Signs That You’ve Arrived :: essays papers

Signs That You’ve Arrived Oprah recently bought the most expensive house in California for $50 million. That barely put a dent in her pocket. How would you like to receive the respect and treatment of royalty? How about being given anything you desire, and more? Celebrity is the ultimate asset. In this frantic age of nanosecond attention spans, fame is fortune. Hollywood stars and athletes dominate the rankings of the richest, but celebrity enriches other individuals as well: successful CEO’s, chefs, models, authors, and even the newest arrival, the non-celebrity celebrity, courtesy of reality television. In a society where entertainment and the celebrity status fascinate us, it is no wonder why these people receive so much attention and define the word â€Å"famous†. A celebrity is an unique individual, set apart from the majority by an excess of sex appeal, or wealth, or talent, or impact. Many celebrities have more than one of these characteristics, but it is one of these traits that mo st identifies a person’s celebrity status. One of the most powerful characteristics a person can own is one’s sex appeal. In a society ruled by gratification, sex and the appeal one may offer fascinates and perplexes an audience. Britney Spears is the epitome of sex appeal, obvious through the celebrity status she has reached. This is her strongest attribute, winning out over talent, wealth, and positive impact. Her immense appeal receives more attention than her talent and is definitely exaggerated through her performances and her presentation. She knows she is sexy and uses it to the fullest extent in order to better herself and her celebrity status. This is the most superficial of the celebrity traits and is followed by wealth. Often times, in today’s society, wealth defines a person and their level of success. Take Bill Gates for example. As the richest man in the world, valued at over $52 billion, he is also labeled as one of the most successful. Mr. Gates is known world-wide for what is in his wallet, making him a celebrity, or as Webster defines it: famous. Gates has also had a huge impact on the advances in technology, but is more widely identified by his immense amount of â€Å"dough†. Gates has definitely reached celebrity status mainly by knowing how to rake in the dollars. Even though he is very intelligently talented, talent is not what made him a celebrity.