Killed by Celebrity

Extreme fans often lack personal relationships.  Without family or friends, the fan attaches herself to someone she comes in contact with on a regular basis.  In Godspeed’s mind, she and Paula had a regular appointment every Tuesday at eight on FOX.  Because the fan believes their relationship is two-sided, she feels she has no need for real relationships.  Sadly, the more the fan sits alone on the bus; the more she reads the celebrity gossip magazines; the more she learns about the Jonas Brothers; the more she stays at home to watch their interview with Disney 365; the more she ignores her siblings’ pleas to play with them; the more she lies in her bed listening to “Burnin’ Up” on her iPod.  STOP the vicious cycle.  Get out of the chat rooms and into a club, team, anything.  Loneliness is a serious problem for many people, but celebrity worship is not the answer.  Nothing can substitute the presence of real people.

To fans, looking up to celebrities shows what they admire in other people, or rather, what they wish to admire in themselves.  The fan, unable to find admirable qualities in herself, finds them in someone else and lifts them to the highest pedestal.  Comparing themselves to their “perfect” version of the celebrity, they feel even more inferior.  Once again, the more they praise the star, the more they hate themselves.  Godspeed probably admired Abdul the most not for her various husbands and boyfriends (the last of which was twelve years her junior) or ability to survive eating disorders, but her singing prowess, selling over 53 million records with six number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.  In Abdul’s footsteps, Godspeed chased her dream, trying out for American Idol, but when she failed, she felt that much worse because of her obsession.

Unfortunately, adoring celebrities does not actually bring success but merely makes the object of their affection (looks, humor, athleticism) impossible through inactivity.  Stop admiring celebrities and become one.  I do not mean get your own Disney Channel Original Series, but become someone other people should – and will – look up to.  What’s the difference between a fan and a celebrity?  One watches while the other acts.  Make a list of your favorite icons and work to gain their talents.  Celebrities should motivate activity, not hours online blogging about their latest outfits.  I guarantee if Godspeed had spent less time making life-sized drawings and more time practicing her vocal range, she would have emerged happier, whether she made it on the show or been rejected under less pressure.  So, if you admire Kobe, don’t spend all afternoon looking up his stats or where he spent his birthday, go outside and shoot some hoops.  The real solution: find what is so appealing in celebrities in yourself.  Although it is fine to occasionally put up posters of Adam Brody, James Franco, and even Paula Abdul, the American public should take care to live their own lives – not through those of celebrities. 

Works Cited

Watson, Paul J.. “Celebrity Worship.” Propaganda Matrix 11 Jan 2009 .

Dillon, Nancy. “Paula Abdul fanatic Paula Godspeed found dead near singer’s home.” Daily News 13 Nov 2008 11 Jan 2009 .