Oh so Famous.

The Noughties were the years of all things gossip and celebrities. Thelaunch of Heat magazine in 1999 sparked this interest on the stars and their sought-after lives. More magazines were introduced such as ‘Ok!’ ‘Now’ and ‘Closer’ which fuelled the burning fire to reveal the lives of celebrities and their secrets, for the enjoyment of the reader.Almost two decades later, is this obsession with celebrity lives still prevalent or has it been left in the past along with Juicy Couture tracksuits, low waistbands and extreme side partings.

As hard as it is to admit, we want to be them. Celebrities. We want their life. We want their money, their fame, their success. Or so

we think. Celebrity lives are attractive. They make our lives look as dull as dishwater. Celebrity culture draws us in, because of the

aspiration which these celebrities create. We idolise over what it would be like: living like this.

Most of us are stuck in the repetitive routine of a nine-till-five job. It’s no wonder we want to indulge and delve into such interesting

lives.

More often than none, celebrities lives aren’t exactly as perfect as they seem. Take for example, the amount of stories involving

famous, rich celebrities and the dangerous world of drug, rehab and addiction. Jack Wetherill, Senior Showbiz and TV reporter for

the Daily Star says: ‘Their lives are far from perfect. If they didn’t have PR’s, they would be messes.’

Most spent the noughties pouring over gossip magazines, with an average of 586,000 individuals a week reading ‘Heat’ in 2005.

Nowadays, we have all the information we could ask for at our finger-tips. Individuals have the capability to understand all the details

of celebrity life, down to the toothpaste they use. Wetherill explains that: ‘’nowadays there are so many celebrities it's literally

impossible to be able to know what everyone is up to. Social media allows more of an insight into their daily lives, but it's a highly

edited look. A celebrity is never going to show their bad days on social media – a lot only post paid promotions too. So when a

celebrity does have a scandal – like Ant McPartlin this year, or Katie Price – there's a huge interest in it. It lets people think that what

they once thought of as someone with a perfect life, maybe isn't any better than they are.’’.

Social media is bittersweet. It gives celebrities a platform to raise awareness on serious issues, show off their aspirational lives, and

also make money. However, the fact that celebrities are gaining money, means that they have to sell their lives. Most of what we

see is fake, yet, as a generation, we see it every hour of every day, and are consumed by it. We become obsessed, and view

celebrities; with millions of followers, just like we would see our friend who we spend rough, hungover mornings with. Virtual

relationships are created, meaning social media is becoming more and more consuming, and celebrity culture is continuously

growing.

The next step. Celebrity culture has already progressed so much within almost two decades, but the growth has hit a stump.

Wetherill states ‘’I’m not sure if interest in celebrities will grow, but it will definitely change. The past five or so years have seen a

major influx in celebrities thanks to reality television. These are usually normal people thrust into the spotlight and people love to

watch their growth and nitpick them, especially women and their appearance.’’

As today's teens get older, the definition of the classic celebrity will change.

‘Social media is so huge now that a lot of teenagers or young people don't aspire to be singers or actors like they may have 10

years ago, they now want to be YouTubers. You can see the influence social media stars have had over the past few years, with major family shows like I'm A Celeb and Strictly adding YouTubers to their line-ups. Things are already changing, what with Big

Brother being cancelled, for example.’’

The attractiveness of celebrity lives act as a form of escapism for fans.

It doesn’t take a genius to understand that most of these popular celebrities lead fake, curated lives, posed perfectly for the camera.

But we need it. We forget about our daily duties, stresses and concerns, and we immerse ourself in a world full of glamorous

clothes, fabulous food and world-famous parties. It’s a guilty pleasure. You know you shouldn’t but you can’t help it.

Celebrity culture gives us the opportunity to take a break from our own lives and live through someone else for a change. According

to Jack: ‘’There’s an element of jealousy involved in being a fan of celebrities, whether we wish we had their mansions, holidays,

clothes or whatever else they might have that you don't. They're put on such a huge pedestal – A-listers, rather than reality stars –

that when something happens to them or they do something, people want to know.’’ He finds a clear comparison in today's

celebrities and their fans and followers, between Jesus and his disciples, although not religious himself. Even the word ‘followers’

suggest that people only have an interest in celebrities, simply to follow them. To follow what they wear, what they are interested in,

how they act - the list is endless. It’s sad to think that so many people are unhappy and unsatisfied in their own lives that they look

up to a botox filled, fake life on instagram.

With Generation Z being brought into a world at the forefront of technology, it’s no wonder that people are so intently obsessed with

celebrity culture, that they don’t understand the world without it. Time spent on social media (ages 18-25) averaged in 2018 to three

hours forty minutes per day. Almost twenty-four hours a week. That’s a whole day a week, spent entirely on social media.

Celebrity culture has a huge obsession that surrounds it: it’s become part of a lifestyle. The age of gossip magazines has past, the

world of technology is changing and is moving onto bigger and better things. We are already under the thumb, with social media

ruling our lives, and the addiction to perfection increasing. Who knows where we will be in another decade.

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