Why Are We Infatuated by Someone like Anna Nicole Smith?

Please don't think I am a bad person for writing this. But, I feel I just have to voice my opinion on the Anna Nicole Smith media frenzy.

While it breaks my heart that a woman lost her son, battled drug addiction and lost her life before she could really get to know her daughter, I am quite bewildered by the attention this pseudo-celebrity has received.

Did she have a fascinating life? Yes. Is her story intriguing? Absolutely. Was she a nice person? I'm sure. It's why we (collectively as a nation) have embraced and perhaps even respected this woman that bothers me.

I am a totally liberal person and respect people for their differences and quirks. In fact, more of the people that I choose surround myself than not, are very unique. But when it comes to American icons, what happened to those with dignity? Those with talent? Those with bleeding hearts for causes?

I am all for mourning the loss of any life, but it seems she has benn built up to be this respectable woman. Since when did hold people who do so many bad things in such high regard? Here is what I am talking about:

Drug Addiction

If people need help, by all means we should be supportive and do what we can to help. Hollywood has its fair share of recreation users. Hey, I'm all about a good time. However, Smith was allegedly still on drugs when she was pregnant with Dannielynn. That's not really a good example. Also, in many of her interviews she just appeared so odd and out of it.

I don't want to come off like a goody-two-shoes and say no one should use drugs, because what people do in their own time is none of my business. However, I do have a problem with people appearing high in public interviews, or being too strung out to do the work fans expect them to do. What happened to dignity and self-respect?

Marrying for Money

While Hollywood romances typically don't last that long, I can't help but truly feel that these stars really are in love. A lot of relationships develop on set, and a natural attraction and bond can form from spending so much time together. But just as fast, it can fade.

Perhaps the fast-paced life lends itself to not being able to put forth the effort to keep a relationship strong. Or, perhaps the lure of having anyone you want leads to unfaithfulness. These are all things that other 'normal' couples can experience and I fault no one for a fly-by-night relationship.

But what bothers me is that Smith was once again thrown into the spotlight by marrying a rich oil barren old enough to be not only her grandfather, but her great-grand father. I did not really know of Smith during her Playboy days, so her alleged gold-digger side was my first impression of her. Perhaps this led to my current opinion of her, but hey-first impressions are everything. Love may be love, but in my opinion there may have been fondness and a different kind of love here, but not romance. Did she not consider her public image when this story was going to break?

Men, Men and more Men all at Once

When I see Howard K. Stern and Larry Birkhead in the news lately, both openly saying that they were her lovers during the same time, it makes me really think about what kind of woman she was. I think about this even more so when more men are coming out of the woodwork claiming to be Dannielynn's father. I mean, many people are in open relationships. But being so public about it makes me wonder if she really respected herself. And if not, why should we respect her?

What about these men? Why are they fighting so hard for her, playing their love for her up so much when she was either unfaithful or just honest that she couldn't choose between them. Says a lot about them, too. I don't discount their love for her, but when someone starts a relationship with someone else, I'm out.

What Kind of Mother....

Smith's son Danny died of the drug her mother was addicted to. What kid of influence is this? What would have happened to Dannielynn had Smith been around to raise her? The same thing? Maybe that is harsh to say, but when people so publicly display a drug problem one just instantly things about their parenting capabilities.

Final Thoughts:

When I hear, "Anna Nicole fans mourned..." Fans?! For what? What talents did she have other than posing for the camera?

The whole reason this behavior upsets me is that when younger people ask what Anna Nicole Smith was famous for, well, we won't have very many positive things to say. While Smith was a remarkable woman in her own way, I do not feel the media nor the public should hold her in such esteem. There's not much respectable about her, and if there is, the bad overpowers that good.

Again, she should be mourned and remembered. But important, respectable people die every day and no one seems to notice.