Essay in which you examine the causes and/or effects of a trend in our society

br The Trend of Celebrity Worship in American Society An interesting aspect of modern American society is the way we treat our celebrities . Celebrities in America have often been referred to as America 's royalty , and that is very close to the truth . In fact modern American celebrities have a much higher standard of living than even the most decadent of European monarchs of medieval times . We look up to our celebrities in an astounding way we are fascinated with their every move and want to know the tiniest details of their personal

lives We want to be like them , act like them , and get as near to them as we can . We also hold them to incredibly , and often impossibly , high standards of behavior and are quick to judge them harshly when they reveal that they are all too human , just like the rest of us . The extreme popularity of celebrity gossip magazines , the ongoing employment of the paparazzi (and the large amounts of money they make , and celebrity-based reality television shows are all examples of how fascinated we are by celebrities in this country . Why do we have this fascination and how does it affect our society

While there have always been celebrities in the world , the invention of photography , movie technology and television , as well as the proliferation of mass media , has played a major role in modern celebrity worship . The increase in leisure time in modern America has also played a role (Cottle , 152 . In the past , while some people were well-known by name , the only publicity those names got was when they were mentioned in newss or when they came to your town to speak on your street corner . People were also too busy with their own lives , in such matters as taking care of their families and feeding and clothing their children , to have much time to devote to wondering what George Washington had for breakfast that morning . Now that the faces and antics of celebrities are constantly flashed before us in all sorts of media venues , and now that we have more leisure time to devote to being fascinated by these people , there are all sorts of avenues through which to engage in celebrity worship

The ongoing saga of the lives of celebrities , played out in public for all to see , acts as a sort of real-life soap opera for us (Higgitt , 19 We see and read about the trials and tribulations of their lives , their loves , and their fortunes in real time and we feel like we are following a great story . We want to see the next chapter . That is why we continually seek out the latest edition of those gossip magazines and eagerly tune into Hollywood news programs at night . We become invested in the story of their lives and soon , we become addicted to following that story (Newbury , 41 . That is a big reason the paparazzi make so much money for each picture they take of a celebrity , and why the paparazzi are so persistent in their efforts to do so

We are also drawn to celebrities because of the lavish lifestyles they lead . Few , if any , people the average American knows will live in a 25 million dollar mansion or be able to spend 15 ,000 on sheets for their bed like it was pocket change . This opulent lifestyle is fascinating and we are envious of it . By following the lives of celebrities so closely , by reading everything we can about them , we can , in a way , live this extravagant lifestyle vicariously through them (Beilby , et . Al 35 . Ironically , it is because of this very fascination that celebrities can command the salaries they draw for their acting and musical performances , and it is those salaries that allow them to live the lifestyles that fascinate us so

It is unlikely that the phenomenon of celebrity worship in this country will abate any time soon , if at all . The conditions for such worship are too entrenched in society for that . If anything , celebrity worship is likely to increase and become even more intense in the coming decades . We view our celebrities as almost more than human , as if they are somehow not a part of the real world , but just another movie we are watching on the silver screen . However , it is a movie without a plot or script and no clear ending in sight

Bibliography

Beilby , Denise D , et . Al . Whose Stories Are They ? Fans

Engagement with Soap Opera Narratives in Three Sites

Of Fan Activity . Journal of Broadcasting and

Electronic Media . 43 : 1 . 1999

Cottle , Thomas J . Mind Fields : Adolescent Consciousness in

a Culture of Distraction . New York : Peter Lang

Publishers . 2001

Higgitt , Duncan . Celebrity Culture . London Western Mail

May 9 , 2006

Newbury , Michael . Celebrity Watching . American Literary

History . 12 :1 . 2000...