Famous for What?

I love this little CNN news peice titled, “Famous for what?”

And that’s exactly what it’s about. People who are famous for… what? Think… Paris Hilton. Yeah. Exactly!

CNN’s thoughts on this subject could be summarized with this statement, “It used to be that fame had something to do with talent.”

I think I find it more interesting just observing how much our society values “fame” at all.

Here’s their two cents.

“Back in Hollywood in the golden era, celebrities knew that they should be famous for what they were actually good at which was acting, performing. They knew that less was more. When it came to their private lives, they only gave us a little bit of a glimpse. So they remained mysterious and they became icons. I don’t think we’re going to be looking at Cary Grant and Paris Hilton in the same way in generations to come.”

Click here for the whole video.

My two cents: Fame definately has changed along with everything else in this culture. Reality TV has probably lowered the bar, changing the old criteria for who can and can not be famous. Is this a bad thing?

What qualities do our kids perceive as valuable: beauty, money, or dare I say… scandal? (in the times where a sex tape or a viral nude photo can springboard someone to stardom?) What message is this communicating to our kids? (Read David’s youth culture window article  this week to see one effect this is having on young girls.)

Hmmmmm.