It seems like every single publication meant for women has a celebrity gossip section. This is a shame because it makes all women seem like gossipy hens. Yes I am guilty of talking smack from time to time, after all it is human nature. But there’s a limit.
Do you know how many people spend their lives competing over jobs that entail reporting on other peoples’ clothes? I’m talking about stuff with million dollar budgets. You can’t even get your resume looked at most of the time for jobs in television, radio, print and online media. When I think about the sheer number of resources and human effort and tears that go into celebrity fashion when there are real problems in the world – terrible, traumatic, horrifying issues – it boggles the mind.
So here’s my rant about why you shouldn’t care about what celebrities wear.
1. You should develop your own personal style.
It’s a common theme we all know. If everyone in the world was exactly the same, then what a boring place this would be. Young women and men should develop their own personal sense of style, not copy celebrities. This is known as biting. And it discourages creativity and individuality.
2. It’s creepy to cyber stalk other humans.
In most cases, when you idolize another human being to the point of copying their clothes and style it is considered creepy. So why is it okay to do to someone just because they happen to have a cool job working in front of a camera? We have the Internet now so anyone can be famous.
3. You know they get that stuff free, right?
The ironic thing about being rich and famous is that people send you free stuff even though you can finally afford to buy it yourself. Designers send their products to celebs hoping it will get photographed and copied. It’s called marketing, and you fell for it.
4. It’s a distraction from the real issues.
During the Golden Age of Hollywood people used movies as an escape from the realities of the Great Depression or World War II. Nowadays we still need a distraction and they know it. I don’t know what to call them, the man, the Illuminati, the government, if you will. They don’t want you to notice that they have no idea what they’re doing, so they fill the news with fluff about who wore it better. And that’s my Dale Gribble like conspiracy theory for the week.
5. Every time you do they grow more powerful.
Every time you tweet, post or blog about a celebrity they grow more powerful, because you’re putting their name out there. Even if you think their outfit was the most hideous thing you ever saw. Even if her boob popped out and you can’t stand her, you are still helping them become more famous. Like a cartoon monster that feeds on attention, the only way to defeat them is to ignore it until they go away.
Fashion is awesome and I love wearing pretty things. But I want to wear the clothes that I like, not some random person’s. That’s why I call on bloggers everywhere to cease and desist with all the celebrity fashion look books, and maybe troll on those who do. I could give a fuck who wore what to a party I can’t afford. Just let me know when you want to send me some free clothes.
Elizabeth de Moya lives near San Diego, CA. She volunteers for the birds, and she works at the zoo. She is going back to school to study pre veterinary medicine. She has a BA in Linguistics from UC Berkeley.