Followers become so obsessed with duplicating the example of a famous entertainer that they may lose their own self-esteem and start to psychologically break down. It is astonishing to imagine that they can destroy themselves because they become consumed with a person they have never even met. There are many examples of copycat behaviour going too far, from one extreme to the other. If an admirer becomes obsessed with wanting to be someone who is slimmer than themselves, they are driven to anorexia and other such eating disorders, or in other cases plastic surgery or liposuction. Or they spend all their money on albums, concert tickets or the designer clothes they have seen on their idol. Robbie Williams is a well-known entertainer. In his past he has been driven by his fame to alcohol and drug addiction, and he became dependent on depressants. His admirers are compelled to repeat this form of behaviour in their own lifestyle. So although celebrities have been known to have a good influence on their supporters, the more supporters they get, they more removed from reality they become, which means that their supporters are now introduced to a characteristic that is wrong to imitate. All celebrities are famous for their talent, and it is natural and acceptable for their admirers to have this as an influence on their lives. However, all celebrities have many faults, and when their personalities are respected and imitated, it often means that their faults are imitated also.
An example of celebrity obsession is of a man named Tom Willock. He was an average American 16-year-old boy, but his attention and interest has been dominated by the obsession of Bebe Neuworth. She has never been anywhere near the centre of attention in the world of celebrity and media, and is barely very well known, however she still managed to dominate the teenage life of Tom Willock. This is a common situation for celebrity admirers throughout the world. Tom’s life aim, as a teenager, was to meet his idol, and he used means of stalking to track down her family home. He had spent a year going to the library and using logic to find the address of this one girl whom had devoted his life to, but he had never met. Another example of one of the other extremes which is included in the issue of celebrity worship is that of Mark Chapman, who ended up shooting his huge celebrity idol, John Lennon, so he could share his fame. “…The ensuing commotion provided the rush of attention that he craved. Chapman, then 25, had achieved what he set out to do - he made a name for himself.”
The main reason people idolize celebrities is because of their glamour. This, to me, shows how shallow the human race has become. It might have been thought that their glamour would only create jealousy, however it created fashion. Fashion adds colour to the life of a teenager, however it means they look down on those who do not have the right image- for example those who can’t afford designer clothes. The image of celebrities creates peer pressure in the teenage world to go against their own style and taste, and often against their own beliefs. Peer pressure has caused teenage use of illegal drugs, underage drinking, and underage pregnancy. This peer pressure also increases the ‘need’ to spend as much as possible.
If idolisation needs to be a necessary part of someone’s life, then goodness and charity would be ideal though unlikely alternatives. Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and other such idols have rarely done anything for charity despite their grossly inflated fortune, they have been caught in alarming public acts, have been known to use obscene language to their fans, they often parade around public places wearing barely any clothing, yet they are still known as idols. With so much stardom in today’s world, people have begun to care less about the people who really deserve to be admired, for example Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King and Mahatma Ghandi. If people admired these people over entertainers, think of the world we would be living in, how it would be improved. People would follow their example in spending time with charity, they would care for other people over themselves, and there would be considerably less peer pressure, addiction, plastic surgery, selfishness and materialism. There might even be less poverty, because people would put more effort into helping the poor rather than spending their time, effort and money in too many designer clothes.
People should follow those who have made a genuine improvement to the human society, not those that entertain.
For major celebrities, the incredible amount of attention has lead to their death. Elvis Presley was a happy, ordinary person until fame took the better of him. He was worshipped as a God, and this drove him to a weight problem and drug addiction. He tragically committed suicide by means of a drug overdose because he could no longer handle the media pressure. Diana Princess of Wales was chased to her death by the intense media stress. John Lennon was murdered in the street by a devoted fan, because his murderer, Mark Chapman, wanted his fame.
The reason why celebrities are perhaps so easy to love is because you don’t know them in any depth. You have chosen to idolize the ‘shell’ of the person that is depicted through the media.
Whilst I don’t want to detract from the achievements and abilities of celebrities, I think the best form of appreciation would be to try and find those hidden depths within yourself and endeavour to bring out the qualities you admire in famous icons into your own style. To blindly worship celebrity icons is idle-minded and imitative. Admire their talent, as you should admire the virtues of those who have made a real difference to humanity and who have set a real example to follow.
