Most magazines are devoted to them along with the best spots in the newspapers. Everywhere we turn they are trying to market a product; get us to see their movie, buy their album. Companies use their influence to start trends and to increase sales and we fall for it, hard and most of the time, we don’t even know why. Do we really think that celebrities are our friends or do we think them so fascinating that we crave a part of them in our lives so badly?

Reality shows, news, magazines, websites, books; all dedicated to them. Most of them are best sellers or get the highest rating. It’s not only that we want a glimpse of their life; we want the reassurance that they are real people with real problems but we should already know that, we should have to spend money to realize that they too are human.

I remember when Britney Spears shaved her head, programming was interrupted to show a promo clip for the news later that night the infamous video of her with clippers in her hand, that spiralled into her being followed and us being updated, as though it was a family member in crises we weighed in and called others to discuss her problems, some of which could be solved if we lay off the celebrity worship.

See, if she weren’t such a high commodity, there would be no reason for Photographers to be following her around, showing all her personal life on film. Again, they are real people with real problems. How would you feel if your latest spat with your significant other made the news, if your children’s picture ended up on the front page of a magazine without your permission, if you have to be subject to the entire state/country/world, judging your every move? I imagine that the thought of it might not be as bad as the reality of it.

I feel sorry for celebrities. I wish they could have normal lives. Wish they could take a vacation without being harassed. I wish they could fall into the ranks and become invisible if they wanted to, even if it was for a day.

We have to realize that some of these problems are partially our fault, that we contribute to what these people become, they may not know our names or ever see our face but we create the world in which they live and sometimes, it is unbearable for them to exist.