Are We All Guilty?

They are everywhere.

They sell millions of newspapers and countless magazines, ranging from well-known monthly publications to some downright obscure - and not to mention, trashy - weekly glossies.

They blaze fashion trails, which society blindly follows.

They inadvertently dictate how we should dress and look, and as a result, the fashion and cosmetic surgery industries continue to see growth in double digits on both sides of the Atlantic as societal aspirations to conform to the standards of beauty they set increase.

Welcome to the age of celebrity, where everyone wants to be famous and a fortnight of inappropriate behaviour with strangers on a reality show beamed into millions of living rooms across the nation is guaranteed to make you a ’star’.

Although the first impression one gets from celebrities is of glamorous lifestyles and wanting for nothing – well, nothing that money can buy anyway – one can’t help pitying these people. The way I see it, they are ordinary people just like the rest of us; and oftentimes, not even that! They are seldom equipped to deal with and adequately respond to situations that the rest of us take for granted, and many have never had the opportunity to live in a well-adjusted fashion.

Those of us who are not subject to the ‘privilege’ of fame are free to deal with the ups and downs each day throws at us, without having to justify every reaction, facial expression, marital spat, decision or mistake to a critical audience. But we seem more than happy to play the parts of prosecutor, judge and jury when it comes to those in the spotlight.

Don’t get me wrong: I am not suggesting that celebrities are blame-free in the circus they often find themselves in – far from it. But it does appear that we the public are quick to put celebrities on a pedestal, only to savagely tear them down and shred them to pieces when the mood takes us a short time later.

What we don’t realise is that this whole process, while providing ‘good’ sport for us, may have a more devastating effect than is immediately apparent. I put it to you that by tacitly supporting and providing an environment where the famous are idolised, constantly hounded and subsequently pulled down, we are jointly liable for the sorry state these poor creatures end up in.

Cases in point? Look at the likes of Amy Winehouse, a gifted songstress who obviously has many, many issues to resolve. As if that isn’t bad enough, she has to battle her demons under the eagle eyes of the paparazzi, who shadow her every move in a bid to give us a running commentary on what Amy has done today, where and with whom.

Or, spare a thought for the unfortunate Britney Spears, whose descent from child prodigy to twice-married mother of two with a destructive predilection for alcohol continues to be well charted, not just in gossip columns, but also in the mainstream media.

And then, there’s the tragic story of Heath Ledger, a talented young actor who hadn’t even peaked, found dead in his Manhattan apartment in January. After winning critical acclaim for his performance in the controversial film Brokeback Mountain in 2005 his star was clearly in the ascendancy, with a string of award nominations and offers for lead roles in several blockbusters following.

However, Ledger, originally from Perth in Australia, was said to have found it difficult to cope with the trappings of fame. Extensive tests finally described his death as ‘accidental’, attributing it to an overdose of six different types of prescription drugs.

There are also countless actors and singers, all with varying degrees of success, who embark on nature-defying diets, fitness regimes and what can only be defined as culinary stunts to achieve impossibly perfect physiques, all in a sad bid to stay at the top of their game.

Whether it’s Beyonce embarking on a maple syrup diet for her role in Dreamgirls – she reportedly lost twenty pounds in just ten days - or members of the cast of Desperate Housewives who are alleged to favour the use of ‘natural’ appetite suppressant pills, entertainers continue to explore more bizarre ways of staying in shape…to entertain us.

So the question is, are Ledger, Spears and Winehouse responsible for their respective fates? Definitely; I am a big believer in people taking their destinies into their own hands.

But we must stop and question whether it is worth it: the implicit creation and support of a culture where entertainers feel so pressured that they risk their families, health, and very lives, simply for the ’show to go on’.

So, please spare a thought the next time you pick up a newspaper and thumb through to the gossip columns.

Somewhere, somehow, it costs someone a lot more than you could possibly imagine.