Celebrity Obsessions

Published in the Utah Statesman January 21, 2009

What is so fascinating about Britney shaving her head, Brangelina adopting another child or what Beyonce wore on the red carpet?

Sian Smith, sophomore in social work, said she thinks it’s because we find their lives so much more interesting than our own.

“I think a lot of times we think our lives are boring,” she said. “I read magazines and watch ‘Entertainment Tonight’ because I think it’s a fun way to get out of my normal life of going to class and work.”

Smith said her biggest celebrity “obsession” is for Miley Cyrus, or Hannah Montana, teen-bopper from the Disney Channel.

“I started watching her show (‘Hannah Montana’) in 2006, and went from just watching the show, to buying magazines she’s on the cover of, to Googling her every day,” she said.

Smith attended Cyrus’ concert at the Energy Solutions Arena in 2007 and saw her perform at the Stadium of Fire this past July. At one point, Smith jokingly said she planned on naming her first-born daughter “Miley Sian.”

However, Smith said her “obsession” has been curbed to a more normal stage now that she is so busy with school and work, but that she still admires Cyrus for her “down-to-earth personality.”

“I like the fact that you hear all about these celebrities getting drunk and shaving their heads ... Cyrus has had her little scandals, but I think she’s a good role model to kids,” Smith said. “Her parents are her best friends and she hangs out with her sister all the time. She’s just like a normal kid making millions of dollars a year.”

Misty Woodbury, sophomore in nursing, said she doesn’t often purchase celebrity magazines, but definitely enjoys occasionally checking up on the latest gossip.

“I love passing the magazine section of the grocery store, picking one up and seeing what’s going on with my celebrity friends,” she said.

In particular, Woodbury said she enjoys anything about the actor Will Smith.

“I think he’s a very good actor and particularly good looking,” she said.

Woodbury said she thinks American’s are so obsessed with celebrities because it gives us something interesting to talk about.

“American’s like gossip and because the celebrities are a bit more crazy than the run-of-the-mill guy or girl, it’s just interesting to talk about their lives,” she said.

Lauren Cundick, junior in accounting, said she thinks American’s obsess over celebrities because we see their movies and think their lives must be just as glamorous.

“I think we idolize these actors because we see them in cool roles in movies that are fiction. We want to be like them and live their fantasy lives that we see in the movies, because movies usually work out in the end.”

Cundick said her favorite celebrity is Tom Hanks.

“I can’t remember too many movies that haven’t been good that he has done,” she said. “Whether it’s an action thriller like ‘The Da Vinci Code’ or a chick flick with Meg Ryan it is fantastic.”

She said she likes that Hanks stays out of the gossip. He’s just classy,” she said.

Christian Hathaway, undeclared sophomore, however, said celebrities are the last thing he’s paying attention to.

“I think American’s obsession with celebrities is the biggest joke of all time,” he said. “People need to quit living someone else’s life and live their own.”

Hathaway said he thinks people don’t understand that celebrity’s lives are not as wonderful as the magazines and TV shows portray them to be.

“Celebrities are all beautiful and Photoshopped and edited and they are portrayed as something they’re not a lot of the time,” he said.

Hathaway said he “tries to keep himself aloof” from the celebrity gossip.

Smith said she agrees celebrity stalking isn’t healthy, but that there isn’t anything wrong with being interested in a celebrity’s life.

“I don’t think there is anything wrong with being being fascinated with someone else’s life,” she said. “However, when it gets to a point when you’re obsessive ... that isn’t healthy.”

–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu