To think celebrity worship is weird?

[Doesyourkidhaveacold]

Is it just me, or is the whole worship of celebrities really bizarre? I think appreciating someone’s talent is one thing and I have people I like to watch/listen to, but I find the extremes that people go to really bizarre, spending hours standing around hoping for a glimpse of them, spending hundreds on tickets to go and see them, following their every move and being interested in who they’re dating, obsessing over what they look like and buying everything they make/endorse. I was reading something earlier about best and worst celebrity encounters and it’s like these people have to do the bare minimum. One person raves about Adam Sandler because ‘he said please and thank you to everyone’. Okay, shouldn’t everyone as standard? It’s odd how we heroworship people because they’re born with a good voice or the ability to pretend to be someone else, or kick a football. This isn’t one of those ‘nurses should be paid the same as footballers’ things, I just find it bozarre that we out these people on such high pedestals? I don’t think any famous person is ‘better’ than me and I wouldn’t line up to meet a single one. I respect what they create, but anything more I find odd. Why do we give these people so much within society? They’re just people at the end of the day? I saw a video the other day of a woman saying she was angry that people were at a Taylor Swift concert who weren’t singing along as they didn’t deserve a ticket. Surely this thought process is bonkers? Yet so many people hold celebrity’s on such high pedastals and treat them as though they’re more important people than anyone else. I find it all so odd?! All the fawning and things like award ceremonies for being on tv and such is just so…strange. Am I reasonable or just a bit of a sour face?

And no, I’m not jealous, I have no desire to be famous or go to the Ivy or whatever. And yes, I include people sleeping on the streets for days to see the royals in this.

I share your views. I think people need fantasies and “heroes” to cope with the day to day life. For some, celebrities become idols in the minds of the masses.

For me, I just like to read the gossip in how the famous get into trouble - and how they solved it. Remember Kaine West having a millionaire debt that was solved by his then-wife KK after she used the money she earned with her kimojey app? I wish I could make millions so easily, like that. Not a fan though.

It's escapism? People have different interests?

I've spent good money on concerts this year and the memories and the feeling of excitement will stay with me forever. Worth every penny.

But that’s not the same. I’ve gone to concerts and enjoy things, but I’m talking about the way we view these people, like they’re superior human beings. Like they’re better than everyone else on a different level rather than just talented or good looking.

Sorry, that was to @megacat

I agree with you 💯. I have a friend who I have known since we were both 11 for 40 years and he would proper fall out with me if I spoke out against Madonna 😖 fucking Madonna of all people. No matter what she has done and said over the decades, we all know to keep our mouths shut. He even hates other celebrities who have spoken out against her - no matter what the context is or how much they actually know her. It's exhausting.

It's beyond a hobby when he spends ££££ on special deluxe versions of albums he already has .

I presume you enjoying a concert is a very different emotion to what I feel at one when it's a hero of mine though.

If you are a person happy with your lot and are self confident perhaps that's why you don't understand. The escapism and maybe even living vicariously is what makes it interesting to me.

My friend - although gay , has grown up children and a grand baby, a partner and a very important job - he is not in the category you describe, like not at all.

I have a soft spot for a particular singer and have spent a lot of time and money travelling to concerts and also standing outside TV studios etc in the past.

It is a bit irrational, but it makes me happy.

Celebrity worship is nothing new though. But social media does put a different spin on it. Years ago you joined a fan club and got a letter every six months or so. Now you can Google and within minutes find out absolutely everything you ever wanted to know. I think it makes some people feel they "know" the celebrity more intimately, and as a result can get far more invested than they should.

I totally agree with you.

I don't have a TV so most of them are totally unknown to me but even I'm not totally unaware of some of them. I really don't get why people are so fascinated by them.

I really don't!

I watched that thing with Adelle with loads of celebrities in the audience (and Emma Thompson being odd and drawing attention to herself) and it just made me cringe. You could sense the brown nosing and fakeness through the telly. I don't dislike Adelle that much either, but it was really weird. I wouldn't want to be in that world. There's no soul to it.

I agree, it's very, very odd. I can understand teenagers to some extent as they're learning who they want to be and become - although I didn't really do the worship/poster thing as a teen either and none of my children do and neither did my brothers growing up. I wasn't well off or popular growing up either.

Maybe it's a form of escapism to imagine yourself in the life of someone else, but most of these people have a massive amount of angst and conflict in their lives..

@Doingtheboxerbeat if he's spent enough of his life closeted that he's produced children then I'd say he's not as self confident as you think.

He has an important job, maybe he'd rather be on stage doing the vogue? Who knows.

I too have pondered this. When I was growing up every teenager's bedroom, at least in western films, was covered in posters of bands, film stars or athletes.I remember thinking why would I want know stuff about people I don't know. I might have liked a character in a film, but that doesn't mean I like the person.

So even though I enjoy music and film, I'm not interested in the people, ie musicians and actors as people. I don't care where they were born for example or if they are in a relationship any more than I would care if a random mr Smith were married. I might enjoy what they produce, and if they are intelligent I may be interested however in what they have to say.

I 'm not sure if it's in any way connected but I know that I have really only had crushes on people I have actually physically met. To me there's a component missing when I see someone on screen. It's like I can appreciate someone's looks, and personality, but it's like reality makes sure I never feel a crush like feeling🤷‍♀️.

Possibly people who are interested in famous people actually feel like they know them in some way and feel close to them? I know my MIL sometimes talks about celebrities as if she knows them.

I understand what OP is asking, what I don't understand is why there are such a huge amount of celebrities being awarded MBEs/OBEs. There's no other profession i can think of that has so many awards laid up on them, teaching for instance? how many of them have been awarded OBEs in the last 5yrs? what about shop assistants that have worked in the same store for decades, why don't they ever make the list? delivery lorry drivers that drive miles and miles to deliver their load so stores are ready for customers. Never heard of one! should i mention doctors and nurses, do you know any nurses with an MBE?

I can't cite my source because I can't remember where I read/heard this, but the Romans had celebrity culture too so I'm not sure it's a new phenomenon.

I know a teacher who's a Dame...

I see what you mean, but I know him very well and he doesn't really get my daydreamy side at all - in fact he is very critical of it.
I may need to rethink your theory - you might be on to something - maybe he is projecting 🤔.

I was very puzzled by it as a teenager when my friends had photos of pop stars from magazines stuck to the inside of their desks at school. Like, why would I want to fantasise about someone I have never met? And if I did we probably wouldn’t have very much in common!

"But why do people find them so exciting?

Prof Cooper said it is all about our need for "communality" - a feeling of belonging."

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1677344.stm#:~:text=And%2C%20of%20course%2C%20the%20public's,people%20find%20them%20so%20exciting%3F&text=Prof%20Cooper%20said%20it%20is,life%20for%20our%20own%20lives.

Precisely! bet you know loads of actors who are MBEs/OBEs in comparison.

I do it , it's fun.
Tbf I could have seen him a lot more than I have, but chose to see other people too, 10 so far this year, 8 to go, I saw him once, but have been to his village and did go to the village he shot one of his videos in for sunrise, and went all over London checking out memorabilia, destinations he's been seen in, shooting locations, his pop up shop etc.
I don't spend that much really, I've spent far more on other tickets, but travelling and music is what I enjoy doing, I'm single, DD is grown so my time/money is my own.

I do NOT think I know him, that's weird!
I know what he puts out there, and I don't believe half of it.

I don’t understand it myself while also not understanding the need to moan about what they’re doing, their looks, criticise them for not being the way you think/want them to be and being an all-round twat who would be given a wide berth if they did it to someone non-famous. Unless they have broken some serious laws, I don’t see the need to care about their lives.

It baffles me even more when parents blame them for what their teenagers want to wear considering many are adults and can dress however they choose and the parents are the ones buying the clothes.

Many celebrity threads on here I find most of the posts extremely juvenile and what I would expect to see on something written by teenagers and there is certainly obvious biases about certain celebrities where one would be praised for doing something another wouldn’t.

For sure, except for Harry Styles; would walk to the end of the earth for him

Ha, he's mine!
It took me 13yrs but this year he spoke to me and there was eye contact twice.