Why We Love Celebrities

The advent of mass media has ushered in with it,  an era of  idolizing celebrities. From Kim Kardashian to Lebron James, our media is saturated with the lives of seemingly divine figures. A simple channel surf showcases the fascination with the separate and distinct sphere of lives that regular people cannot enter into. "Laderman argues, celebrity fame is "a pervasive and powerful force in modern society, magnetizing and tempting millions of people... a historically unique, curious, cultural phenomenon (74). While this phenomena has been amplified in modern times, it is not exclusive to the 20th century. But why do we have such a fascination and desire to emulate celebrities?  


The appeal of celebrities develops from a long history of aspiration and a desire to escape from the mundane.Just like other types of myths, celebrities provide the possibility of excitement and escape for the average person. Celebrities appear to risen above the commonality of "normal" people, instead they are living the ideal life. One of the earliest celebrities" was Richard I of England or the Lionheart.  Richard was a central Christian commander/king during the Third Crusade. He scoring considerable victories against his Muslim counterpart, Saladin. Though he didn't capture Jerusalem, his legacy became a folk legend.  Richard I legacy not only created idolization in his time, but far into the 20th century and even a slated 2014 release of a King Richard movie. Celebrities represent a myth of what humans could be. Unlike saints, and hero myths, celebrities are human. Though they are separated by vast talent and resources (Richard ate a Lion's heart for its power), there is a fundamental similarity between the common person and celebrity. This allows a desire for emulation to exist in a way it cannot for a saint or hero myth. As Laderman argues, Idolization of celebrities is a, “rather secular version of more authentic religious devotional practices, a displacement of a deep human need onto stars rather than saints” (76). "