Fantastic athletes should get praise. Terrific actors should get recognition. Breathtaking singers should get admiration. However, celebrities should not get idolized.
From Michael Jordan to Kim Kardashian, everyone finds an immane fondness toward a celebrity. In many cases, they are the best at what they do, so people live up to them and choose them as role models. Celebrities can be role models, but they should not be idols.
Idolizing a celebrity means to obsess over them. It refers to an unhealthy attachment with an impossible reward. Many individuals obsess over a celebrity because they long for a similar life. This is unrealistic because celebrities are considerably the best of the best, hence their popularity.
As many as one-third of the general public experience celebrity obsession and worship, according to pyschcentral.com.
“I don’t understand the hype surrounding Taylor Swift. She is a wonderful musician, do not get me wrong, but I do not know why people obsess over her and make life decisions based on the decisions she makes,” said senior Corinne Scott.
Corinne has a healthy appreciation toward a celebrity she admires. Unlike many other admirers, she does not obsess over Taylor Swift and doesn’t let her influence her own personal decisions. Moreover, she laughs at the whole “Swiftie” fan base because she thinks it is ridiculous.
“I think it is dangerous to become overly fascinated with any one celebrity,” said junior Sohayla Rawlins. “I know people who side politically one way because their beloved role model sides that way.”
Instagram is the root to this problem. Scrolling through the pages of celebrities who appear to look perfect and have it all- money, fame, beauty and talent, creates an impossible and unrealistic expectation of what a good life looks like. Social media leads to comparison and feelings of inadequacy, according to Brighter Kashmir News.
Nowadays, influencers on social media show only the perfect representation of themselves rather than transparency.
For example, gym influencers like Sam Sulek, Liverking and David Laid make an impossible standard for newcomers to the gym because, most of the time, they lie to their fanbase about steroid use. The fans that obsessed over these influencers then become disappointed with their own natural results.
Instead of comparing a normal life to the life of a celebrity, one must decrease the number of celebrities they follow on Instagram and set realistic standards for themselves rather than the impossible standards of Hollywood.
“Idolizing celebrities is just stupid in my opinion. If you think about it, they’re just normal people who either got lucky with their opportunities or got lucky with their looks and talents,” said freshman Turner Khule.
