Can you handle the dark side of fame? Would you be able to deal with constant scrutiny, lack of privacy and the pressure to be perfect?
My answer: absolutely not. Fame has a dark side that we are contributing to.
It all looks so beautiful on the surface. The money, the expensive clothes, life in front of the camera and the millions of adoring fans. At least thatโs what it looks like to us on the outside.
Our creative minds create perfect pictures of what it is like to live the life of the rich and famous. We get to pick and choose how it goes and if we donโt want anything negative to happen to us, we simply just donโt have to imagine it.
If your Beyoncรฉ, Lebron James or Jennifer Lawrence however, you donโt get that privilege. You live your life in front of the world and thatโs no dream. And we as outsiders have the ability to criticize them for how they choose to live.
โThe attention causes some stars to become reclusive. They become withdrawn because they donโt know who is trying to exploit them or bring them down,โ Vin Diesel said in a recent interview with Newsbeat.
No one is perfect and we tend to forget that. So when I hear breaking news that Amy Winehouse died from a drug overdose or that Lamar Odom was found unconscious, it does not surprise me.
Tommy DePaoli wrote in an article for moviepilot.com, โToo often these tragedies occur in the form of a young celebrity death, with a beloved individual shockingly passing away way too soon. The narrative is so familiar now itโs almost expected, and that might be the most upsetting part of all.โ
Outsiders play a huge part in celebritiesโ lives. After all, we are the reason they are even considered celebrities. We buy their music, watch their movies and go to their sports games. So is it shocking that we could also be the reason for their demise?
โI think celebrities get compacted in the bubble that they are in because they are getting viewed and scrutinized by people that donโt really know them,โ Eric Carthen, California Lutheran University improv actor said. โWhen the pressure gets too much they turn to things like drugs and alcohol to deal with their issues and itโs sad that it sometimes takes their lives.โ
Some may say that if these celebrities canโt handle the pressure, they can just step away from the spotlight. But technology has made that nearly impossible. Social media has made it that much easier to get into celebritiesโ lives. So even if a celebrity went into hiding, someone can get on the Internet, create a profile and pretend to be them.
โIf I ever become famous I would probably get off of social media,โ Carthen said. โBeing on improv and doing standup comedy I have a little taste of the negativity that can come along with it, but Iโve been lucky that it has not been too harsh.โ
Nowadays there are so many ways to become famous. If you were famous, would you want people you didnโt know saying things that are not true about you, or following you around with cameras to the point where you canโt even go to the bathroom without someone wanting to take a picture of you?
Put yourself in these peoples shoes and instead of letting a celebrity know how much you donโt like them, how about just not following them on social media. We donโt know what someone could be going through, weโre just outsiders for now.
Celebrities deal with negativity from everywhere but their lives are out there to entertain us. They get on social media to connect with us. They want to live normal lives just like us. The truth is their lives will never be normal, but letโs not make it dark either.
Islamiyah Arogundade
Staff Writer
Published October 28th, 2015