What would you do if you saw a famous person walking past you? By famous I don’t mean a South African celebrity because let’s face it, most of the time they’re only famous here. I mean really famous. I’m talking about people like Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, etc, etc. I’ll tell you what I’d do. Absolutely nothing. Here’s why. They are just people that provide no real value in my life. They might entertain me with falling on stage or saying something dumb but other than that I wouldn’t waste my energy on clamouring. What do you really get at the end of the day? A shove from a bodyguard? A cold shoulder as you’d be ignored. No thanks. I witness people at concerts as they long for a brief moment just to express there pent up love for their hero. And it’s like I can feel their pain being transmitted to me when they are cruelly pushed aside and made to feel like they don’t exist. No one should ever feel that way, especially not when they’re a fan.
During my honours research project I came across some interesting theories about why people have such a fascination with celebrities. The idea that they hope to live vicariously through them seems like a plausible one. But to take it to another level and adore someone you are likely never to going meet? Admiring their work is one thing but having strong feelings of attachment and personal interest in someone you don’t even know, seems like taking things too far.
Now this is the part were things get personal. I didn’t always hold this opinion. Oh no, I was quite the dreamer when I was younger. I believed that anything was possible and that if you just wished long and hard enough they would come true. But sooner or later you snap out of it and realize that some things are just never going happen. In my case, I just began believing in being fan of heroes who I actually know and love.
Shivani 