THE FRAILTY OF CELEBRITY

‘If you come to fame not understanding who you are, it will define who you are. ‘ Oprah Winfrey ‘I do not like the man who squanders life for fame; give me the man who living makes a name Emily Dickinson They are well known for their ‘Welknowness’.You see them on the pages of newspapers, covers of magazines, they attend A-LIST events, and are quick to flaunt their premium outfits. They are the poster child for success. Welcome to Celebritydom.Celebrities is thrust into the public eye because of a particular talent, skill, achievement, or ability. This gives them maximum attention with minimum preparation. No crash course on ‘HOW TO BE A CELEBRITY’, therefore if you are not prepared for the glitter of fame, it may eventually ruin you without you being conscious of it. Being famous gets you a lot of perks, stares, and respect, but it can also expose you to the world and the world to you, if you have not dealt with your Achilles heel. Fame may be the spur that drives people to success, but it can be a killer when it finally arrives. When you embrace the glitz and glamour of being a celeb, the constant attention from the public and the media can make you lose the true colour and perception of reality, and also inflate your ego. The reason why a D’banj will tell you he knows nothing about fuel subsidy protests he is a busy musician who has no interest in politics. Or a Tiwa Savage would fight on Twitter over a fan who expresses his opinion about the way she looked during the fuel subsidy protest and she angrily calls him: ‘A waste to the Nigerian population’ Once you court fame as a celeb, be ready for the scrutiny of your character. Fans will annoy you, colleagues will betray you, and people will take you for granted. That said, you have to maintain a positive character in spite of your human frailty. According to Bandera’s social theory(1986),humans learn about the world through observing the behaviour of others. Logically, people are likely to imitate the behaviour which they associate with success. A British study conducted by Charlotte De Backe found that celebs are seen as being ‘Higher status or more successful others’ which means that people are more likely to ‘mimic’ (their) overall behavioral pattern. People tend to imitate them because of their perceived success. On the flip side, what if a celeb does not live up to the society’s moral code of conduct? At times celebrities are the wrong people to look to for instilling moral values to your wards . The incredible pressure to sustain the rate of success amidst ever changing trends and cultural shifts has led to the downfall of some celebs.This constant hunger to be more, do more, and craft the right image of achievement has led many of them to depression, drug abuse, and even abbreviated life. Beneath the trappings of success and the means to success is the silent cry for fulfilment. It’s not your Lady Gaga like fan base, numbers of awards on your shelf, your celebrity status, and incredible wealth that makes you who you are. What makes you who you are is how you can be responsible for yourself and make a mark beyond the sound of your music or the trailer of your movie. True success and significance lies in being true to yourself and using your influence as a celeb to give people something to smile about. The same media that adores you today will splash your pictures in tabloids for people to savor the downfall of a onetime megastar. In the words of Glennville Ashby: ‘Each man is questioned by life and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life and to life he can only respond by being responsible’ Kehinde Ajose is a Talent development coach, publicist, and writer who wrote in from Lagos