Celebrity activity has become an essential manual to how our society operates and carries out our daily lives. We have put them on a pedestal and glorified their every movement, following their choices and reading the details of their lives like the gospel. Their love lives and fashion choices, their frequented vacation spots and restaurant visits, the products they use, and the brands they endorse; seemingly everyone is on the edge of their seats to see what the newest story is and how to follow suit.
How celebrities impact our society
The rise of the Kardashians and the reality television show arguably began this craze. A program dedicated to bringing the regular folk into the lives of the top one percent, witnessing every aspect of their daily lives, increased the significance of celebrities. Kylie’s makeup business sparked the trend of lip liners and products. Kim’s body augmentations brought to the public’s attention the existence of BBLs and breast enhancements- not that they were not a thing before. She simply popularized them. Contouring entered our makeup routines like never before.
The Kardashian family is not the only one that has impacted our culture. Paris Hilton made velvet tracksuits—specifically the brand Juicy—famous. Katie Holmes took the ‘big pants small top’ trend from TikTok and made it more mainstream. Billie Eilish brought to the forefront excessively oversized outfits and Charli D’Amelio danced the ‘Renegade’ dance changing TikTok overnight.
How we function in a society that gives them great importance
How celebrities influence society increasingly is hard to ignore. We seem to trail behind them and step in their footsteps. Have we really prioritized these people so much that we cannot make a decision on our own? We seem to have forgotten that we are our own people, individuals who have the autonomy to make our own selections.
This phenomenon goes deeper than just following fashion trends and using the makeup products celebrities use. We, as a culture, have given that category of people in society such a magnitude and significance that we’ve lost ourselves along the way. We started wearing bandannas because Tupac did. Supreme came into the mix heavily because Tyler, The Creator donned the brand. Notably, all the major fashion trends have stemmed from a celebrity.
It’s understandable these occurrences. It makes sense that the most famous fads would be birthed from the most famous people. Which begs the question: why do we follow these people so intently? The impact that celebrities have is not just a random happening. We actively choose to give these people a platform.
We follow celebrities because of the break they provide us from the arduous reality we live in. They seem to live perfect lives, have perfect bodies, and access the best diet and clothing. Their vacations are full of enjoyment and extravagance, staying at the best resorts and with the best company. Our lives seem to pale in comparison. We forget to count our own blessings and end up constantly wishing we were in their status, too. We have inflated their existence and created a cycle of self-distrust and blind faith in the top percentage. We don’t believe we are adequate enough and turn to celebrities for both validity and direction.
We continue to sacrifice our autonomy. Because of that constant love and para-social relationships, we have formed with the famous sub-society that rules over us, we keep them in business. We feed them the power and wealth they have acquired. We don’t seem to notice that without us, they would cease to exist; we give them the power we so desperately want for ourselves. It’s almost funny.
The deeper impacts of celebrities on the fabric of our society
How celebrities influence society goes deeper, though, than what we wear. Celebrities seem to dictate how we talk, the slang and language we use. ‘Bae’ was born from the Pharrell Williams and Miley Cyrus song, ‘Come Get It Bae.’ Travis Scott had everyone saying ‘lit,’ and rap music generally changed the word ‘bread’ from actual food to a synonym of money.
It goes deeper still. Celebrities have a greater impact, arguably, on younger generations’ mentality than those in older age groups. Teenagers and young adults shape their interests based on what celebrities are doing. The constant yearning for a slimmer shape has left deep impacts on the way we see ourselves and determine our self-worth. Deeper still. The group of celebrities- overwhelmingly white- that have the biggest spot line creates a deep sense of insufficiency for young minorities who look up to them. The prioritization of white celebrities in media and the lack of recognition for people of color establishes an air of uncertainty of self-confidence.
Deeper still, the issues that celebrities often face trickle down and become points of tension for us as well. The rising divorce rates among celebrities, couples that have been together for as long as we can remember, give us an air of doubt about our own relationships. If these perfect people cannot succeed in their own marriages, what hope is there for us ‘normal people’? Disordered eating and the praise people receive for achieving a tiny body leak into our minds. Clearly, this is what is beautiful now, so we must copy this behavior.
How to de-influence
It’s tricky to take ourselves out of the mindset of worshipping those above us. It’s been so entrenched in our culture that following the lifestyle that has been laid out by celebrities is the right way to go. It’s akin to an addiction, how closely we watch them.
Because of this ideology, we stumble on the path towards freedom and independence. The biggest question to ask ourselves is why do we let these people have a significant influence on us? The only difference they have is the amount of money and wealth they possess- the majority of which they’ve gained through our attention and interest. At the end of the day, they are human, just like us. Them getting a divorce isn’t any more significant than when it happens to us. We have to actively take them off the pedestal we have put them on and remind ourselves that we are not less than anyone. That just because they possess more money or property, they are not any more important than us.
Remain steadfast in your individuality! Noticing how celebrities influence society is important to keeping ourselves as uninfluenced as possible.
Have you noticed how celebrities influence society? Let us know in the comments below!
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