For some reason, the ‘tongue sticking out thing’ was (is) somewhat a trend among social media users. Apparently, this is part of the Cardi B effect, an American rapper known for tongue-curling among her other antics. The famous can indeed shape people’s way of life. In all conscience though, most of us find the lives of celebrities very appealing. Their impressive lifestyles can make you turn green with envy. Most of these celebrated personalities, especially musicians and movie stars, normally own lavish cars; they own designer clothes and mansions and many other things that make it hard not to drool over. This, and every other part of their lives that’s often publicised by the media, makes it impossible to escape admiring celebrity culture. Interest in celebrities can be seen as a natural result of this need for social connection. Celebrities are often portrayed as attractive and wealthy, with glamorous, exciting lives, in contrast to the more mundane, dull existence of fans, cites an article posted on the Fair Observer website. For some people, celebrity worship is motivated by normal social needs of the social self, but for others it is driven by the desire to compensate for some inadequacy in the empty self. Research has strongly supported the prediction that deeper levels of celebrity worship are related to negative outcomes, such as depression, anxiety and neuroticism, as well as poorer self-esteem and lower life satisfaction. Aaron Mugisha, a social media user, agrees with this, noting that this culture of celebrity worship comes with effects. He says, celebrities can have a positive influence on our lives but being overly involved can make a person develop a poor body image, low self-esteem and an overall feeling of inadequacy. “At times we compare our lives with them and this leaves us feeling inadequate.” According to Patience Umurerwa, a fashion enthusiast, admiring celebrities has been a source of great inspiration, especially when it comes to keeping up with designer trends. They inspire what I wear and how I choose to live my life. I know I can never go for what I can’t afford, but revering in their style and way of life somehow gives me inspiration to work for a better life, she says. Umurerwa says celebrities have the ability to influence society in both negative and positive ways. “They have the power to serve as positive and inspiring role models. Imitating them, however, to the extent of worshipping them can be damaging. Admiring something you can never have can lead to depression, you can become so dazed by what you see to the extent of believing that may be your life is not worth living,” she says. Author Robert Reeves cites that there are additional reasons for the easy connections that fans have with celebrities. More recent critics continue to commonly blame celebrity and entertainment culture for moral decay, loss of values and the erosion of cognitive abilities. There is probably no way at present to completely disengage from the effects of celebrity and entertainment culture. In order to try to keep a better perspective about these effects, however, we might adapt an old saying; although we might keep our celebrity friends close, we should keep our real friends closer.
