By: Jordyn de overbrook
People don’t understand and misinterpret the roles of celebrities. Do people in the public eye have an obligation to always possess morality because they influence a large number of people? Technically their job isn’t to influence us and be our leaders, their job is to entertain us. They are forced in that way because they are in the public eye and watched like hawks.
The obsession:
There are so many people in the U.S. who idolize celebrities and keep track of their every move. “The truth is that we are obsessed with celebrities! Sadly, they don't always live up to our expectations!” We look up to them so much that we see them as leaders in our society, but as soon as they mess up, we don’t support them anymore, and we forget that they’re human too. We have this very unhealthy obsession over them. A few years ago Dave Chapelle brought up this point in one of his comedy shows “ There is too much goo gagging over celebrities, people don’t know what’s fake and what’s real anymore. That’s why Bill Cosby got in trouble. Bill Cosby went on T.V. and said something real and the whole world freaked out on him. For what? Having an opinion?” I rather celebrities say what’s on their minds then tell us what they think we want to hear. When they do tell us their opinion on a certain issue, it reminds us that they are regular people, just like us. But a lot of people in our society don’t see it that way.
Celebrity Support:
“Even though there are more stories about celebrities who have a negative influence on us and the decisions we make in our lives than there are positive actions, there are some celebrities who use their fame to bring about change and are good celebrity role models.” When we see our favorite celebrity supporting a cause, most of the time that makes us want to support it as well. They are leaders in a way because they are leading us towards their idea or opinion. However, we shouldn’t rely on celebrities for their opinions, they don’t always have the answers.
The rihanna situation:
Rihanna wore some very scandalous clothes to the CFDA awards, and posted the pictures on instagram that had everyone freak out. This later made Rihanna delete her instagram because of all the comments she was getting from her “fans”. Even though she is a “role model” she still has the right to wear whatever she wants because she is an adult. Parents whose kids look up to Rihanna don’t like the way she displays herself. Rihanna didn’t sign up to be held responsible or accountable for what people choose to do based on her actions. Her original position was to entertain not to persuade others on what to do.
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Conclusion:
Everybody loves to look in to their favorite celebrity; “We like to fantasize that our lives could become like theirs – we too could be beautiful, desirable, talented, rich.” but we have to remember what celebrities roles are in this society. A lot of people believe that just because they’re very influential that their job is to act a certain way and motivate us, and that’s wrong. Remember, you can support a celebrity without obsessing over them.
Bibliography:
King, Deborah. "Why All the Fuss about Celebrity." Deborah King Center. N.p., 2013. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
http://www.deborahkingcenter.com/resources/celebrities/
DeKe, Dr. Walter S. "Educational Videos About Media, Culture and Society For the Classroom." Mediaed. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
http://www.mediaed.org/
Ahmad, Mohammad. Youtube. Youtube, 13 June 2009. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7Oyq1f_QGw
Mullen, Katelyn. "Liz Smith And Jo Piazza Debate America's Unhealthy Obsession With Celebrities." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/30/liz-smith-jo-piazza-unhealthy-obsession-with-celebrity_n_1389734.html
Alexander, Ella. "Rihanna Goes Practically Naked to the CFD Awards." The IndependentAlexander, Ella. "Rihanna Goes Practically Naked to the CFD Awards." The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/rihanna-goes-practically-naked-to-cfda-awards-in-her-most-risqu-look-yet-9476450.html
http://www.deborahkingcenter.com/resources/celebrities/
DeKe, Dr. Walter S. "Educational Videos About Media, Culture and Society For the Classroom." Mediaed. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
http://www.mediaed.org/
Ahmad, Mohammad. Youtube. Youtube, 13 June 2009. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7Oyq1f_QGw
Mullen, Katelyn. "Liz Smith And Jo Piazza Debate America's Unhealthy Obsession With Celebrities." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/30/liz-smith-jo-piazza-unhealthy-obsession-with-celebrity_n_1389734.html
Alexander, Ella. "Rihanna Goes Practically Naked to the CFD Awards." The IndependentAlexander, Ella. "Rihanna Goes Practically Naked to the CFD Awards." The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/rihanna-goes-practically-naked-to-cfda-awards-in-her-most-risqu-look-yet-9476450.html