Idolizing Celebrities in America - Essay Example

American Idolatry In the society, people have various things that they believe in and would love to emulate. Most of the time, this is at a personal level but at times the situation extends to the whole community. This may be a certain town or country. With the same respect, the citizens of America have not been left behind with the passionate love for certain aspects; this has grown to the extent that they idolize certain things that revolve around their lives. Some of the things that Americans and the world in general tend to passionately believe in include money, fame and sex. These things tend to greatly influence the life many Americans lead. Fame is one of the things that are greatly yearned for in America. One group of people that enjoy this attention is celebrities. This paper will be a discussion of how Americans idolize some celebrities and the influence that these celebrities have on them. Idolizing entails loving something excessively and unquestioningly thus without criticizing it (Lipps, 1). This is the extent to which most Americans love various celebrities. There have been many cases where teenagers have escaped from their homes in a bid to attend shows that are staged by celebrities. During such shows, the people in attendance will be screaming at the top of their voices for the celebrities. This translates to dressing, immediately a celebrity shows up with a particular way of dressing. People will flock various shops to look for the same designs. With this pursuit, the people who get clothes that match those of a certain celebrity tend to be the envy of their peers and they are considered to be fashionable. Popular celebrities such as Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Paris Hilton and Madonna are considered to be small ‘gods’ by most Americans. This may be attributed to the richness, success, glory, high regard, respect and power that they possess. These are things that most people in the world would wish to have hence the idolizing that Americans have for celebrities. When most children are young, they tend to cherish their parents, believing that all that they do is right. However, immediately they get to their teenage years and begin socializing with people outside the family circle, the situation changes. At this point, they begin idolizing younger and hotter crowds which include celebrities. From generation to generation, celebrities such as Paris Hilton have influenced the brand of clothes that people wear, the hairstyles that they get and sometimes even the type of hobbies that people take (Lipps, 1). Despite the fact that people may be aware of the fact that some of the ways of life that some celebrities lead is not proper, they still adore this people to the latter. However, as many young people in America idolize celebrities, the big question is whether the moral influence that they ape from these personalities is proper. For instance, Paris Hilton is one celebrity greatly idolized and one thing that most teenagers try to copy from her is her petite frame. To ensure that they achieve such a frame, most teenagers get anorexic as they try to gain and maintain petite frames. Most of them tend to go for long periods without food just to get the desired celebrity look. This way, they tend to get unhealthy and may be susceptible diseases since extremely low weight lowers ones immunity. This is one of the negative influences that celebrities have on many people in America. The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), in America keeps statistics on the diet habits of women and the results are a showcase of the craze that most Americans have, obviously motivated by celebrity looks. Data from NEDA shows that 42 percent of first to third grade girls want to be thinner, it is the same case with children as low as 10 years old who said that they did not want to get fat. With the same regard, most young people who are fat tend to be considered ugly by their peers and most of them end up getting depressed due to the stigma that they face. The motivation behind this facade may be the fact that there are few celebrities who are big. Another area where celebrities tend to mislead teenagers is on the use and abuse of drugs. Paris Hilton as a celebrity has been in and out of rehab many times. This is as a result of using drugs. In the same respect, many young people may decide to experiment on drugs, feeling that it is the ‘in thing’ simply because celebrities do that too. A teenager who idolizes Paris Hilton will most definitely decide to try engaging in drugs just because the person that they believe does everything right does that. With many celebrities being pictured abusing drugs openly, many Americans are falling for the same trend and this has become a problem in the American society as a whole where more and more people are now engaging in the decadent behavior of drug abuse. Sexual immorality is another vice that is equally fuelled by some of the celebrities that most teenagers in America and the world in general idolize. Most celebrities tend to attend functions in skimpy dresses and engage in ways that really emphasize on sexuality. Apart from that, celebrities such as Paris Hilton have sex tapes circulating on the internet. When teenagers see this, they tend to believe that this is one of the ways to be recognized and they start engaging in sexual activities too at a young age. The promotion of a healthy way to lose weight at appropriate ages is one step worth taking to veer young adults away from the influences of some of the horrible role models in today's society. Celebrities themselves must take the initiative to educate young men and women about ridiculous dieting, drugs and alcohol. Coming from someone who is idolized by the younger generation, such a message from them would have a great impact on children who are struggling with adolescence and are just trying to "fit in."Therefore, celebrities should lead by example to ensure that proper ways of staying fit are embraced. The things that Americans idolize include money, sexual freedom and fame can be achieved by being a celebrity. This is the reason why most Americans will pay for shows so that they can see the people they admire most; celebrities. During these shows, teenagers will be on the lookout for what the celebrities are wearing and the hairstyles that they adorn so that they can try to be like them. This is a form of idolatry since most teenagers will ignore what their parents or guardians tell them to do but will greatly ape the way of life celebrities however negative it may be. It is the same situation with the media, for example, recently, there were many stories regarding how Paris Hilton spent time in Los Angeles County jail (Lipps, 1). This is despite the fact that there are many other important happening in America that need to be highlighted other than the life of a rich and spoilt personality who does not help the country in any way such as donating to charity. To crown it all, it does not come as a surprise that various shows exist to showcase how various people are trying hard to be like these celebrities. Reality shows ‘American Idol’ and ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ received wide coverage in the United States and had a great number of viewers. The name showcases what it is all about, American Idol; maybe the participants in these shows are grooming themselves to be the next American Idols (Lipps, 1). Furthermore, the participants try their level best to sound and act like various celebrities by singing their songs as well as dressing like them. The extent to which Americans love celebrities can be showcased in the huge crowds that are garnered in the live galleries of these shows. They are not in any way comparable to the small crowds that are found in churches across the state. This is all a way to seek money, power and the fame that comes with it, negativities that are associated with such positions are most of the time not considered at all. All in all, Americans and people all over the world like fame and tend to greatly idolize those that have it. It is not bad to have role models, as many people see in celebrities, however, before someone begins thinking of being exactly like Paris Hilton, they should evaluate her to gauge whether the values that they posses are positive or not. Positive values that enrich the general outlook of life should be aped from the celebrities at the expense of those values that are regressive. At the same time, there are celebrities that are helpful in the society. These are known to participate in charitable events and run a number of helpful and educative causes. These are the celebrities that Americans need to emulate other than those that are full of drama and many negative attributes. Works Cited Lipps, Lyle. American Idolatry. Retrieved on 11th June, 2012 from http://www.thecra.org/Strange%20Club/Member%20Material/ReadMyLipps/AmericanId olatry.htm Read More