"What's the price to be famouse?", you go around L.A. long enough and you're sure to have an answer. But no testomony by far can compare to that of Britney Spears, a story that can raise the hair on many heads if they actually know what she's been through. Spears has had a big run through the industry; the star has gone through phases from teen dream of 17 to crotch-shot princess and has lived through her breakdown to tell all about it. Some would say her problems started two years ago at the 2007 Video Music Awards, others would say the problem started when she first came out. But whether you love her or hate her, Britney is watched by millions, just like you and I. But why Spears? Why not Christina Aguelara or Jennifer Lopez? Or why not even a male idol like Justin Timberlake? Because Spears has been through the industry all by her self and knows exactly which buttons to push. But since her '07 MTV debut was all but glorious, Spears has had to battle not only the Media to climb back up to the top, but her own mental self to prove that she was stable in both fields of at home motherhood and stardom.
They say the camera adds ten pounds to anyone in the picture, that didn't matter for Spears though. with the births of her two darling kids Sean and Jayden came the blessing of body fat, that's right, the calories stored away by the human body in a thick layer of jelletin under the epidermous. Just in time for the VMA's! It's not hard to understand how Spear's packed on the pounds, it's harder to comprehend why many people like to bash someone who does not look like the ideal celebrety though. It's the pot calling the kettle black basically as we do live in a society where obesity has become a problem. But more or less, I believe it's the haters who are stubbornly awaiting the fall of Spears' ego and her fame by attacking her appearance which was a natural occurance of the reprodctive system which is quite impossible to overcome. But to be totally sympathetic to Spears' criticisms would be just downright redundant as Bradley Jacobs of Us Weekly states that she had really set her self up for it in a CNN interview; Spears needed atleast 100 more hours of practice for her choreography and that she had spent two nights of partying in Vegas before her opening act [1]. The splash that Spears wanted to make for her comeback was that of a mentally handicapped dolphin as she aimlessly danced and gave a look of uncertainty to the millions watching. Jacob does state, however, "I'm not sure it's over for Britney". But to ridicule a young woman for her all but stellar looks is a very cowardly thing for many to do and is completely unfair as I'm sure many of those who say so would not perform for a roomfull of people, nevermind millions, in the fashion Spears did. To add her figure into the arsenol of attack for her performance in 2007 was very unfair and those of which should be ashamed.
We as a society have become, in plain lowest terms, a ruthless murder of vultures. We find it socially acceptable to engage in conversation of how bad someone so well known can crash and burn so badly. We find entertainment in the collapse of those with bigger egos than us. It's as though there is a natural high after talking about the bad things about a star and putting our own appearance in contrast with Spears, thus making us feel more star worthy than her. In organized special handicapped sports, there is no standard to adhere to, while in celebity spotlight, perfection is mandatory. For normal people like us to judge a dancing singer with no set standard and no background knowledge is ridiculous and incredibly hypocritical. But as Janice Min in Us weekly stated before in the article "As paparazzi push harder..." "Being a celebrity is a 24-hour job" [2]. So why is it people care so much about Spears and all the other celebrities so much? Does everyone infact suffer from CWS (celebrity worship syndrome)? There's no definitive answer as to why people are so crazy for Spears' streaks of victories and losses. We as a society have to work on our etiquiette towards others and learn to give a helping hand. There is definately a problem with people and society as a whole if we live with the irony of applauding handicapped sports in baseball for trying their best and laughing at a woman trying just as hard being a star.
Until the shot of Spears' crotch came up in the tabloids, I had a stereotpical view of paparazzi being all men behind ropes taking pictures from a distance and giving compliments to those famous people walking by. But since meeting Mr. Pulley, it's become apparant to me that just about everyone with a camera in their hand is on their knees around Spears trying to get the same picture that had an initial sale of $10,000 lastime, wow! But before we point the finger at our dear friend media, there are other factors that may play a role in the big breakdown.
"After consuming a mix drink called 'purple monster' (vodka, redbull and nyquil), Spears called her pregnant 16-year-old sister and said she'd be taking over the spotlight soon, shouting 'You're not going to be the only f-cking Spears on the front cover of a magazine next week!'... According to People, Spears' bizzare behaviour is the result of an undiagnosed bipolar disorder. An unnamed source close to the Spears family told People 'There is no question she's bipolar, she's had maniac episodes for years.'" [3]
So is this the answer to all the problems? Could it be stress that has triggered this kind of madness all along? Dr. Janata states "We know that stress can trigger depression, researchers have hypothesized that there is an effect of an early experience of depression that sensitizes the brain to be more likely to experience depression another time" [4]. It is, I'm sure, atleast somewhat of a problem having the stress of paparazzi swarms constantly surrounding a person who suffers from manic depression. Just a bit. "One of the very striking things about this story is that the media, like the crowd outside the tatoo parlour, seems to operate on the assumption that it is just a neutral observer of a very public mental breakdown. It doesn't seem to occur to anyone that they are obviously contributing in highly distressing ways to that breakdown itself" [5]. So it would appear asthough that the paparazzi are totally responsible for Britney's downfall, eureka! But wait - there must be more to it, right?
As said before, Spears has a keen intellect in the media and knows which buttons to push. It's evident that many things caught on film and spoken of in tabloids were somewhat premeditated. Photos of Spears go for alot of money since the peak of her touring career is now over; 9/10's of her photos are of what she's wearing & haircolour, and her crotchshot sold initially for $10,000 [6]. It's hard to resist money these days, especially when you don't make as much as you used to. Owen V. and his group of paparazzi tail Spears 50% of the time. She started dating a British pap named Adnan Ghalib, suggesting that Britney is behind all of her own spectacles in the tabloids, well, mostly. [6] She's been followed from her front door and chased at high speeds. These are key things that have caused a factual breakdown and lead to bizzare behaviour of shaving her head and getting tatoos spontaneously, which has ultimately lead to more media coverage in a viscious cycle. Britney has been an innocent victim in her own contribution to this frenzy.
No matter where you go; North, South, East, West. White, black, brown, yellow. Rich, poor, famous and infamous, people are people. So what gives us any right to treat celebreties different than anyone else? Celebrities have the same rights as everyone else, if not more! The main problem here is that the paparazzi's first amendment right is the problem happening with celebrities lifestyles. I whole-heartedly believe that celebrities have every right to fight back and protect their privacy. Although it is true yes, celebreties are worshipped and their lives are envied 24/7, it doesn't mean that they themselves as people must be disreguarded, they are people just like you and I. I hate to say this at the expense of feeling like Chris Crocker, but leave celebrities alone! These people shouldn't have to feel asthough they are always going to be rushed when they leave the house. They're people, just like us. Paparazzi have been known for going the distance by chasing celebrities at high speeds and trying to ram the back of their cars. It can never get too far for the paparazzi, this is their livelyhood and how they come about money. To stay off the streets you gotta make the money. And that's sometimes hard to come by in L.A.
Britney's Law is a new tool law enforement have in their arsenol to now handle mischevious behaviour by paparazzi when trying to capture photos of celebreties. This law was implemented in order to keep the peace on the streets of Los Angeles and ensure the safety of not only the famous, but other drivers and pedestrians. this measure was introduced by L.A. councelman Denis Zine [7]. This is undoubtedly a big first step in the right direction, where as before the rights of photographers seemed to dwarf the well-being of star-studded celebrities; it is now the victims turn to reign with law enforcement behind their back. Victims such as Lindsay Lohan, Cameron Diaz, Halle Barre, and Justin Timberlake would all be justified from paparazzi actions. even if these celebrities are already rich enough as many would think, it is the best thing if these photographers are made examples of in law-suits.
It would appear that Spears' 2008 MVA appearance was infact a good hit all around. People magazine commented on MTV.com that Britney physically appeared nice and this dramatic change has people routing for her - unsuprising when she got three awards [8]. I'm very optomistic about Spears, I recall when she first came out when I was about 8 or 9, she compared nothing to the Backstreet Boys. Now, she still stands alone and still makes music. this independent power will most definately get somewhere farther now that she has her fingers and toes all back in place.
In the future, it is quite evident that Jim Carrey will reclaim to fame, eventually having the biggest name and owning 25% of all marketed products in the world. He will then come back to Southern Ontario to visit, there meeting me and coming back to my house to play X-box. Will Smith will actually have a huge name and will be famous until death. Renee Zellwigger will become a drop-out prostitute on the streets since she doesn't do much important stuff. Heath Ledger will have a son somewhere by a woman he had sex with before death, thus being Heath Jr. and an actual Joker menace on society - whata twist! And the profession of paparazzi will be abolished after enough crimes take place!
[1] - Pulley, Aaron. Media Rants & Reflections http://puleyblog4.blogspot.com/
[2] - Halbfinger, David & Weiner, Allison. "As Paparazzi Push Harder, Stars Try and Push Back" Sep.2008
[3] - Janata, Jeffery. "What is the Connection Between Stress & Bipolar Disorder?" Feb.6 2008 http://abcnews.go.com/Health/StressOverview/story?id=4672897
[4] - "What Caused Britney's Breakdown?" Jan.7 2008 http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/SpecialConcert/Story?id=4096951&page=1
[5] - Hensher, Philip. "The Spectacle of Fame" The Hamilton Spectator
[6] - Britney: Speared by the Paps
[7] - Regan, Bob. "'Britney Law' targets paparazzi" Feb.12 2008 http://insession.blogs.cnn.com/2008/02/12/%E2%80%98britney-law%E2%80%99-targets-the-paparazzi/
[8] - Kaufman, Gil. "Britney Spears' VMA Appearance A Solid First Step" Sep.8 2008 http://insession.blogs.cnn.com/2008/02/12/%E2%80%98britney-law%E2%80%99-targets-the-paparazzi/
