Recent Posts
Having a baby at 16, making a sex tape, having a nice ass you post on the ‘gram –these have all proven to get you famous in this day and age. Media has become bigger than ever, and the concept of celebrity only grows with it. But has the media available to us made it easier or harder to achieve fame?
Orville Gilbert Brim, author of “Look at Me! The Fame Motive from Childhood to Death,” explains that today’s society is littered with people who don’t want to be famous for a particular talent. Rather, they just want to be famous so they can feel accepted.
“These millions of people who are so strongly motivated for fame are obviously different from the rest of the population,” says Brim in an interview with the University of Michigan.
“And what has happened is the fame motive has come out of the basic human need for acceptance and approval and when this need is not fulfilled because of rejection by parents, or adolescent peer groups, or others, a basic insecurity develops and emerges as the fame motive.”
READ MORE: Five Women Who Use Their Fame for Good
So what about those who do have talent and truly deserve acclaim, glory or whatever comes with the coveted position of fame? Media has proven a less than desirable way for them to get there. Ever since Usher discovered Justin Bieber on YouTube, thousands of talented singers, dancers and actors began posting videos of themselves anywhere they could in the hopes of achieving their dreams of fame and fortune.
Unfortunately, with so many people able to put themselves out there at the tap of their fingers, many get lost in the shuffle, which severely reduces the chances of being discovered by the right people.
Surprisingly, luck is a huge factor even for those looking to be famous solely on the Internet. Adam Lindsey, who created a computer language spinoff of LOLcats called LOLcode, said, “The idea is everything; you are nothing. If it is successful, all you are is sort of a midwife helping it into the world. If you try to control a meme, you just tend to squash it, so enjoy it without ego and let it take itself wherever it wants to go.”
READ MORE: Why You Won’t See Natalie Portman on Twitter
No one understands this better than the celebrity gossip Perez Hilton, who advises other “Hiltons” to pursue fame at all costs, especially when you lack any real talent. “My motto is, you’ve got to give head to get ahead,” says Hilton on building your brand.
“You’ve go to put the ‘ho’ in Hollywood. If you’re a D-lister, one of the easiest ways to increase your own fame is to date up. Look at Katie Holmes. She pretty much was, I’d say, like C-minus before she started dating Tom Cruise. Now they’re married, having a baby, and she’s pretty high up there. Or Miley Cyrus. You can never be too young to unleash your inner ho.”
All jokes aside, the business of fame is dirty and oftentimes not all it’s cracked up to be. People want fame to satisfy an underlying need to be liked, and the reality of it is that the vast majority of fame seekers’ dreams will never be realized.
One New Republic study, which anonymously surveyed 15 celebrities, revealed that the price of fame is high. While initially these celebs reported loving and enjoying the attention of fame, most of those surveyed eventually experienced a loss of self, demanding expectations and even mistrust of their fame.
One celebrity started to wonder why people looked up to them, asking, “Do people like me because of who I am or because of what I do? You find out there are millions of people who like you for what you do. They couldn’t care less who you are.”
READ MORE: Paris Hilton’s Comeback: From Reality TV Star to Businesswoman
Fame is constantly changing with outlets for anyone to post whatever they want to the world, but the price of fame always remains the same, no matter why you’re famous.
