It’s hard to ignore the celebrity world. When you’re an outside observer, being Miley Cyrus or Selena Gomez or Vanessa Hudgens seems glamorous and exciting. I mean, who wouldn’t want to have their hair and makeup done every day, wear fancy clothes, date cute celebrity boys, and be recognized and adored by fans around the world?
Your adolescent years are often marked by a strong need to feel loved and accepted. It’s totally normal and nothing to feel ashamed about. It’s also normal to gravitate towards and envy celebrity because these Hollywood stars seem like the ultimate example of people who are loved and accepted. However, it’s important to be able to distinguish between the reality of Hollywood and what’s simply sensational for its own sake.
Like most people, there are probably a few particular celebrities that you like and admire— and the people behind-the-scenes in Hollywood try their best to keep you interested and invested in those celebrities. And the sad reality is that a clean-cut, down-to-earth, entirely relatable teenage actress usually doesn’t hold the public’s (that means your) attention for too long. Scandals and dramas are all-too-often the motivating factor for people to become, or stay, interested in a celebrity. If it’s easy to get sucked into gossip and rumors at your school with your own friends, it’s even easier to become mesmerized by it when it occurs on the glam Hollywood stage with all your favorite idolized players.
It probably seems harmless. I mean, it’s unlikely you will ever meet these celebrities in real life, so why not comment on their poor outfit choices or recent dating debacle? The problem is that it isn’t entirely harmless. When you start taking a vested interest in the sensational aspects of celebrity, like the dating dramas or veiled insults about their “purity,” it makes it that much easier for those attitudes to cross over into your real life. If calling a teenage actress a “slut” or harshly criticizing her clothing is okay, then how do you keep yourself from saying those same things about a girl who goes to your school?
It’s true that Miley Cyrus or any other young female celeb probably won’t ever know what you said about her to your friends or posted about her on the Internet. But being anonymous shouldn’t be the only thing that determines your behavior towards someone else.
When you’re looking in at the glam celebrity world, it can seem like the furthest thing from the everyday realities of school, homework, and family issues that you have to deal with. And that can make it easier to scrutinize and criticize these stars. But if you take a step back and realize that these “privileged” people are just like you and me deep down, you’ll realize that becoming too involved in these petty celebrity dramas makes it easier to be petty with girls you know and hang out with every day. If you cut out the Hollywood gossip, you might find it’s much easier to cut out some of the gossip and negativity in your own life as well. Speaking kindly about others and treating them with respect is one of the best ways to encourage others to do the same for you. And honestly, who doesn’t want that?
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