Fame Is A Four-Letter Word
It was only a momentary slice of footage, something I saw in passing, and it was one of those things that, for whatever reason, struck me—what I saw and the effect it had on me was instant, palpable, and surreal. It just so happens that it was Ariana Grande posing for the photographers on the red carpet at the Oscars.
I care little that her evening gown resembled an end table at grandma’s house, but it was her mannerisms, her posing, and her presence that solidified this moment as a useful reference when discussing celebrity culture and our obsession with all things fame.
I suppose one could say she seemed a little out of touch as she, more or less shamelessly shape-shifted into pose after pose, striving for the elegance of a swan, you might say. I do not mean to pick on Ariana Grande, who seems to have genuine talent, but the self-absorbed display, along with a kind of lights-on-nobody-home face served as a momentary reminder of my inner-cynicism regarding celebrity status.
In fact, when seeing the grotesque displays of Hollywood elegance as they pose along the red carpet corridor, I am sure many people are prompted to ask—who the fuck do these people think they are?
Fame. I don´t think fame is a bad thing. Not at all. But in this generation, fame is a four letter word. But was it always this way? There was a time when fame required an action; an act of courage, an act of bravery—a novel that summed up perfectly the spirit of it’s own generation; a work of art that defined and spoke of the times; a lifesaving medical intervention, a solo flight across an entire ocean. It seems as though ever since television, we have made celebrities out of anyone willing, simply to fill the need and pure joy of having them around.
And with all the gawking, celebrating, commemorating, honoring, and awarding, it is not at all obvious to me that celebrities don´t take much, much more than they give. How many awards do these people need? Can one truly suggest that it is an honor to be awarded, to be applauded when the awards and accolades are neverending?
Here is a small sample:
The Academy awards
African American Film Critics Association Awards
ASCAP awards
BET comedy awards
BET movie awards
Black Reel Awards
Broadcast Fim Critics Association Awards…
Golden Globes, MTV, NAACP Image Awards, Nickelodeon, Groovevolt Music awards, fragrance and cosmetic awards, icon awards, person of the year, iHeart, iTunes, MP3 awards, Metor music awards, Ivor Novello awards, etc.
The list just goes on and on and every year it gets bigger, as companies and associations brand their award, and up their status by giving it to somebody famous. And the awards I provided were sourced from just one Wikipedia page, that of Beyonce Knowles, dedicated to a running tab of her seemingly neverending awards and nominations (for the record, I tried to count them all, and got up to around 250 awards/nominations/accolades/image awards, woman awards, cosmetic line awards, lost track and said screw it.)
I am not sure here, but perhaps we are piling on a bit. I remember the infamous moment when Kanye West had grabbed the microphone from Taylor Swift to let the world know, that in fact, Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time—that was in the year 2009, over 15 years ago. For an interesting reference, The Beatles were only together for roughly 7 years.
I say all this to impart not only a cynicism of celebrities and their nauseating ubiquity but as a screed that may have deeper implications than just a letter to what annoys me. It is my belief (albeit not an original thought), that the age of decadence, of celebrity worship, of lax moral character, of unbounded narcissism, and breathtakingly out-of-touch sentiments are a signal of societal decline. What we choose to celebrate as a culture must certainly indicate something about ourselves and who we choose to elevate, emulate, and congratulate.
Fame. I don´t have a problem with it. If only we could better choose the ones who deserve our attention and notoriety. For now, the ones we have either chosen or have been hoisted onto us, are certainly degrading the nature of our art and our storytelling, our music, our shared experience. If only we could get back to fame as a consequence of excellence, our shared experience of the arts, most notably, would improve, and striving for greatness in all aspects of life could be much more common.
Wrong Speak is a free-expression platform that allows varying viewpoints. All views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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It's projection; the concept that we will identify in others those traits we cannot - or refuse to - see in ourselves.
As members of society become increasingly unanchored to something greater than themselves, and in turn less sure of themselves, they will more and more frequently find someone onto which they can project their deepest longing. Some of these recipients of the projection can handle it, some abuse the privilege (if that is even a proper descriptor), and some crumple under the pressure, unable to carry the burden of what's projected onto them, diving into substance abuse or suicide. Marilyn Monroe comes to mind.
But in the end, personal unfulfillment projected onto others is all it is. And sadly, far too many people in Celebritydom are willing to embrace that role and become idols - gods, even - to those who lack psychological strength.
I agree with you that the glitz and glamour and our fawning over celebs can be over-the-top nauseating but they are just playing into the vapid adulation of their audience. Blame the fans, blame you and me for giving this weight just by posting about it. Surely, anyone good at what they do deserves recognition for their achievements, and Hollywood is more than actors. It's the DPs, editors, costume and set designers, etc who often go unnoticed and way underpaid. I just wish, as you said, we let the real heroes, those who save puppies and give kidneys and work food banks, take center stage. Those stories bring tears to my eyes.