When we watch our favourite superstars on TV or the internet, we aspire to be famous like them. It is ecstatic, isn’t it? But what we fail to cognise most of the time is the dark side of being famous. Just like every other thing, there are pros and cons of being famous too. As ordinary non-famous people, we may fail to realize the negative aspects of fame; since from the outside, being at the receiving end of this adulation seems to be the stuff of our dreams. But, one cannot deny that there are quite a few negative sides too. Initially, I thought of naming my article as ‘Being Famous – Pros and Cons’, but I rather focused on bringing forward the cons of being famous. So here is how it goes…
A life in the public eye
We lead an almost public life, thanks to social media. Everyone is always updating every aspect of their lives on Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram. In a time when the even normal public is always in the spotlight, what must life be like for celebrities? Since time immemorial, we, as regular citizens, have always either looked up to or at least, always been actively interested in the lives of celebrities. Look at baby Taimur, for example, we are so taken by star kids that he has caught the entire nation’s fancy!
Being famous is The violation of Privacy
While this fame might seem spectacular from the outside domain, it might get worse for those who are constantly in the limelight. Being famous also comes with a lot of baggage and responsibilities and understandably so. The very first problem is the infraction of privacy that celebs have to deal with. It is especially heightened in this day and age of smartphones that come equipped with cameras, enabling every Tom, Dick, and Harry to act as photographers and take photos of anyone, anytime. Nobody’s privacy or private space is respected. Rarely are celebrities asked for permission before being photographed. Would we feel comfortable if we were treated like that? Then, why should our idols?
The Power To Influence And Poison
There is also a constant pressure on celebrities: the pressure of their influence. Celebrities, especially actors, have many die-hard fans. People follow actors so much that they believe everything that is endorsed or promoted by them, be it in their movies, in advertisements in their personal lives. People begin to smoke if they see a picture of their favourite actor smoking. This point was well emphasized in Udta Punjab: in a scene where Shahid Kapoor’s character goes to jail and all of his fellow inmates are raving about how much they love him and how they started using drugs because that was propagated by his character. This is the amount of influence that celebrities have on the normal public; especially the less educated masses. Albeit it can be argued that smoking or drinking is a purely personal choice but we cannot deny that when celebrities do it in real life or in their movies, the masses are most definitely swayed.
There is also the issue of celebrities promoting things that shouldn’t otherwise be promoted. For example, Fair and Lovely products. They are basically promoting the idea that someone can be lovely only when they are fair. Influential people promoting oppressive ideas like this will just be traumatizing to young girls. We should be taught to love and be proud of what we are born with rather than face taunts from society and get infused with these hidebound ideas being reinforced by celebrities.
A Swift Rise And Fall: From Fame To Ignominy
Another issue often faced by famous people is that their fans and the public, in general, is sometimes very attached to them. This fame and attachment are very fickle. It does not take a second for the people to alter their views and all they need is a misrepresented picture or a rumour to throw you down from the pedestal they that themselves built for their idols. The line between love, adulation, and hatred is a thin one when it comes to the public.
Over to you
All in all, I just want to say that being famous, like every other thing, has its pros and cons. While it is great to have that much money and be adored publicly; it always comes with serious responsibilities that celebrities should take care of. Let me know your thoughts on this, would you like to share any disadvantages of being famous?
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