[Bells]

The original idea of celebrities and the way I always perceived them was simply as doing their job and having a profession in their own right, primarily as entertainers, i.e. being talented enough to act so we can watch plays/movies, or sing/make music so that we can listen to it, or even playing a sport so that it can be watched and supported. Alternatively, just as it takes skills to write a novel, be a lawyer or surgeon, or any other job, it was possible for some to develop their skills as actors or musicians.

However of course the word ‘celebrity’ is now associated with many other things. It’s one thing appreciating what someone does or their talent, but some adoring fans go to much larger extents, as they see celebrity figures rather like an escape route… blindly follow the lifestyle of a person you don’t even know and you can forget about any problems you may have of your own. The same goes for being emotionally attached to a film, for example.

Also, in today’s society, whilst it is becoming a lot easier for people to actually become celebrities, at the same time it’s becoming more and more difficult to sustain it. That would go for people who put in no effort to become something, but simply want to appeal to the tabloids, the press, and the limelight and in short – live the celebrity lifestyle. And whilst living the celebrity life has its pros, it does have its cons also and not every type of person can put up with it. So those who go off the rails in the public eye get even more unwanted attention.

But the media plays a huge part in why celebrities have the status they do, by going into their private lives which some may simply not want – perhaps they’re doing what they do because they really love it. The media too is doing its job, but the way they portray certain stars has a huge effect on what people think about them, as well as what we say and do, either generally or about them – more than we realise, I think.

These days it is becoming more common and the need is arising to distinguish between whom you would define as a ‘celebrity’ in the true sense, and who you would say is simply ‘well-known’.