrity. I disagree with his point because everyone will have to face the consequences of their actions irrespective of their position or celebrity status. King has mentioned many examples of these including Winona Ryder’s arrest for shoplifting, and Heath Miller’s death following a prescription drug overdose. These facts clearly show that celebrity obsession may not always lead you along the right path.

To conclude, I agree with Collin on the point that a fascination with celebrities is natural and part of human nature, but I disagree with him on his claim that celebrity obsession can be healthy. I feel it is perfectly acceptable to have some interest in celebrity lives as long as we have the maturity to realize that everything a celebrity is doing may not be the best thing to follow.

From the examples that I have shared, it is very evident that celebrities can have both positive and negative influences on people. Celebrity obsession resulting from TV and social media addiction can also disrupt our daily lives. Therefore we should also be cautious to avoid such disruptions. In this age of the internet and connected devices, celebrity actions are immediately shared with millions of followers. In the future, I hope that celebrities realize this and try to become true role models in society.