Argumentative Synthesis: the Curse of Being Famous

“ In the twenty-first century, the world truly has become a stage, with the constant presence of cameras recording virtually every aspects of our lives” (Gales, 2010,1). Nowadays, our lives revolve around fame and the celebrity culture. In fact, being famous is a target hunted by an enormously large portion of the population. If you think about it, who wouldn’t want to be insanely rich? Who wouldn’t want to be the center of attention? We have this idea that being famous is having an idyllic life in which you get whatever you want, you go wherever you want and see whoever you feel like seeing. Put in other words, for us “originals” or should I say “non-famous” people, being famous is like the seventh heaven, a joyful and fulfilled life, a blessing. Moreover, with the mass development of media technology, the celebrity culture is now being easily widespread. One simple click on a button of a remote control or a computer is all it takes to notice that celebrity news and gossip is everywhere. For the public, the lives of the “Rich and Famous” is a form of entertainment and ongoing amusement. Nevertheless, we fail to see that “celebrity culture drowns out public discourse and encourages materialism and self-absorption”(Hedges, 2011, 1) or that “a culture built on celebrity can lead to widespread personality problems such as an obsession with the self” (Gale, 2010, 1). In my opinion, as much as “being famous” can seem like a blessing, something that promotes happiness, well-being and prosperity, it is actually a curse that pushes us away from what really matters in life and makes us obsessive about attention and appearances.

First of all, it is safe to say that fame is a world in which people seek to be in the spotlight. In fact, famous people are constantly heard, talked about or even followed. Their actions and latest news are posted all over the media. A celebrity can even be on the cover of the most famous magazine for doing something so banal and mundane like