Paige Ferrari, a young freelance writer, blog author (check out the funny post So You Wanna: Be An I-Banker Girlfriend) and MSNBC contributor just wrote an amusing, tongue-in-cheek commentary on why Gwyneth Paltrow makes us all feel unworthy.
But the most telling part of her commentary, at least to me, was this:
I like my celebrities like the band Confederate Railroad likes their women:
just a little on the trashy side….But alas, as the years go by, Gwyneth continues to offend me with her
moderation and restraint — two qualities I inherently distrust in
celebrities.
Look, I like celebrity news as much as anyone. A little diversion in an otherwise boring day never hurt anyone, right?
But what does it say about us when we become obsessed with celebrities? No, not interested, curious, even voyeuristic, but obsessed (ok, if you’re still in school or under the age of 25, you get a break)? And yes, I may be somewhat obsessed with our obsession.
But seriously, what does it mean when the rest of us desperately want celebrities to act out, to play the bad boy and bad girl roles to the hilt?
Of course, some publicists live for this. As long as their clients’ actions aren’t too extreme (no, dangling babies out windows or in front of crocodiles was never cool), the coverage can’t be too bad, right?
Imagine for a second if we became as interested in scientists, engineers, teachers or world leaders as we are in celebrities. We could still gossip about what they wear, who they’re sleeping with, what they look like without their makeup. But maybe we would also focus just a tiny bit on some things that are really important. Wouldn’t this be a slightly healthier obsession?
Just a thought.
Technorati tags: Journalism, PR, Public Relations, Marketing, Paige Ferrari, Gwyneth Paltrow
Tags: dallas pr, dallas public relations
All I know is the court order says I can’t get within 500 ft. of Paris, so I don’t see where ‘obsessed’ enters into it.
I think everyone likes witnessing a car wreck or outrageous behaviour, whether it’s Courtney Love throwing something or the latest athlete demanding 13.4 million just so he can ‘feed his family.’
It reminds of us just how normal we are.
As for other professions, it seems it’s always been that way that the more traditional, yet no less important jobs, like teaching and plumbing never get the respect they deserve, much less any groupies.
Ok, you convinced me… it’s all about the groupies
I know this is old and you may not be monitoring this post anymore, but have you ever found any books, articles, etc. along this same line? I've recently become fascinated by the celebrity obsessions of young girls. I've looked for info on, say, when these obsessions became so numerous, but haven't found much.