Being famous

[ladyofastolat]

A few years ago, apparently, when you asked children what they wanted to do when they grew up, you would get a range of answers: spaceman, train driver, ballet dancer, teacher, doctor etc. Now the most common answer is simply, "to be famous."

But why? Why? Why would anyone want to be a celebrity? I think it looks like an awful life. You just get no privacy at all. Venture outside looking less than perfect, and you'll be all over the celebrity magazines with your "bad hair day", or else they'll start speculating that you're on drugs/drunk/pregnant/got an eating disorder. Yes, you get lots of money, but you get torn to pieces if you don't spend it. Wear the same dress twice, and the celebrity magazines will mock you mercilessly. And, of course, people who seek fame for fame's sake must be permanently terrified that they're going to lose it all.

By the way, if I had been asked this question when young, I would have come up with a range of answers:
At 5: A circus ring-master
At 8: I wanted to write and illustrate my own children's books
At 10: A concert pianist
At 11: A meteorologist
At 13: An astronomer
At 14: I briefly toyed with the idea of being a librarian…
At 15: An archaeologist. But then I went on a dig, and it was rather boring, and I got sunburnt.

Comments

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

But kids don't see the downside.

[the-marquis.livejournal.com]

I agree with you fame is awful, but the flurry of reality tv shows and the swathes of forest turned into gossip/celebrity magazines (sometimes wrapped around tv listing details) show that modern life is obviousy so crap that we're all meant to be hiding from it by being incredibly vacuous,incredibly nosey,incredibly interested, incredibly f-ing small minded about being rich and famous because that's what the media tell us is really important.

I still don't understand why this is so, perhaps at some point someone in Palestine will find an ancient scroll that helps us realise that this is similar to how the Romans fell into decadence.

Frankly I think anyone willing to go on anything like BigBrother should be considered as signing away their rights under the mental health acts and we can then put them to profitable use weaving baskets for sale to tourists who come to visit Britain plc (genteely poor since the 1970s).

I utterly fail to understand how journalists etc can mock tolkien, other fannish fans or people with hobbies when there are all the losers out there who watch BB etc.

[evilmissbecky.livejournal.com]

I wanted to be a teacher nearly all my life, except for a brief phase when I was young when I wanted to be a veterinarian.

Why would anyone want to be a celebrity? I think it looks like an awful life.

I agree. I would never want to do that.

[tovaglia.livejournal.com]

I never really knew what I wanted to do when I grew up, mainly because I couldn't imagine being an adult and being myself at the same time.

Kids don't ever genuinely think they really are going to grow up, so they just say whatever appears to get most approval from their parents. Presumably their parents would quite like them to be celebrities when they grow up since then they will all be rich and nobody in the family will have to worry about money ever again?

[yellowrocket.livejournal.com]

My two want to be a fireman and a train driver :-)
Me? I wanted to be a space pirate...

[helflaed.livejournal.com]

The other half came up with a rather nifty definition. A celebrity is only famous for being in the gossip magazines. A star would be famous even if they did not exist.