We revere our celebrities for a number of reasons, the most prevalent of which are their talent, fortune, and fame itself. When combined, the total revenue for the combined celebrity gossip news tops $3 billion each year. Can entertainment news reveal what exactly it is that makes us follow these people so closely?
Is a Celebrity’s Allure Their Talent, Fame, or Fortune?
Money: It Makes People Sit Up and Take Notice.
We tend to admire people who have made a significant amount of money. Or at least, we marvel over the amount if it’s particularly ludicrous. For example, consider Beyonce Knowles, Jay-Z, or Floyd Mayweather . These people are titans in their respective industries, and with reaching the top has come a large paycheck.
In 2014 to 2015, it was reported that Floyd Mayweather earned about $300 million. Beyonce has been reported to be worth an estimated $450 million, with her husband Jay-Z having an $650 million. At some point, the amounts are so high as to be nearly inconceivable. We wonder what it must be like to own more money than 99% of the population.
Talent is Not Much Without Grit.
While the money is appealing, it doesn’t just appear out of thin air. These Goliaths of their respective industries worked extraordinarily hard to make people notice them. What set them apart from everyone else with a gorgeous face or a beautiful voice was their determination, their faith (some would say arrogance) in their own abilities. No one will believe in you until you do, and these heavy-hitters didn’t falter in their pursuit of their desires.
That’s a powerful thing to witness. Everyone loves a story about an underdog, of someone who never gave up. It implies that they too could experience success if they refused to give up. Everyone’s looking for inspiration, even in the entertainment news section of the paper. Some celebrities with hard backgrounds give other people hope that one day their problems will be overcome too.
Everyone Wants Fame Until They Actually Experience It.
Some people enjoy the spotlight, some people hate it, and others think they want the attention until they experience it for themselves. It might sound odd, but fame is a cyclical thing. The entertainment news reports on a star for wearing something beautiful, or not; or dating someone who is also gorgeous, or not; or for falling to pieces. This in turn makes people read more about that person, which makes them more popular, which makes the celeb gossip sites report on that person more, etcetera ad nauseam.
We as a society have always admired specific people. We like our pedestals, but perhaps we love knocking someone off of one even more. However, the things we most admire about our celebrities no matter what are their talents and fortune. The more they have of those two, the more their fame grows.
