It doesn’t matter if I turn on the television, open one of my countless social networking applications, or walk past the magazine section in any store, it is damn near impossible to avoid seeing headlines about celebrities. I’m not talking about headlines such as “______ gives money to save school from closing” or “_______ tells us about the importance of education and family,” I’m talking about headlines such as “______ joins Twitter!”

SO. THE. F. WHAT?

I like to call this the modern-day celebrity obsession or “celeb-session” as I have personally named it. What worries me about this ridiculous obsession is the fact that people ACTUALLY care about what these celebrities are doing. And I don’t mean caring about them being awesome people, I’m talking about them caring that they use the bathroom and eat food like us regular folk. You know, because it really shows how down to earth these celebrities are when they sleep in beds, and pump their own gas just like regular old me! [I’m currently rolling my eyes]

I remember going back home to Illinois a few summers ago to visit, and watching the 6pm news with my Grandma. One of the big news stories was “Katy Perry visits Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, IL.” At first, I thought, “hmmm random that she is in IL to go to Six Flags, but Six Flags is awesome, so sure.” Once they went into detail of the story, they elaborated on her being there for a concert for her biggest fans. No big deal, but I get why they would mention it at the end of the 6pm news hour. What ended up making me realize how sad people are was HOW they ended the segment. After giving details about happy fans enjoying the concert, they ended the segment saying something along the lines of “after the concert, Katy got on rides, and even enjoyed a plate of funnel cake just like the rest of us.” [insert corny new anchor smile and fake laugh here] I just stared at the screen and was trying to figure out why Katy Perry eating food and getting on rides painted her as a “human being.”

I had known for some time the obsession with celebrities was going waaaaay overboard in my generation, but it has become even more evident, today. A few months back, I remember getting on Twitter during my lunch break at work, and seeing people retweeting and/or personally tweeting that Rihanna had joined Instagram again. Oh, and don’t let these celebrities announce pregnancies. A new king or queen is being born to some of these folks the way they react. A simple “congratulations” doesn’t suffice anymore. Now, it’s “OMG! So-and-so is pregnant! They’re going to have the greatest baby in the whole world and nobody else better hate on them.” You know, because women don’t have babies everyday, but whatever. One of my favorite examples (favorite as in the terrible way) was a story about two weeks ago. There was a picture going around of Beyonce and Jay-Z taking pictures with their phones of some scenery while they were on vacation (I’m assuming). I-kid-you-not…the caption read “look guys- Jay and Bey are tourists just like us!” If you think that’s bad, the comment section made me want to throw up. “They are so real and down to earth,” or “see I knew I was like Beyonce somehow lol.”

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.

Does my generation (and younger) seriously lack THAT much self-esteem? Do we lack real life hobbies? Do we lack the understanding that we were created to be our own person and not imitate someone else? Do we lack being able to see these PEOPLE who just happen to be rich as regular people? Do we lack knowing the difference between being a fan of someone’s talent vs. worshiping said person with the talent as some deity? I see these little girls trying SO hard to act or be like Beyonce, Rihanna, Katy Perry, or the Kardashians (this one STILL blows my mind), that they are going broke trying to live a lie. I know so many young people who don’t have enough money to live on their own or pay for necessities without the aid of their loved ones, but they would sell their blood to buy concert tickets or spend $300 on shoes and/or a purse because someone famous has their name on it. Don’t get me wrong, these are tough times, and there is nothing wrong with needing help from others, but it becomes an issue with your personal goals and priorities when you’re more worried about a celebrity vs. getting your own life on track.

I used to go crazy for celebrities when I was in elementary and middle school. You know, the Backstreet Boys, N*Sync, B2K, and Lil’ Bow Wow days. Or when I was “young and dumb” as they like to say. At 26 years old, if any of you EVER see me talking or putting these celebrities on a pedestal for simply existing, you have my permission to slap me and tell me to act like a grown woman with common sense. I have heard people say “well so-and-so wears this brand” or “so-and-so likes this color” so naturally they have to as well. Maybe it’s just me, but when people say these things out loud, I immediately feel sorry for them, because that is an exhausting and mindless way to live.

I can’t be mad at the people who report the stories, because they are only reporting what is in demand. They are only telling what people actually want to hear. All I’m asking is we all become better at educating ourselves on what really matters in the world, because knowing every single detail of some celebrity’s life isn’t it.

End rant.

Brie <3

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