Friday, August 26, 2011

Fame: A beautiful Monster.


I did not think I would write about this but it has occupied my mind so much that writing about it is the only way I can get my mind back and get rid of the saddening and depressing thoughts.
There is an African celebrity who I have been blessed to see grow into the person she is and also see her career soar to fulfilling places.
 She is beautiful and used to be good at what she did before it all fell apart where her career is concerned. She used to interview American musicians for a music channel. I used to look up to her in envy and admiration, hey; we all secretly want to be famous for one reason or other. Sadly she lost her job due to her actions and since then, it’s a Lindsay Lohan situation waiting to happen.
What she is going through made me reflect on how famous we all want or would like to be and the cost of being famous;
Your life is not yours once you become famous. I remember reading a quote that went along those lines. We as an adoring public or fans can be so demanding on the people we look up to as role models. We want them to be perfect in everything no matter what. Which I admit are hard expectations to live up to from someone who wants to live her life as she sees fit.
The media can make and break you. The media if not used the right way and to your advantage has the power to define who you are to the public depending on your actions. Once people see how fast you're life is spiraling out of control, your credibility and reputation begin to be doubted and everyone forgets how good you were at your job. To the public, you will always leave the image of a mad hatter due to the media. It’s pretty hard to get your image back to the level it was before everything went wrong. Few have managed it.
Loss of self. On the journey to fame, I believe what makes a person who they are is lost along the way due to the desire to fit into that world. Back then, when this girl was starting out, she was the only female to achieve all she has because there was hardly any competition in her line of work. Now, there are so many girls probably better than her and definitely younger giving her a run for her money which must be scary to her. It’s hard to reconcile who she is now and the things she says to the girl she was back then.
Social media. In this era of technology, social media plays a huge role in celebrity. When Twitter came around, I thought it was a great way for celebrities to tell their story to the public without their middlemen the publicists. I was never into Twitter but being on it lately made me realize that you can get inkling into a person's frame of mind through their tweets. Reading this girl's tweets makes me think she is losing it though to her, it is a marketing strategy since there is no such thing as bad publicity.
You become a laughing stock. This girl has become the butt of every comedian's jokes and the newspapers. For someone who is looking for future endorsement deals also known as a job, she's doing a pretty bad job at giving it her best effort.
What makes a great celebrity to me is HUMILITY in the presence of adversity. Own up to your mistakes and pick yourself up. How you handle yourself and your reputation during bad times goes a long way in putting that image back together but with this girl…. There is too much "Me! Me! Me!" and “swimming in money for days, I have the best weave in town, I am as big as Beyonce and Kim Kardashian" the list is endless!
The shameful thing on my part is that I would like her to get herself back together. Just like, I rooted for Britney Spears when everyone had written her off. If she manages to bounce back from this and get herself a job and more endorsement deals, then I'd agree that she knows what she's doing. 
                                                                                                                                       

3 comments:

  1. I knew you will post sooner or later about Nonhle..lol, have been awaiting your post on this. the media has a lot to play in her saga but cockiness is her major problem, now she has more haters than ever..Bottom line is don't ever forget where u come from nor take media/internet for granted, it might just come right back at u...will she be able to take the dust off her coat? we are watching and waiting

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  2. Hahaha! How did you know I'd post about her when I wasn't sure about it? Its good never to forget where you came from, I hope she learns from this.
    All eyes on her...

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  3. the sighs and whispers sold u out! hahaha
    hope so too, she seems not 2 learn though from her experience. it's usually" me ,me,me" all the time.

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