You may have heard about the scandalous drama between Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus at the VMA awards this year. You may have also seen the pictures of Kim Kardashian rocking her baby bump while still being able to wear 6 inch pumps.
You probably even heard that Caitlyn Jenner is seen to be styled with her inner Angelina Jolie shining through as inspiration. If you did not hear about the recent celebrity gossip then you deserve a round of applause. Celebrities in the United States are like the royal family in Britain.
We follow them on all social media, read about their personal lives in magazines, and gossip about them like we know them. We even buy products and wear certain designers because they say so or do so.
I mean we even feel the need to roll out a red carpet beneath their feet just because they decided to show up at a social event. I want a red carpet beneath my feet too, but it looks like we are just not that special.
You see, you have to be an amazing singer, actor, or just done something so scandalous to catch the attention of the public. What am I even doing in college? I should be planning what to do to get me famous instead.
A biology degree and future career as a doctor will not get me as much attention as Amber Rose and her blonde bald head. If you want to see how important celebrities are, simply go to a grocery store and count how many newspapers you see in comparison to celebrity magazines.
As I scroll through my news feed on any social network 80% of my feed is full of people talking about celebrities and their most recent scandal. How is this normal? We believe that stalking a person’s everyday life is okay just because they are at the top of the social chain. I think that is one of my biggest issues with this.
We literally shine a light over their lives and use them as entertainment. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians as much as the next person, but at the same time I ask myself why am I watching this? What makes Kim Kardashian so special?
I know more about her life than I know about my neighbor of over 10 years across the street. What is even more crazy is that we are not just gawking at the lives of celebrities, but some people are changing their name to a favorite celebrity as tribute.
I also discovered that some people have spent thousands of dollars to look as closely alike to their favorite celebrity. For example, a woman named Thalia Almodovar spent over $100,000 to look like Kim Kardashian. Not only is she a KimK clone but she claims to be seeking her own Kanye West. Now that is dedication!
I would not have the dedication to spend so much money just to look like Béyonce. I don’t know about you, but once in a while I do dance in front of the mirror yelling “Single Ladies” into my hair brush and pretend that I am on stage with Jay-Z.
Who doesn’t love a small moment to themselves fantasizing about being a celebrity once in a while? Now, completely altering the way I look to be a celebrity is just insane.
Let me ask you this: how many celebrities do you follow on all your social media? To be completely honest, I follow well over 15 celebrities. I am almost positive that most of you follow well around that number.
We are constantly getting updated about everything they post on social media. I am willing to bet that if I asked you who Caitlyn Jenner is you can all answer me. We know more about celebrities than the real life issues that are going on not only in our own country, but worldwide.
There are other things in the world that need our attention more than these celebrities. If I ask you about the current polls for the upcoming presidential election would you know the answer? What about the war in Syria and their refugee crisis?
I think this says something about our generation and our obsession with celebrities. It is shameful how much we treat these people as royalty and obsess over their daily lives.
Instead, we should be focusing our time on more important things. There is more to life than who wore it best.
Susy Macias
Senior Viewpoints Editor