The Effects Of Celebrities On Our Lives

Ever since the introduction of film and radio in the early 20th century, celebrity worship has been growing in prevalence. After all, who hasn’t ever danced alone in their room to a Britney Spears song (and yes, I’m talking to both girls and guys!) and wanted to be just like her (pre-mental breakdown anyways)? Who hasn’t ever stood in line for hours to catch the premier of so-and-so’s new movie?

Through the media, whether online or print, we can learn all there is to know about these “celebrities.” Where they were born, who their parents are, how they were raised, and what they are doing right now – and even their net worth – all this and more is at our fingertips. We all know that Paris Hilton went partying last night (and on a weekday night!), and we know that Chelsea Clinton’s wedding was super exclusive – after all, Barack Obama wasn’t even invited! We have all this information that portrays them as so removed and happy in their halo of perfection. We can’t restrain ourselves from wanting to be exactly like these people; after all, they look so wonderful in their movies and in magazine articles and they sound so happy on the radio.

When we’re constantly fed information about these celebrities and how great their lives are, from hot shot boyfriends and model girlfriends to buying huge multimillion dollar homes and going on expensive vacations, at this stage in life when teens are growing and changing in too many ways to count, we can’t help but become disillusioned with our present circumstances. We’re dealing with hormones (and the pimples that come with hormones), exams, problems with parents and friends, and somehow it seems almost like celebrities have skipped out on this awkward stage. We start wanting to be someone different, more confident and simply better. In a way, celebrities are the role models of teens today and so we end up wanting to be celebrities. We want to reach what the media refers to as the zenith of happiness. But we end up chasing an image of perfection.

We are so manipulated into doing what these celebrities tell us, whether it’s good or bad, important or not, that we forget we empower them – every time we follow their every move and place them on a pedestal. I once knew a girl who was completely devoted to Drew Barrymore, and as a result, MAC makeup, which Barrymore was paid to promote. However, when Barrymore started endorsing Cover Girl, my friend ended up making a permanent switch to the rival makeup brand. This is the kind of influence that many allow celebrities to have in their lives.

Obviously, it doesn’t stop there. It might be something as superficial as a girl imitating the hairstyle of her favourite actress, or maybe it’s something a little more serious, like a guy trying to bulk up to look like Taylor Lautner because, hey, he must be getting girls. Or perhaps it’s a girl who feels that her own life is too boring and wants to party just like Paris Hilton because she’s famous, rich and seems to get any guy she wants. Every time we buy into the image that celebrities themselves and the media portray, we feed an industry that makes us feel worthless as we are: regular teenagers.

Upon closer examination of our lives though, you’d probably find that we really aren’t all that unattractive or unhappy or poor as we might believe when we compare ourselves to celebrities. Instead, we soon realize that the celebrity image of perfection is simply a mirage.