Present Day Celebrity Culture

Joseph Quevedo

Thesis/Introduction

C

elebrity culture is a huge part of American Society, it

doesn’t matter who you are, you can’t deny that you

are not interested in what celebrities are up to.

Why are Celebrities Highly sought after in Today’s Society?

I

n today’s time, everyone is interested about celebrities’ latest breakups, what

clothing they wear, where they go out on the weekends, and the products they

are using. The list can go on forever.

W

hy do we idolize these “gods”? Why do we care about people we never have

met before?

W

ell, it is pretty easy. One of the reasons is that celebrities are so wealthy. Many

people in our society idolize the worth of a celebrity. As a whole, we are so

interested in the lavish life these celebrities lead (mansions, foreign cars,

shopping sprees, yachts, etc). If one goes on the website,

www.celebritynetworth.com, one can see any celebrity’s net worth.

continued

A

nother reason why society is attracted to celebrities is that

their life is more interesting than the average person’s life.

Some people tend to escape from their reality to see what

their favorite celebrity is doing, hence why celebrity blogs

like TMZ are viewed thousands and thousands of times a day

and even have their own TV show dedicated to just celebrity

gossip.

continued

S

eeing drama in other people’s lives, especially celebrities’, is a form of

entertainment. People in society like to watch the downward spiral of

celebrities. Whenever a celebrity divorces, uses drugs or alcohol, cheats, or

has economic problems in their life, this news spreads like wildfire, more so

than even real news. For example, there was even a Maury-like TV show, the

Trisha Goddard show that dedicated a whole episode on the father of Lindsey

Lohan, Mike Lohan, getting a paternity test to see if his mistress’s daughter

was his. Everyone loves to see this type of drama.

N

ow more than ever, society gets to gossip and find news about celebrities via

social networking sites like Twitter and Instagram with just a click of a button.

W

ith Twitter, people get to see what certain celebrities are doing; with Instagram,

a photo-like version of twitter, people can get to see pictures of what a celebrity

is doing.

From these sites, celebrities can stay connected with their fans. On rare

occasions, some celebrities tweet back to their fans like on twitter.

technology is essential in celebrity culture.

continued

Technology can be also be a curse, since there are so many

websites, people can create rumors which can ultimately ruin a

celebrity’s reputation.

T

here is such a thing where celebrities get into fights with other

celebrities on twitter. Society obsesses over this to the max,

people love to see how crazy celebrities really are. One of this

year’s culprit of twitter fights is Donald Trump.

T

he paparazzi is completely obsessed with getting that one picture, they will do

anything, even if it causes danger.

F

or example, back in January, a twenty nine year old paparazzi was killed after

trying to photograph Justin Bieber’s white Ferrari, an on coming car killed him.

A

nother example is the death of Princess Diana. In essence, the reason for her

death was because of a car crash that the paparazzi caused. The harsh flash from

the paparazzi's camera blinded the driver.

The Paparazzi is obsessed with getting that one picture

Continued

T

he paparazzi can wait for hours outside of stores, celebrities’ homes, etc.,

waiting for a celebrity.

T

he paparazzi could make thousands of dollars on one picture if its scandalous

enough, which they then will sell to magazines to publish a story.

W

hen people hear about these scandals, the magazines make so much profit

from it because many people want to be updated on celebrities and their

misfortunes.

News Channels and Newspapers

S

hows like the Today Show and Good Morning America harbor

many gossip stories of today’s celebrities. These shows were

made to talk about worldly events but now this has changed.

Major newspapers like the New York Times and the NY Post

print cover stories of not just huge current events anymore, but

the misfortunes of Celebrities. Page 6 in the New York Post is

the “bible” of celebrity gossip.

Y

es, there is such a thing…

C

elebrity worship syndrome is when a person

becomes overly obsessed with a celebrity; their life

is affected whenever a celebrity does something.

Celebrity Worship Syndrome

Continued

S

ome indicators of Celebrity Worship Syndrome:

“

A person may feel a special bond with a celebrity or believe that their life is

affected by whatever happens to their favorite celebrity” (thenational.ae).

“A person may experience uncontrollable behaviors and fantasies regarding their

favorite celebrity. They feel angry and frustrated if the star does not respond to

messages or calls” (thenational.ae).

M

any people who classify with this syndrome are often stalkers of celebrities.

Another psychological aspect that celebrity culture has on Society

S

ome people even go to the extent of looking like their favorite

celebrity. This can cause psychological problems because these

people aren’t comfortable with the way they look so they get

surgery. They aren’t fixing their low self-esteem problem, just

burying it.

A

lso, if one types celebrity makeover, or celebrity tutorials on

YouTube, one can find thousands upon thousands of videos.

TV Channels & New “Celebrities”

T

V channels like TLC, E! Network and Bravo capitalize off of random crazy

people who they manufacture into celebrities to gain ratings. These people

become instant stars.

F

or example, on TLC, one of the most popular name in 2012/2013 is “Honey

Boo Boo”. Overnight she rose to stardom for being no one, just a crazy

outspoken child. The list can go on and on for many up and coming

“celebrities” just like her. She is a testament to the fact that people enjoy

watching other people’s misfortunes and the craziness in other people’s

lives.

Conclusion

I

t is safe to say that our Society has a unhealthy relationship

with obsessing with Celebrities. Many people believe that

America’s obsession with celebrities and fame gives our

country a bad reputation versus others. Anywhere you go

nowadays, one will hear the latest drama of these celebrities.

Celebrity Culture and societies obsession with it is very

damaging to our society.

T

he movie trailer for Sellebrity:

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aparazzi Video:

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oney Boo Boo:

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