Pros & Cons of Being Famous + Be Prepared for Fame
Being Famous...
Being famous comes at a price, and the more famous you are, the higher the price you pay, especially for privacy and security.
Once you become an overnight sensation, you're thrust into the limelight, and everyone scrutinises and criticises everything you say and do. This can be particularly daunting, especially for the young and naive, as well as those who aren't headstrong, and particularly so without the advice and guidance of a professional.
As a successful star, you'll rub shoulders with the rich and famous, wear expensive designer clothes and jewellery, own flashy cars and homes, and be able to afford anything your heart desires. You'll have power beyond your wildest dreams.
Fans will want to emulate you and resemble your appearance. Many may even choose to have your image or name tattooed on their bodies. Your likeness will be immortalised through statues, waxworks, and portraits. Dedicated websites and fan bases will be established in your honour.
Everything you own or have worked with will become valuable memorabilia. Even your autograph will hold a significant value. More importantly, you'll have the opportunity to create a lasting legacy, making being a positive role model vital.
Here are two examples showcasing the immense power and influence famous people wield: 1. A tweet sent by Donald Trump caused a drop of over $13 billion in stock shares. 2. A tweet posted by American media personality Kylie Jenner resulted in a $1.3 billion decrease in Snapchat shares after she expressed her discontinuation of their messaging app.
The cost of fame is steep, yet it can also yield incredibly rewarding outcomes. If you're prepared to bear the price, being famous can offer an extraordinary experience.
Once a success, you'll have dozens of people working for you, including security, an agent, manager, financial adviser and media expert, while hoping they are all trustworthy and acting in your best interests. So, be cautious about who you employ and trust. Employing your family members as staff works very well for many stars, but not so well for others.
Being famous, you'll work alongside your childhood heroes and favourite celebrities at some of the best locations around the world, and you'll be paid millions for the privilege. Earnings (wages) are the equivalent of winning the lottery multiple times a year.
"There's nothing but constant pressure."—Selena Gomez
Being Famous: Not always So Glamorous
Most famous people would throw away their celebrity/famous lifestyle purely for a peaceful and private life.
While being famous can allow you to fulfil your dreams, there will be times when you can't leave your home. Your cars, homes and phones may be bugged, drones and helicopters following your every move.
You will be followed and spied on 24/7 by the paps, the public and obsessive fans (fanatics) who will constantly pester you for autographs and selfies until you die. The intrusion has taken its toll on many famous people. Some have chosen to leave the limelight — others have chosen to live abroad for privacy.
Famous people cannot use public spaces for fear of unwanted attention. Instead of using public facilities, they need an enormous home to accommodate a cinema, gym, basketball courts and swimming pool for their family and friends to enjoy without being harassed in public places.
The more famous you became, the bigger the homes, the higher the walls and the more reclusive some have to be. If you're unlucky and cannot sustain your fame, homes become smaller due to the inability to finance a large property and pay your employee's wages.
"People kick you when you're down."—Justin Bieber: Justin Bieber
Your every move is scrutinised by the media / journalists and photographers (the Paparazzi, aka, 'paps')
The paps will always be there to follow your rise and sometimes fall from grace. Catch 22. You will need them, just as much as they need you, to fill magazines and newspaper pages.
It's all exciting at first when you're being followed and photographed by the paps and then seeing your face in every newspaper and magazine. The endless radio and television interviews and being a celebrity guest on all the top talk shows — everyone wants a piece of you could eventually take its toll.
Because some paps deliberately 'aggravate and annoy' you to make you snap to make a better story and the opportunity for the paps to earn hundreds and thousands of pounds for an exclusive picture (the money shot). Unfortunately, some celebs take the bait and fight back (as shown in some videos on this page) and trust me, when they take your picture, they're not always looking for the most flattering picture.
You may have to relocate with all your family to a more secure location to avoid the photographers and other strangers who'll be right up in your face, hiding behind bushes and following and documenting your every move..
For anyone, especially young female celebrities, it can be very daunting to have lots of men (paps) loitering outside their homes day and night. All eager and desperate to take their picture, and guess what, you'll have to smile and be polite because you don't want to get on the wrong side of the paps or the obsessed crazy fans also on your tail.
Famous individuals, particularly women, can fall victim to manipulation through honey traps, often set up by journalists with the goal of exposing them in compromising situations. A prominent example of this occurred with Tulisa Contostavlos, a member of the popular British hip-hop group N-Dubz and former judge on The X Factor.
In 2013, she was lured into an elaborate setup by a journalist, Mahmood, who posed as a movie producer offering her a £3.5 million film role. As part of the ruse, Tulisa was led to believe she needed to prove her "bad girl" image by arranging a drug deal. The journalist used this to set her up for a sting operation, leading to her arrest and the threat of years in prison.
Tulisa’s case ended in a dramatic court reversal, where the journalist was charged with perverting the course of justice. This example highlights how vulnerable public figures are to being manipulated, not just by strangers, but also by journalists seeking to exploit them for personal gain.
"Everything you do in public will be photographed."—Daniel Craig
Princess Diana was one of the most famous and photographed women in the World
Princess Diana was relentlessly harassed by the paps. She once held a press conference to vent her frustration by saying, "I was not aware of how overwhelming that attention would become, nor the extent to which it would affect both my public duties and my personal life, in a manner that's been hard to bear."
In a candid interview, Prince William told how they "chased her, called her names, and spat at her to get a reaction." He said they were like "a pack of dogs." The paps pursued her to her death in a Paris tunnel crash. They were still taking photos of her while she lay dying in the crumpled wreck of the crashed Mercedes.
Her brother Earl Spencer accused the press of being "directly responsible for her death", saying, "I always believe the press would kill her in the end. "Every proprietor and editor of every publication that has paid for intrusive and exploited photographs of her have blood on their hands." He also said, "They killed the golden Goose which laid their golden eggs."
Two decades after Diana's death, her son Prince Harry said of the press. “there's been a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout Meghan's pregnancy and while raising our newborn son, and I will not be bullied into playing a game that killed my mum."
"When I started out, I was young and inexperienced. The industry is full of Sharks and Wolves in Sheep's clothing."—Former Pussy Cat Dolls. Melody Thornton
While many fans will love and adore you, some will hate you for a character you may have played or portrayed. They will despise you for whatever reason and troll and threaten you on social media.
The paps, fans and even refuge collectors will secretly rifle through your rubbish bins, hoping to find anything which has information or anything valuable like TV scripts or handwritten notes.
Some are looking for more personal items, including anything with DNA or hair. These could be valuable on auction sites or for some overly obsessed fans. Britney spears used chewing gum wads have been sold on eBay.
In the beginning, it's fun and exciting, but as the years go by, it becomes a never-ending security nightmare.
Food for thought. When eating in restaurants, staying in hotels or ordering a takeaway meal, would you ever think about what the chef or delivery driver might do to your food because of something you may have said or done.
An example, British comedian Mel Giedroyc revealed a disgusting story on a TV Show about her time as a waitress. She said that David Bowie and his entourage entered her place of work and ordered some cappuccinos and a big cake. Mel then said, "what can I do to feel like I have entered him in some way"? She then shockingly revealed she "licked the cake". And on the 'Graham Norton Show' she said, "some of my saliva will have gone into him". If that's what someone does who loves you, what would they do if they hated you?
So always be mindful when eating out, or ordering a takeaway, because some "additives" in foods might not be food, but bodily functions.
"Fame makes you paranoid.—"Idris Elba
Finding people to trust will be difficult, and finding true love will get hard. Will they love you for whom you are or for your celebrity and financial status? Your family and friends may also be jealous/envious of your wealth and success. Some might feel you owe them because of your connection with them.
Once you're famous, your celebrity status will rise and fall. Look at those who've achieved the A-List before being dropped to the Z List. They are always trying to get back on the A-list again. Some Z-Listers get invited or apply to appear on celebrity reality shows. Others get there via sex and drug scandals — sex tapes leaked on the Internet — fighting with other celebs or the paparazzi. The easiest way is for them to appear on a reality show for the attention and press exposure to get back in the limelight.
When famous, the secrets you thought you had with close friends may be revealed by those who know you because everyone has a price, and the press/media will pay anyone to reveal their secrets. The culprits could be a family member, new or former friend, neighbour or work colleague who is jealous/envious of your wealth and success.
Most celebs would love to appear in periodicals, but not with the title "Celebrity Secrets revealed", so be cautious about who you trust. You want to be rich and famous, not rich and shameless.
"You lose a lot of friends.—"American model, Gigi Hadid
Any tweets or Facebook posts you've made in the past that are racist, offensive or homophobic could ruin your career before it even began, so delete them. Be cautious of what you say and do in front of friends (frenemies) who may be recording your conversations, which could come back to bite and haunt you when you're famous. Note: Blackmail and bribery still exist.
It's getting much harder for famous people to have privacy because practically everyone carries a video recorder (smartphone) which can capture your every move - not forgetting hidden cameras spying on you. Either on holiday, staying at a hotel, or placed in your home by workers you employ.
Your activities and whereabouts are always revealed and posted on social networks and media sites by the public — or even streamed live to their friends or online via various smartphone apps.
Juggling Fame and Fortune Beyond Showbiz
Most famous individuals often diversify their careers beyond show business. Legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady, for instance, established his own clothing line, TB12, along with a fitness company. Similarly, singer Rihanna and tennis champion Serena Williams have ventured into fashion with their own clothing lines. Beyoncé, alongside her husband Jay-Z, co-founded Tidal, a music streaming service. Retired NBA player Shaquille O'Neal has found success as a businessman, investing in various ventures like restaurants, nightclubs, and car washes.
Some celebrities engage in after-dinner speeches and public appearances, recognising that fame can be fleeting. They understand that simply being famous may not always suffice, particularly if their reputation takes a hit. In such cases, many actors have seen their characters "killed off" on-screen due to off-screen misconduct, leading to a disappearance from the limelight.
For singers like the disgraced Gary Glitter who convicted of child sexual abuse, radio stations will cease playing their songs, while TV networks may stop airing content featuring individuals like Jimmy Saville who was accused of serious sexual allegations. With the halt in income and royalties, celebrities may need to adapt to sustain their lavish lifestyles
"You belong to everyone else."—Lady Gaga
Conclusion/ Final Thoughts
When you're famous, you never know what's around the corner. Drug and alcohol problems have ruined many celebrities' careers. Falling out with bandmates, manager or work colleagues have ended or ruined celebrities careers.
An injury could ruin your acting and sports career. You could lose your voice, or even your marbles.
Many famous people have chosen the company of their 'security and house staff', over their 'family and friends', because they could not trust them, or fell out with them, usually over money or envy.
Many famous people have chosen to remain out of the spotlight due to plastic surgery complications or severe over-or-underweight issues due to work or life stress. Some have become reclusive and never know who to trust.
Others get fed up with the attention of the fans and the paparazzi. Or tire from the whole 'show' business completely, for other health and personal reasons.
These are some reasons why fame doesn't guarantee lasting happiness or financial security. Think about what you really want to do because you can still be wealthy and successful without fame.
Good luck!
Poll - Now Closed
What Are Your Worst Fears Of Becoming Famous?
- 28% The paparazzi and loss of privacy.
- 21% Never knowing who to trust.
- 5% People may hate me.
- 38% All of the above.
- 8% No Fears.
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