Why Are We Obsessed with Celebrities?

We are obsessed with celebrities. We try to copy their hairstyles and fashion choices. We follow their every movement. Who are they dating? What diet are they on? Is that a baby bump? Are they getting married? Did they break up? I know not every person cares what a total stranger has for lunch. But as a group, it seems we have a problem. Paris, Lindsay, Britney, Heidi and Spence, Posh and Becks, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Brad and Angie, it goes on and on.
These names and the celebrities behind them have become a regular part of the daily lives of millions of people. The question that begs to be answered is: Why? When did it become possible to turn into a celebrity for doing nothing? (Except perhaps releasing a sex tape) How can people come out of relative obscurity, star in a "reality" show and become famous overnight? And for doing what? Being blonde (real or not)? Being british? Having an interesting haircut?

Now, don't get me wrong, I love a little celebrity dish now and then too. I mean, I wanted to see what little baby Suri looked like too when emerged from her cocoon. And believe me I was sad when I heard that Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson broke up...again. But when your average, everyday person starts conversing on a regular basis about drama between people they don't even know like, Lauren Conrad and Heidi Montag feuding or, Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian feuding or, Heather Locklear and Denise Richards feuding (you get the picture), the issue arises: why do we care?

I have to say for a while I didn't care. And then I found myself with some time off and this whole other world opened up and I got infected with what I call the "E!Virus". It happens when you find yourself with some time on your hands and you end up watching the E! channel for large blocks of time. Before you know it you've been watching Snoop Dog and his family, the Playboy girls and Hef, seen the Kardashian kids fighting, gotten your fill of E! News, The Daily 10, and lived through an E! True Hollywood Story and lost about 6 hours of your life. But it's not over, you have to tune in the next day because there could breaking entertainment news and maybe, if your lucky, there'll be a true hollywood story on K-Fed. Before you know it you're rattling off useless celebrity gossip to your spouse, friends and random strangers you encounter during the day. And please don't think you can't be "infected" if you work full-time or if you're over 13. If you know who Spencer Pratt is or you know which way Ryan Seacrest parts his hair, it may already be too late.

What's the cure? For me it was the moment I realized that I had stopped living my own life to watch strangers live theirs. It was like I had had a blindfold on and ear filters in and suddenly they were gone. I could fianlly hear how stupid it sounded when clips of Paris Hilton saying "that's hot" were used by producers and television executives to express approval of some trend, or how ridiculous it was that a "reality" star's ill-advised music video shot by her Ken doll boyfriend, was the top story on the news, or how surreal it is that society now has to ponder whether we need to pass 'Britney's Law' to put a leash on the paparazzi.

When did our priorites get so mixed up? The top concerns facing Americans these days are not how to copy Katie Holmes' new hairdo, but whether to use our economic stimulus checks to pay overdue bills or to buy clothes for our families. We're facing a future of sky-high gas prices, concerns about an ongoing war, and rising food costs. Maybe, that's why we care so much about celebrities, they don't seem to deal with the same problems as the rest of us.

Maybe the answer then is balance. If you need to escape for a moment and find out what the newest celebrity hair color craze is, then do it. But let's not forget to live our own lives, work on our own relationships and pursue our own dreams. As for me, watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians is my guilty pleasure, and I'm ok with that.