I suppose every
age has its heroes. When I was growing up in the early ’40s,
I idolized FDR to such an extent that I felt as though the
world would end when he died. I had no memory of any other
president and could not even envision anyone else in that
role.
There were the usual Hollywood
heroes too, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Nelson Eddy, a few
sports icons like Joe DiMaggio, and some women that I sometimes
tried to emulate; the gracious ways and dramatic sweep of
a Loretta Young entrance, the smoldering sexiness of Hedy
Lamarr or the crisp sophistication of the "one of the
boys" mannerisms of Katharine Hepburn.
But all of these people,
I realized, inhabited a world apart — a beautiful,
somewhat mysterious, separate world from mine — a
not-quite-real, fantasy world.
Today, celebrities have come to play
such an important part in our lives that we not only know
what they ate for breakfast (and with whom they ate it)
but anyone in the news is capable of instant celebrity just
by being in the news — regardless of whether what
put them there is a noteworthy achievement of some kind
or another or something incredibly stupid and in bad taste.
Once having entered this exalted kingdom
of "celebredom," the assumption is they have unlimited
other talents in addition to the questionable ones that
gave them entree in the first place.
For example, Nicole Richie and Paris
Hilton, two "super debs" whose main claim to fame
is lots of money and an ability to appear at more parties
in one week than most of us see in a lifetime. After a hit
reality show called "The Simple Life," Paris has
written a memoir, is "designing" a line of jewelry
and is a spokesperson for Guess jeans.
Her mother is now being handed
a TV show in which she will teach "ordinary mortals"
how to become social stars.
Mom’s only credentials, as far
as I could learn, is having mothered two spoiled, limelight-grabbing
children.
John McEnroe, undoubtedly a fine tennis
player but never known for his sparkling conversational
ability or, for that matter, his diplomatic remarks, is
presently hosting a TV talk show. Surely, there must be
someone with better qualifications!
Tommy Hilfiger, the designer, will
star in a reality TV show about a group of wannabe designers
who will compete with one another. Any resemblance to Trump’s
show "The Apprentice" is purely intentional.
It is not enough that the insufferable
Mr. Trump has a show featuring dog-eat-dog competitiveness
as its main theme; Ivana Trump has decided that she, too,
will have a TV show. Perhaps she will reveal the secret
of how she ever could have been attracted to such a self-serving
egotistical bore in the first place.
Fashion has become a beholden
stepchild to celebrity. It no longer suffices to describe
a beautiful gown someone is wearing, but as Joan Rivers
so delicately inquires of Oscar-night celebrities in a two-hour
marathon before the actual event, "WHO are you wearing?"
Madonna, a devotee of cabala, a mystical
branch of Judaism, has popularized a certain bracelet known
as a bendel and it is now the accessory of choice for the
"in" crowd.
Pick up any Sunday Times obituary and
read about little-known, unheralded souls with a list of
astounding accomplishments — lives so full and remarkable
that I am awestruck. Why then, do we Americans have such
a need to idolize, imitate and obsess over celebrities and
grant celebrity status as readily as contestants were once
crowned queen on what was probably the first reality show,
"Queen for a Day."
What is it in our national
character that makes us so unsure of our own worth that
we can only shine in someone else’s reflected glory?
Jean Cherni
is founder of Senior Living Solutions, a retirement advisory
service. Contact her at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net or
15 The Ponds, Branford 06405. H. Pearce Company REALTORS®
is a full-service real estate company with more than 100
agents and branch offices in greater New Haven and the Shoreline.
Corporate and & Commercial offices are located in North
Haven, where the company was founded in 1958. All listings
can be found in color on the web at: www.hpearce.com. |
