All That Glitters Is Not Gold: Celebrity Culture

Appearances Can Be Deceptive 

We all have grown up hearing this adage that everything that glitters is not gold, barely we felt a need to ponder about this very common saying why it has been originated and what is its relevance in our behavioral approach.  Not just children but very often adults also fall prey to the glitter and glamour of their favourite celebrities without an iota of realization whether these ‘Glam Gods’ deserve their love and worship or not. The recent incidents of drug abuse, social media vitriols and publicity stunts by our favourite actors have grabbed our attention towards the big chasm of difference between their personal and public life.

Celebrities: The ‘Gods’ of Modern Culture

Celebrities are the ‘Gods’ of our modern culture just like kings and the royalties were in the past. They are highly adored by the general public and when these stars, larger than life heroes are accused of being drug addicts, having a lowest set of moral and ethical values, aren’t we forced to feel whom we are following and worshipping uselessly and for what reasons.

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It’s very important for the people who have a public life to maintain their demeanour and a life of values and authenticity as they are the icons for youth and carry dreams of millions through their journey of success. It doesn’t mean that they can’t have their personal life but one can’t deny that the people in public eye have more of a responsibility because they are symbols of success and excellence in the domain; moreover they are the trend-setters. Unfortunately it doesn’t happen at all so it becomes our responsibility to always take their words with a pinch of salt primarily because their societal position does not justify the correctness of their opinions. Big companies and powerful political leaders also use them for their greedy advancement and vested interests.

It’s impossible to escape the ‘celebrity cult’ and observing the youth imitating their moves, dresses, make up and speaking styles is really condescending. They exert negative moral influence when exposed in their private lives. Not just this, they create stereotypical beauty standards with a particular body type, skin color, tiny nose and perfect facial features over and over again. Instead of celebrating diversity in beauty we shunt every other kind of ‘imperfect’ beauty to the sideline and rarely ever mention intelligence or personality.

As huge movie fans, we all believe in the hard work and perseverance these actors put in. For the same, the entertainment industry can be a source of inspiration, powerful commentary or great laughs but the social power they hold goes far beyond their movies and it’s a crucial time that this power has to be checked.

The solution is to disengage with the celebrity world. It’s hard to escape the constant barrage of information and sneak peeks that overwhelm us everyday, but believe me it’s worth it. Each of us can make the choice to de-glamorize celebrity and step away from the damaging culture of celebrity worship. Only this way we can help our youth and younger generation limit the inordinate cultural power Bollywood currently commands.