American culture is defined by many things, food, clothing, religion, law, holidays, language, sports and many more, but most influential, entertainment. Movies, books, music, plays and television shows make up American society. The entertainment business in the United States contains a various amount of talented people, who are displayed around the world. Hollywood is the basis of all entertainment, of every type. Hollywood, California is overflowed with celebrities who live the lavish life of deluxe mansions, fancy cars and expensive clothes. The lives of these luxurious people are constantly broadcasted, resulting into celebrity obsession, which is no stranger to Americans.
Like I stated before, Hollywood is the home of thousands of celebrities and people who desire to make it in the business. It’s not secret where these people of fame unwind, dine, dance or ‘hit the sack’. Who knew this better than the ‘Bling Ring Gang’? The ‘Bling Ring Gang’ was a group of teenagers who began to rob the homes of the famous and obviously rich. Nick Prugo and Rachel Lee were caught last November on surveillance, at Lindsay Lohan’s home. These weren’t the only ones who made up the group, but they were the leaders, especially Lee. She wanted her celebrity possessed fantasies to come true. She wanted to be them, live like them, feel what it would be to be them…and if it meant stealing their personals, even bras, she was okay with that. They first burglarized Paris Hilton’s home because they thought she was “dumb”. They managed to find the key to Hiltons 7000sq foot Hollywood Hills home, on the property. For two months the group robbed Hilton blind, and had planned to rob many others. This shows how far people in America will and have gone to feel the slightest bit of fame and fortune of their favorite celebrities.
There have been other ways where people change the way we look at celebrity obsession. ‘I Want a Famous Face’ was a reality show that appeared in the United States from March 2004 to June 2005. This show gave young adults the opportunity to have a ‘famous face’. Plastic surgery has been widely accepted in American culture, even the kind to look like someone else. Participants on the show would choose from Pamela Anderson to Ricky Martin. With no self confidence in their own individual and distinct features, they’d undergo ruthless and immoral surgery to desperately try to replicate their favorite celebrity. Permanently changing your own unique identity to look like someone you’ve only seen from the television screen, is appalling and beyond a mere fixation. However, just seeing someone from TV is enough for the most dedicated fan. There’s no doubt that the death of a celebrity is taken 100times greater, than the death of an average person. Not only are their funerals broadcasted, but public. Fans from all over the world pay respect to their favorite celebrity. Marilyn Monroe (1962), John Lennon (1980), Christopher Wallace/Notorious BIG (1997) and most recent Michael Jackson (2009), are some names of famous celebrities that passed away and held open funerals. There’s no question as to why these people, from around the world, go out of their way to say ‘goodbye’ to someone they had never even said ‘hello’ to. There are so many questions with so little answers. Why would we risk it all just to have glimpse of the glamorous life? Why would we sacrifice our identity to resemble the famous? All I ask is, why do we admire these people who are just PEOPLE?
