Celebrities are Just Like US... You Wish!

Why is it so important for us to imagine that celebrities are just like us? We love the blunt speaking celebrities who "keep it real" and tell it like it is. We, the working class, console ourselves with the thought that celebs have bad hair days, tense family holidays, and occasionally even get fired. Social networking and reality shows have made celebs so accessible that we continue to believe that the carefully edited sound bytes and slideshows actually represent how the celebrity really is.

This delusion is so prevalent that someone posted an online comment praising First Lady Michelle Obama for making her girls make their own beds and do their own laundry...right before their personal limo driver and security detail escorts them to school.

Celebrities are not just like us. 

Primarily because they're famous. While millions of people can identify a celeb, even in sunglasses, most of us blend anonymously into any crowd. Nor should they be just like us. Why should I buy movie tickets for someone who lives just as I do? Where is the excitement of standing in line for hours to buy concert tickets for an everyday joe? Who quotes a politician who's never held an office?

There is a quiet desperation and malicious glee in believing that famous people suffer the same indignities that most of us endure on a daily basis. But indulging in this fantasy for too long unmasks deep seated hypocrisy. Isn't the reason we admire celebrities because of their undeniable beauty and talent? Don't we love them because they stand out from the crowd?

I understand that celebrities are still human beings and may feel a need to try and stay connected to more humble roots, but I don't believe such efforts deserve public praise. After all, their humility is not my gain. After a long day of interviews or rehearsals, the rich and famous go home to fabulous mansions and have access to large bank accounts, no matter how humble they may be. 

So let's not confuse the reality with our reality. Celebrities are people, yes and they do put their pants on one leg at a time, but if they don't, they can always hire someone else to do it for them.