Celebrity: Gossip, Insight, or Crap?

This isn't a trick question. How much money do you think gets made every single day from selling celbrity gossip? You probably guessed it--millions, billions ... a lot. I read a statistic somewhere, but can't find it now. My point is simply that people like to gossip! They like celebrities and like to follow their lives because something about that celebrity sparks their interest. Perhaps they are intrigued by their looks, their attitudes, or whatever. Whatever it is that compels millions of Americans (I'm strictly speaking USA for the moment) to follow along with their favorite celebrity ends up reaping millions of dollars in profits. Even though I'm stressing the money part, it's not really the fact that we are dumping money down the drain that I want to talk about.
It's the celebrity (celeb) that I want to talk about. What is beginning to bother me is how much press time we actually give these so-called "stars" whenever something happens in their life that we consider "newsworthy." Lately, newsworthy items seem to be bad news tidbits or gossip about their sad, sorry lives. And I admit, I get sucked into it when I hear my friends say, "Oh did you hear about so-and-so" or "who is dating whom?" Because it's fascinating to see from one moment to the next who these people run to.
While it's fascinating, I'm really concerned with the fact that these are celebrities. These are people who are acting (or singing) or whatever. They are putting on a performance or projecting only the characters of themselves! They aren't showing us who they really are. They are people whose real personas sometimes get buried underneath the pressure and expectations of being a star. They always have to appear "happy" or like they own the world or else they are focused in even more by the press (take for example the reaction by the press when Russell Crowe threw a telephone at someone) ... And pretty soon, they are being picked apart piece by piece. So in all reality, they aren't allowed to have a bad day.
Ultimately, it also concerns me that we (inadvertently) encourage children and other people not only to look up to these people, but that by emulating their behaivor, we will be more like them, or at the very least, more famous. But we should really be asking ourselves why it is we put these people on a pedestal when they are real people like you and me.
These people get airbrushed to improve their skin (Cameron Diaz has notoriously bad skin / acne scars) and their photos "improved" with editing software to make them look tanner, more attractive, and thinner. So why is it that we make ourselves try and look like something that's not real to begin with? Why are we, as a culture, so fascinated by pretending to be someone we're not?
I've especially noticed this behavior, this significant change relative to the location in which you live. This behavior and attitude is especially prevalaent here in California. People seem to think that you're not beautiful if you're not super thin, super dark skinned, or super rich. Funny thing is, I'm none of those things. I clearly give the word "white" a whole new meaning, I watch what I eat, but I still need to lose some pounds, and to describe me as "rich" would be a giant stretch of the imagination.
But the truth is, I'm okay with that. What is so disappointing is that other people aren't. They talk about getting a "boob job" (or ask me if I've ever considered getting one), etc. etc. because they aren't happy with themselves.
But my ultimate question always comes down to ... How many people are actually, truly happy? How many of those celebrities, who have to hide behind masks, fake personalities, and character-based personas, are happy? Because if happiness leads to drinking, drugs, and rehab then I don't want *that* kind of happiness. Count me out.
I am still happy to watch the sun as it dips below the hills, shedding its last bit of light on my part of the world. I'm still content to take a walk with my dog and watch as he discovers something new. It's still the simple things that make me happy-not the money, or the things, or even my reputation that propels how I feel about living. Truth be told, I feel bad for people who rely on things or money to make them happy. I feel bad because it's those people who think that having "things" at least makes you enjoy life more while you're here. While an argument could certainly made for that idea, one thing I've consistently noticed is that things only make you happy for a little while.
You get something you're really happy with. You love it, appreciate it, and value it. But pretty soon, there's something new out there that you become fixated on, and the next thing you know, you want something new or different. Suddenly, you look around yourself, and your world is filled with things.
I think that we should take a look at these stars and not emulate them, but take it as a thing of what not to do, how not to live our lives. We shouldn't think that going to rehab is okay. We shouldn't think that making ourselves thinner to make ourselves look better is okay. What we should be focusing on is how to make our lives happier, how to make the world a better place, how to appreciate each other and love ourselves. Those are the things we should be encouraging our children.
Give me a role model who can do those things, and I will be happy to follow their example. One thing I've noticed as a sad final note is that ... it seems as though people now look at broken as normal. Don't get me wrong, I think that each of us struggles with something and we are all (in some way) broken. We all struggle with inner demons and obstacles in our lives. However, it's a sad commentary on the way of society to see people who view going to rehab as a normal event. They have become so desensitized to it that they just accept it- "because the stars do it." And we have started to think "It's okay to have a drug problem-because this person has it." I've noticed that we want to make "broken" normal and yet we don't really even have a "normal" to compare things to! You can't say that airbrushing photos to make a celeb's appearance better or making them look thinner is normal!
Anyways, I just thought I would share ... Maybe it's time we started finding real people to look up to, real people to respect, and real people to base our lives on.
Stars are supposed to be (as defined at Dictionary.com) as a "heavenly body." Despite all the bad press that Oprah gets (eve the good press is so sweet it sometimes makes me sick)... I've noticed that she really tries to do good in the world. She tries to be a positive role model and lead by example. How many people whom we call a "star" can say the same thing?
Before we start changing our lives, getting the lipo, changing how we look, etc. maybe it's time to start looking looking to a different direction to find the things that make us happy-maybe it's time we start encouraging ourselves to be ourselves. No one seems to like a cookie-cutter house. Greatness isn't defined by looking and acting just like everyone else. Sometimes the most beautiful (and extremely valuable) pieces of art are those that are unique ...
Just a thought.