Money, privileges, admiration, fans - who wouldn’t want all this?  But what do we want to give in return and what might be the price we pay if we get it?  Cube Editor Becky Collins asks you to look past the lens and strive for more than your 15 minutes...

It seems hundreds of young people these days want to be famous.  And that’s no surprise with reality TV shows like Big Brother offering ‘celebrity careers’ to ‘normal’ folk like you and me.  But it’s not just television that’s to blame, the popularity of websites like Myspace and Youtube, where ANYBODY can make themselves publicly known has also added to ‘our look at me’ craze.

So have we let all this fame go to our heads and why do so many of us crave celebrity status anyway?  Well according to author Jake Halpern, it’s not entirely our fault.  In his book ‘Fame Junkies’, Halpern explains how the urge to get attention and be known is part of being human, he even looks at other animal groups and how they too react to ‘fame’.  He says "I think this desire is very human. We all desire attention".  And isn’t that true?  The thought of all that attention IS very enticing.  Feeling special, people valuing your style, looks or opinions - knowing they want to be YOU.   And then there’s the promise of money.  Just imagine, no more financial problems, a huge house, a swimming pool, the list is endless.  Not only would you have hundreds of pounds at your disposal, but you might even get away with not working for a living. Not too long ago fame was achieved by people doing or being something extraordinary.  It was untouchable.

We found ourselves thinking “I wish my life was like that”, as if all the glitz and glamour would solve our problems. But we respected that these people had earned their place to be recognised.  And all we could do was wish – that is, until reality television came into play. 

Shows like Big Brother, Survivor and Average Joe have made the possibility of fame more available and young people are starting to aspire to fame rather than becoming something great.  As Jake Halpern puts it, “When fame seems accessible, delusions of fame don’t seem delusional.” 

Magazines are also to blame for fuelling our obsession, with red carpet snapshots, photos of glamorous homes and celeb “magic” diets, we are becoming more and more fascinated by celebrity lives.  Modern technology has allowed our generation to peer into the lives of celebrities and we are reminded of them in every non glamorous moment of our day.  On newspaper stands, billboards and TV adverts; we are forever shown what we’re missing out on.

All this makes it very easy for us to forget that behind the designer labels, make up artists and royal treatment, these celebrities are just people with problems the same as anyone else.  And don’t we enjoy seeing that?  The antidote! Britney Spears screaming at the paparazzi with a skin head, or any number of celebrities leaving home looking less than perfect, it makes us non-famous feel better about our mediocre lives.  But even the thought of being snapped looking a mess won’t put us off.  That’s simply the price we are willing to pay for fame. The message that is being fed to young people is that there are short cuts to fame.  It doesn’t matter how you exploit yourself or how you are publicly perceived as long as you make it.  We’ve seen it happen to the likes of Jade Goodie, Chantelle (“I’m living the dream!”), X Factor’s Chico, and we all remember the Rebecca Loos scandal.  So why, if all these people found their claim to fame simply through exposure, can’t everybody else?

It’s detrimental to society that people just want to be famous, regardless of the consequences.  If we take a closer look at why these people are actually famous we might ask ourselves whether it’s really worth it.  What is often the sacrifice for a place on the Z list?  Ask yourself, what do you want to go down in history for?  Being ignorant, and outspoken (but with nothing to say) for having fake boobs, for sleeping with a footballer…wow, these are really things to be proud of.  The new breed of celebrity is willing to sacrifice their integrity for their 15 minutes, and living in a world with all of this around us puts us at risk of growing up thinking that’s okay.

There was a time believe it or not, when people only became famous if they earned it, by doing something extraordinary or different.  People like Sir David Jason, Sir Bob Geldof and Paula Radcliffe all have talents that took to the next level through hard work and determination.  Which is more than I can say for BB’s Nikki, or the Cheeky Girls.       

Life is hard, so just be grateful that yours isn’t in the public eye.  When you’re feeling rotten and not looking much better, be thankful that strangers won’t pass judgement.  And just think, the days when you do look fabulous, you’re looking like that without all the plastic surgery and a personal trainer!  And if you are still aspiring to be famous don’t you want your legacy to be a little more inspirational than a cheap catchphrase or frozen food advert? On the surface, fame seems like a wonderful escape from humdrum life but if we dig a little deeper we see all that glitters is certainlynot gold.   

By Becky Collins