There are many reasons to glance through the pages of popular celebrity weekly magazines such as Star Magazine and In Touch and become envious at the lives of celebrities. The truth is that fame is often elusive for those who seek it and often fleeting for those that do. We have become a celebrity obsessed culture with headlines about war being pushed back for cover stories on the Hollywood elite. We are in dangerous territory when the information on the personal lives of those we do not know becomes more important than national security.



The over the top coverage is just one of the reasons that can be found to hate Hollywood. Here are three others:

Talented Is Not Needed

Bring back the days of actors and actresses belonging to studios for their singing and acting abilities. Today any would be celebrity only has to be the offspring of someone famous or act outrageously on a reality television show to experience instant stardom. Since when did hooking up with half of Hollywood garner a record deal? I miss the days of true singing talent. Andy Warhol famously said that everyone wanted their 15 minutes of fame, and unfortunately, most spotlight seekers are trying to stretch that fifteen minutes into one whole hour.

The Illusion of Being Thin

Many average women compare themselves to the size zero starlets in the entertainment industry. While in America there is definitely an obesity epidemic, with both children and adults affected. Yet Hollywood does not promote a positive body image. In fact many starlets suffer from eating disorders and can easily fit into the clothes of children. The new fad is to be less than a size zero.

Hollywood should do a better job of promoting a healthy body image and it should start with the truth. If your favorite supermodel or actress puts on a little bit of weight, technology is around to help remove the cellulite and extra few inches from the thighs of the actress. That well toned abdominal section may just be a trick of the mouse. Entertainers often have serious eating disorders and very unhealthy techniques to staying thin. Those that do decide to lose weight have been known to fast for days without eating any solid food. Personal chefs and personal trainers are often employed to whip them into shape. To make matters worse those of a healthy weight are often referred to as curvy or voluptuous. Since when is a size six curvy?

Celebrities and the Average Joe are Not Created Equal

The most annoying thing about celebrities is that we have created a culture where they feel they are above the law. Crimes that the average person would be penalized for only merit a slap on the wrist for many celebrities. R. Kelly has been awaiting charges on pedophilia for at least 4 years, O.J. Simpson has been able to write a book about how he actually did commit the crimes, Nicole Richie is arrested was under the influence of drugs while driving down the highway in the wrong direction.

While we are all supposed to be afforded equal protection under the law, and yet we are not all judged equally by the law. In Hollywood there is a microcosm of people living with an overabundance of everything including drugs and alcohol. The rest of the population is put at risk when the law is broken and it is treated as entertainment.

The best course of action is to treat those in entertainers as entertainers. They are not supposed to be the measuring stick against which we judge ourselves, and a drunk driver is just the same whether or not they have a show on television.