Fame- is it worth it?

Glitz and Glamour. Drugs and Alcohol. Diamonds and Sex. Money and Misery.

Is the psychological trauma worth a few cheap paparazzi shots?

At the tender age of 12 years old; childhood starlet Drew Barrymore was already a deflated, alcohol-infused shadow of her innocent on-screen characters. By 13, she had slit her wrists open.

At such a young, impressionable age, which child wouldn’t be handcuffed by the double edged sword that is fame? All we seem to see is the luxury and wealth that comes with it. Yet somehow, we never see the manic, emotional turmoil.

Of course there are certain bright sides to being rich and famous. Opportunity, Philanthropy, Exclusivity; the list goes on and on. Who wouldn’t want the life of an influential personality? Who wouldn’t want to be a role model for millions? Who wouldn’t want the entire world breathing down your neck, waiting for you to make your next mistake?

Have you ever met your favourite celebrity? Of course we’ve all heard those clichéd horror stories of celebrities being rude and entitled. However, they are almost always “cheery,” and they always seem “humble.” Ah yes, the product of a carefully manufactured image. Did you make the mistake of thinking their “personality,” was genuine?

What we actually end up seeing is what a board of directors sitting in a conference room decided that you would probably like. A carefully manipulated photograph of what they want you to see. An image that our so-called “role models” themselves struggle to keep up with.

An image that they almost never do.

Not only do the famous bear the brunt of their success; but their loved ones are tortured as well. From aggressive photographers, to stalkers, to invasive interviews. Although celebrities, to some extent, do choose the life they lead; do you really think it’s fair that their family and friends are also harassed ruthlessly and simply labelled collateral damage? It’s a crime.

You can get on a motorcycle, take hundreds of pictures, block a celebrity’s car for hours, and effectively trap them in a sea of camera flashes if you wanted to. The worst part?- it’s all perfectly legal.

A paparazzo could camp outside your house, waiting for you to enter ‘public property’ and then photograph you for hours and hours on end as you simply try to live life.

It’s even been alleged that when Princess Diana’s car crash occurred; instead of trying to help or call for help, paparazzi instead…continued taking pictures.

Everybody seems to think that although the famous are hounded on a daily basis, at least they are guaranteed financial security for life. Right? However, how many countless magazine covers have you seen with a headline announcing a celebrity filing for bankruptcy? Eventually the spotlight fades, the paparazzi trickle away, the film roles dry up, and the bank account dwindles.

Fame is temporary, but hunger lasts a lifetime.

Can you imagine living a life where your main source of income is directly proportional to people being interested in you? Can you imagine going to sleep at night praying that people still care about you enough so that you can afford your next meal?

Celebrities can never truly know who their true friends are. Every time they meet someone, they wonder if they genuinely care about them, or if they are just being used. How would you like to live a life of constant insecurity? An everlasting life of loneliness?

So you tell me. Is having your name on a billboard worth a lifetime of harassment? Is a million dollar watch worth signing away the right to privacy and empathy?

Is gaining luxury worth losing yourself?

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Thank you for reading! This post has actually taken me forever to post- it’s been sitting in my drafts for over 3 months!

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Check out my last few posts here:

• The Scariest Things That Actually Exist
• borrowed poems from an anonymous- ‘Expressions of Love’ and ‘Experience’
• The Horror of Surveillance
• Pet Peeves
• Happy Panda- Random Blogger Interviews

Until Next Time.