American society is impressionable, to say the least. We often get caught up in the latest “thing,” whether it is the newest crash diet, popular band or reality television show.
I am not saying that I do not tune in to E! Network every Sunday night at 9 p.m. for the latest “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” episode. I do own the fact that it is my guilty pleasure and I cannot, for whatever reason, seem to lose interest. I do not know what aspect of the show retains my interest and keeps me coming back for more. Maybe it’s the fact that our society thrives and focuses on the daily lives of celebrities. Thousands of Americans every day check PerezHilton.com, or other celebrity gossip blogs, just as frequently as they check their own Facebook pages.
So why is it that we become so enthralled with the lifestyles of the rich and the famous?
Well, for starters, I think that a lot of people tend to live vicariously through these social icons. This doesn’t mean that people want to live the lives that the celebrities are living. Rather, because our lives are so drastically different from those of celebrities that they fascinate us to a heightened extent.
Everyone has a curiosity of how other people live their lives, and since celebrities’ and social figures’ lives are constantly out in the open, we are finally able to see how the other half lives.
Maybe it is the excessive number of tabloids that are produced. Whether they choose to admit it or not, no one can really avoid getting sucked in to the ridiculous headlines on the covers of gossip magazines while waiting in line at the grocery store.
When it comes to loving a celebrity, it is all about perception. In a lot of cases, celebrities tend to make some major mistakes that can lead to them setting bad examples for those who follow them (they are humans, after all), particularly the impressionable youth. A lot of times, people fall in love with the character or personality that the celebrity may play or portray in a role or public office. It is very important for people to remember that just because the person may play a “good girl” image on a television show, it does not mean that they always retain that image in his or her off-screen life.
Arguably, a person that gets so much public attention and is seen as a role model should be more cautious of his or her actions. One name that immediately comes to mind is Justin Bieber. The 19-year-old was recently arrested for a DUI and openly admitted to have smoked marijuana earlier in the day. It is unsettling to see the star do something like this, especially since his primary fan-base is composed of young children and teens.
Just as much as we love to obsess over their fame, we equally love to watch fame icons crash and burn. Take Amanda Bynes’ recent struggles, for instance. The once “it girl” had a tumultuous 2013, and it was all anyone could talk about on Twitter. Her own personal Twitter account was doing all the work, leaving no room for us to wonder if she was on a good path. She randomly lashed out at other celebs, like Drake, via the site. Her fall made her a relevant figure again after taking somewhat of a hiatus following her abrupt announcement in June 2010 that she was retiring from acting.
Celebrities have become a common topic of conversation among all types of people in the country, especially via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. For example, on Jan. 29, Facebook’s “Trending” feature on its homepage showed that the two most talked about topics on the site were “Justin Bieber Turns Himself in to Toronto Police on Assault Charge” and “Miley Cyrus Teams Up With Madonna.” Facebook is supposed to be a reflection of our lives and friends’ lives, so it really says something when the two most trending topics in our society are celebrity-related.
It is truly strange, if you think about it, that we are so consumed with the lives of other human beings that often have no general relation to our own lives. We are all guilty of it in some respect from time to time. Whether we want to own up to it or not, we’re hooked.