I’m rarely shocked by the antics celebrities muster with their lavish lifestyles. They throw around their Benjamin’s as if they were dollar bills, and the concept of humility seems to escape many of them. Hollywood glamour has lost its mystique since the reigns of Grace Kelly and Humphrey Bogart. I guess we can’t expect celebrity stardom to be high-class if the likes of Paris Hilton can release sex tapes and get their 15 minutes of fame. I was never sure what being famous really meant, but now the word has deviated from positive and undulated to a realm of embarrassments.

However, we can’t be too general about our laments for the recent downturn in the celebrity world. For every Kardashian, there is a Brad and Angelina, adopting babies and helping the poor. Sadly, it is only a select bunch that chooses to be philanthropic, and the public reflection that we see in magazines and tabloids are of D-list celebrities and beyond.

Given the advance of technology, it’s not surprising that paparazzi stalk out every corner, hoping to capture a glimmer of celebrities’ colorful lives. Magazine publications such as OK! and National Enquirer have been sued countless times for printing false truths, but yet many of us still find thrill in reading about stars and their mishaps. This is a never-ending cycle, and I wonder if there’s a breaking point to how much celebrities and the general public can take. Nevertheless, we are not the only ones at fault. Societies, especially American ones, have molded us to look up to the rich and famous, in an effort for us to replicate their lives.

Hannah Doolin, a sophomore magazine journalism major, says that she thinks the general culture of being famous has changed. It’s impossible for celebrities to act the same way as they did in the ’30s, when being classy and elegant was the norm.

‘Different things are important now than they were then,’ Doolin said. ‘We have different values and it’s sad, but the expectations have gone down as far as people’s behavior goes.’

I myself am also a culprit that is currently feeding into this Tinsel town fabrication of what reality really is. I’m often fascinated by the lives that celebrities lead and speculate what they do during their free time, when they’re not being harassed by the paparazzi or eating dinner with their famous friends.

Singer/Songwriter Lady Gaga is the perfect example of one who knows how to exceptionally manipulate the social media. Say what you want about her, Gaga understands how to play with the public. Her outlandish costumes and eccentric behaviors are only one aspect of her persona that she chooses to express to the public. Gaga is a polarizing figure and she knows it. There’s no mistake that her talent and dedication to music surpasses many of the modern performers today, but yet some of us can’t help but hate to love her, or vis versa.

Hannah Chan, a sophomore public relations major, said that it’s so much easier for a ‘normal’ person to get famous in this day and age, but the path of how they get there is lost.

‘It’s just like American Idol; a lot of them are famous because they managed to make it onto television.’ Chan said. ‘Many of them don’t need any real talent.’

I think we need to take a step back and re-evaluate our own presence into the parlaying world of modern celebrities. Sure, we’re not physically affecting the norm of what being famous means, but when we become especially enthralled in their lives it gives these D-listers a reason to act like fools and gain notoriety. Sometimes celebrities forget that there comes a price with living under the public eye, and it’s up to us to be critical of the actions that they convey.

Angela Hu is a sophomore public relations major. Her columns appear weekly, and she can be reached at ajhu01@syr.edu.

Published on November 15, 2009 at 12:00 pm