Fame

My cousin had a theory that due to the internet and social networking, no one can ever again be truly "famous."

It's an interesting idea. I think a person's initial reaction would be "What?! No! The opposite is true! The internet allows more people to be discovered and to become famous!"

But isn't that exactly it? It's like Syndrome said in The Incredibles, "And when everyone's super, no one will be." [yes, I did just quote a Pixar movie]

I think the classic idea of "fame" was created by significant amounts of mystery. People became starstruck over actors and actresses, because though they portrayed all sorts of characters that viewers could intimately connect with, none of these personas were the REAL them. So who were they really? Rich, talented, enigmas hidden behind sunglasses, gracefully smiling at flashing cameras.

That romantic idea cannot remotely apply to today's "famous" people like the Kardashians or other reality stars.

I'm not sure whether or not my cousin was right about fame becoming extinct. But perhaps fame has become distorted. Just as over the years the beauty of cities becomes hidden in a layer of smog and pollution, fame now means every detail of the actor's life on display. Tabloids record the most intimate of facts and make up the rest. There is no privacy, and a person's entire lives are the viewer's entertainment. Such words as "mystery" and "class" are now meaningless.

Then again... cities were probably just as polluted, dirty, and smog filled back then, it's only now that we know that smog is dangerous and not just the romantic haze of the city lights. Drugs, depression, and scandal were as much a part of Hollywood then as they were now. Perhaps it's good that we now shine a spotlight on those on the stage, because now they can't get away with it (without public shaming at least).

I don't know... regardless of these meandering thoughts, I still think the celebrities of Audrey Hepburn's day are classy, romantic, and lovely. And yet.... I also think it would be quite nice to be famous today as well. Perhaps if I became famous, I could pull some mystery and intrigue back into the mix?

(Because shine as many spotlights on me as you like, good luck figuring me out. I've been living with me for 23 years and I've got no fucking clue what's going on.)