The Irony of Being Famous

A few months ago, I read an article on one of the most prestigious newspaper in the country about youngsters and their choice of career. I was startled to find out that most youngsters in Indonesia nowadays choose showbiz-related career. You know: movie star, model, singer, band member. And I realized just how much the world has changed ever since I was a kid. At that time, most children and teenagers wanted to be a doctor or an engineer. My amazement didn’t stop at that point; I was more shocked when I found out that they’re interested in a career in the entertainment business because they want to be famous.

Honestly, I think it’s very weird. Weird, because most famous people don’t really enjoy their fame. They moan all the time about the privacy they couldn’t get, about how the paparazzi always stalking them 24/7, things like that. There. That’s the irony. (Ordinary) people want to be famous while famous people hate being famous.

It’s relatively easy to understand why famous people hate their fame. Being famous means that people are watching and judging your every step. What you do, what you wear, who you meet, basically every aspect of your life. Of course, attention is desirable by every human being, to a certain extent. It mustn’t feel good if there’s nobody who cares about you. On the other hand, there are times when we want to be alone and it’s difficult to be “alone” when you’re famous. Even if it’s not the damn press or paparazzi, there will always be us, the common people that annoy you by asking for your autograph. And even if you’re not in the mood, you have to keep on smiling and give them your autograph, or people will accuse you of being a snob which will make people to dislike you, et cetera, et cetera. So, you see, being famous can be very stressful at times. Privacy becomes a very rare and expensive experience (sometimes they have to rent an island to have a normal holiday, faraway from the eyes of fans; can you imagine how much it cost to rent an island?). No wonder they hate being famous.

Now, the difficult part is to understand why people want to be famous. I guess the desire of being famous is something based on emotional judgment. Especially with the way TV stations bombard us everyday with reality shows (some offer instant path to fame) and showbiz news (how fun and glamorous the life of showbiz people is). The idea of fame slowly but sure starts to sink in your brain. The end result, being famous is just something you want although you can’t really explain with logics why you want it. Of course, there’s the money factor. Famous people, particularly those who are working in showbiz, tend to get lots of money. At least that’s the common opinion. Having a lot of money offers so many possibilities (in other words, you can buy almost anything with money), those that are to difficult to resist. But if it’s money you’re looking for, there are other jobs that you can pursuit. Being an entrepreneur, for example.

One of the most horrible story about fame is the life of Lady Diana Spencer, The Princess of Wales. Spending her life under the spotlight since her marriage with the British crown prince, she’s forced to look perfect for the public eye all of the times because of her status even when her marriage life was crumbling down which resulted in eating disorder as a way of consolation. In the end, she’s killed in a car accident which was caused, it is believed, by speeding in an attempt to avoid the paparazzi. She’s killed, literally, by her fame.