Disha Murugupandiyan Week 2 - Don't Judge a Book by It's Cover
As a young kid, everyone wants to be famous. We all wanted to be the one standing on the podium, acting in front of a camera on set, or singing our hearts out to a sold-out stadium. At that age, our aspirations only held up because we were aware of the positive aspects of being a celebrity; fancy cars, cool clothing, an insane amount of money, and supportive fans. However, it’s a lot more complex than that. There are just as many negative aspects that almost overpower the positive ones. Whether you are an NBA basketball player, an actor in the latest TV show, a singer at Lollapalooza, you have no choice but to be in front of the cameras outside of your job and exposed to society’s judgements.
Take athletes, for example. Many athletes, from F1 driver Carlos Sainz to tennis player Naomi Osaka, have expressed their surprise and how overwhelmed they’ve been when it comes to the sheer amount of media work that they have to do. While their main job may be on the track or on the court, they often have no choice but to pick up a “part-time job” of maintaining their public image. For them, it doesn’t end when the game is over and they walk into the locker room; it stays with them in every decision they make, from the clothes they wear and the people they hang out with, to the restaurants they visit and every word that has ever come out of their mouth. I’m sure we’ve all seen those clips where a camera is shoved into the face of an athlete who has just lost, and we feel uncomfortable—like we’re all in their personal space.
Most celebrities don’t want to be seen in a negative light by the public. The media and mean fans are usually the ones who create this negative light (unless the celebrity deserved it for something that they truly, factually did). Words that are taken out of context, opinions that are built out of hate instead of fact, and misunderstandings are all mixed up together, and the impact ultimately falls on the celebrity. They take the brunt of every rude comment, every death threat, every article that analyzes the clothes they wore to go pick up groceries. This causes celebrities to choose to create a divide between who they are in private towards their loved ones and the identity that society scrutinizes. And honestly, I don’t blame them. I would probably do the same thing too. However, it’s just sad that this is what the world has come to; celebrities would rather choose to put up a front than be their true selves, even if that’s not what they signed up for.
This divide is about more than just privacy. It’s about personal identity, the pressure to conform to society's standards, the fear, and the need to protect themselves. Fame doesn’t just change how others see you; it challenges your view of yourself.
While reading your blog my mind went immediately to child actors, especially those who used to work at Disney. Back in the early 2000's Disney required all their child actors to sign a specific contract that essentially forbade them from growing up. That led to a majority of those actors "growing up" the moment they were free from that contract, which ended up ruining not only their career but most of their adult life. Your blog does an amazing job in pointing out the pressures and effects society can have on celebrities I think as a society we put people on a pedestal without actually realizing, and before it's too late those people are pushed into a spotlight they never wanted in the first place.
ReplyDeleteHi Disha! I really liked your blog. It allowed me to take some time and reflect on whether fame is worth having because living with constant pressure seems exhausting and honestly painful. I also partially think that part of the issue is the fact that celebrities rely on the media for relevance. Without the media, the celebrities will not be known, forcing the celebrities to be dangerously reliant on the press and their depiction of themselves to generate views. Your conclusion is also really impactful, because it summarizes your entire argument in a few words and creates a memorable image for the audience to remember.
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ReplyDeleteHi Disha! Adding on to what Tanisha said, reading your blog especially made me think of those child actors and all the restrictions they had including how they couldn't dye their hair, show tattoos, or even certain piercings on the face. I feel like this is such a huge reason why looking at Disney actors back then to now feels like looking at 2 entirely different people, as most of them changed almost entirely. I also loved the way you explained everything, sometimes it feels like people are way too focused on others than themselves.
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