Recently, I've really been thinking hard about celebrity culture. The way in which someone, somewhere said someone was more important than someone else and knowing about where they get their coffee from is very important.
So lets begin to look at it at its roots; as a society we need to label and class people. This helps us put people into categories and figure them out a little bit better. Its being done since time began, we need significance, acceptance, love and to belong somewhere innately, this is what we need. The humanist Abraham Maslow showed this in his hierarchy of needs, in which if all our needs (both physical and psychological) we can't reach Self-actualisation, an understanding of the world and ourselves and can't have dreams and meet goals. Celebrity culture, is shown to be a place where all our needs are met; they are famous therefore they belong; they have fans therefore they are loved; they have made a film and walk a red carpet with lots of people screaming their name therefore they are significant. This is the lie we are sold. These human needs if not fulfilled healthily we look for them in other ways, I really believe is in some ways where our obsession with celebrity comes from. This group of people who have it all, and if we had what they had, we would somehow have it all.
It is of course not only in celebrity culture this happens, we see it in advertising the lure that if we had that product we'd be happy. Wear that perfume and you'll have a man desire you completely and wholeheartedly. This constant tap into our insecurities, advertising and PR are in fact incredibly intelligent ideas. They work, we see that actor who talks about what he desires personality wise in a women (And then us girls who fancy him secretly dream about how we could be the one), but we do it in our everyday lives also make someone a celebrity too us. Listen to how the popular person wants a friend with x qualities and think of ways to become their friend and we get really depressed when looking at that girl/guy with a beautiful figure/physique on instagram. Celebrities are not just who the gossip magazines say they are, is not that person they claim it is rather its an illusion we make about anyone we see who we believe to be better, more able, richer, more significant, value and loved than us. They could be famous, they could also be your best friend. Its that person we've built in our brains who will answer all of our insecurities even though in our heart of hearts its not true.
Have you ever noticed that hollywood celebrities are explained to be somehow superhuman, they have the best hair, of course they never have a sad day, the best bodies - the best everything. You know, if you just met Chris Evans your life would be complete and he'd answer all your problems but Chris is a man- with flaws. I came to this conclusion one day watching a great series called 'the becoming series' on youtube. I saw the one with Chris Evans ( I love them because they ask intelligent questions I want to know the answers too not just those crappy 'What do you eat for lunch?' type questions) in part 2, He spoke of anxiety, before he did the Captain America films, he got therapy (counselling for us Brits) and struggled with various aspects of fame! This was highly intelligent and intriguing as this thing that we should all want because it makes us complete (apparently) fame, this guy didn't want. How could this be? I thought to myself as I continued watching. He spoke about rising above your thoughts and how to deal with 'brain noise'. This guy is completely normal, at this point I was crying. I'd just gone through a massive life change, and like him I struggled to come to terms with it. I wondered, like him, if I could deal with it. I wanted to peg it to the hills like He did. This thing that was meant to make him complete and answer all his life problems didn't, was it true Chris Evans was JUST like me? He is but celebrity culture would have you convinced He is not. I wanted to jump in the screen and hug him, because I felt less alone he was dealing with anxiety too and because He really made me realise once and for all that there is no better or worse in life just different. He loves doing the lower-budget indie movies, he hates the limelight of press junkets and clearly doesn't like celebrity all too much. How can this American man who is making movies; doing press, jumping in front of green screens in a ridiculous costume be the same as me, an English Women; leading groups and mentoring young people, trying to bring social change and completing a degree, deeply interested in politics, history and world affairs and culture. But somehow he was. He made me think and see something in a way I've never seen it. If I ever meet Him, I would like to tell him how incredibly intelligent He is, and how genuinely talented he is. I mean he has done some amazing indies- check out 'London' and 'puncture'. Hollywood celebrities are no different to any of us. Its an illusion at the core of it because they are human and have needs [plus if they are at the top who is feeding their needs? The grass is always greener on the other side, as i've looked into this I've began to notice more and more that gratefulness and thankfulness are a key in life, being thankful for what you have because there will always be a problem and something to fix but perspective and positive views on life are key to us living an incredible life. A celebrity can't answer life's deepest needs for you, or your deepest questions. Yes you can admire someone and think they have done well and even aspire to them ( I aspire to influence and provoke people to think, like Chris Evans did too me) but they can't complete you and the normal celebrities in life who are not famous, like family and friends who we place on a pedestal can't complete us. Only true love can.
