A Brown Mother

Synonyms

fame – renown – reputation – repute – notability – glory

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Okay, if a celebrity is a famous person, that means that celebrities are people, like you and me, who entire (or a reputable number of) nations know and love.  Not only do these mass numbers of people love this person, but they support them by buying their material, attending their shows, building shrines of them in their closets, and heatedly defending them against any nay-sayers.

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Let’s take a look at what the typical fan looks like:

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I mean, people all but worship their favorite celebrities, so 1) I think fans need to realistically evaluate their feelings of connectedness toward their favorite celebrities, and 2) I think these screaming, red, and tear-stained faces that pay celebrities’ bills and keep them relevant and thus in the spotlight, and thus employed, deserve some consideration in return.  How selfish does a celebrity have to be to feel otherwise?  What is to be said about any human soul, famous or not, who discourages people from looking to them admirably and in turn imitating some of the things they do?  That’s called being someone’s inspiration.  The world may have never known Eryka Badu if she had never known or been inspired by Billie Holiday (or whomever she listened to growing up).

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How much denial does someone have to be in for them to aggressively defend their favorite celebrity, a person whom they do not know, but love anyway, and then honestly deny these deep feelings of connectedness that they feel towards this person that they don’t even know?   It’s okay if you love your favorite celebrity, just realize and admit that who you choose to idolize reflects who you are as a person and the type of behavior, music, lifestyle, etc. that you consciously or unconsciously endorse.  It is impossible for me to love Nicki Minaj and not be in favor of, or at least be “okay” with the messages she sends through her music and through the clothing she chooses to wear.

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So again I ask, why would a celebrity not recognize, accept, and enjoy their ability and their obligation to inspire their fans?  Rihanna, it’s cool if you don’t want to change your image to something more “wholesome” to suit angry parents, but you do have to realize that young women who watch you will try to imitate you.  It is the only reason they are listening to you…because they like something or everything about you.  Some will merely draw their artistic inspiration from you, or identify with you as an individual; and others will go to the extremes of darkening their hair and wearing all black just because you do.  If that bothers you then maybe you should consider another profession or consider a new look, because after all, if who you are (how you dress, how you act, the type of music you make, etc.) pleases you, then why wouldn’t you be flattered that other women and little girls agree?

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What I’m saying is that celebrities don’t really have a choice.  They work for “the man” technically, but in reality, they work for their fans to like them.  If you are a celebrity that no one likes, you will not be a celebrity long.

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At the least, I think celebrities ought to realize that they have a significant impact on the fans who genuinely love everything (that they know) about them–the good, the bad and the ugly.  As love goes in all other relationships, people tend to hold their loved ones in high regard and they tend to take the words and actions of those they love as indicators of what they should do and how they should operate.

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Whether fans who share Rihanna’s sentiments admit it or not, they identify in some way with their favorite celebrities and their musical influences infiltrate their lives.  The levels at which this happens varies from person to person, but it happens to all.  It is necessary for the relationship of celebrity and fan.  Again though, that’s okay.  It’s okay for you to demand that the person you adore acknowledge your thoughts and opinions.  Afterall, the good book says:

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”–Luke 12:48