Personal space

By Alicia Loh, 15 www.alicialoh.com

Celebrities live in a whirlwind where they film movies in exotic locales, and live in luxurious mansions in high-end communities. Their hectic schedules are filled with press conferences, and glamorous red carpet events and parties where they rub shoulders with other rich and famous people. That’s what it seems to most of us, but when the lights are dimmed, and the cameras are turned off, they go back to being normal.

Of course, their version of normalcy is fairly different from ours, but one thing remains the same: their need for privacy. The media constantly hounds them, eager for more pictures, and for them to slip up. They do this to feed us, the people who are always ready for more material to gossip about with our friends, or just to muse over when we are bored. It’s only natural for us to want to know more about the seemingly fabulous lives they lead, and just by taking up their profession, these celebrities have acknowledged that people will always want to know more about them. The problem comes when too much is out there; when the general public knows enough – or think they do – to pick apart their lives in their heads, and create scenarios that never happen: when we start thinking we know what they should do in particular situations, and judge them over what they do.

Even though celebrities place themselves in the spotlight much of the time, not everything they do needs to take center stage. When Princess Diana was involved in the fatal car crash that took her life, and the two princes called for the media to allow them to grow up quietly, without all the attention. They obliged, but only after the damage had been done. The princes grew up well without the media scrutinizing their every move, and sometimes, the public just needs to step away to give them room to breathe.

It’s fun following celebrities, and keeping updated with what they are doing, but there should be boundaries as well; things that don’t get into the public eye. It’s about respect; about knowing the limits; what we can discuss, and what we, even as ardent fans, should avoid. Even celebrities need their personal space.

Personal space

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