i don't wish for fame
i want to remain imperfect
i was scrolling on tiktok and came across a video someone took of anna wintour at the airport.
and it wasn’t just a quick clip of her walking onto the plane…this person filmed her the entire time.
they captured her going on the plane…
swiping through the in-flight movie options (zoomed in so close you could literally see the details of her fingerprint tapping “the devil wears prada”)…
filmed her at starbucks…
and even followed her as she left the airport.
i know it’s pretty normalized at this point to take photos and videos of celebrities without their consent…but watching that video made me feel really uncomfortable.
because yes, it’s anna wintour.
she’s basically a historic figure.
but in that moment…she was just a person trying to catch a flight and get where she needed to go.
me personally? when i’m at the airport…the last thing i want is a phone camera in my face while i’m just trying to mind my business and get on a plane.
it's so easy to look from the outside in when it comes to fame. i find the romanticization of celebrities really unfortunate…just because someone is super public shouldn’t lead to us immediately putting them on a pedestal (or feeling like it’s okay to disrespect their boundaries).
it must be so exhausting to constantly be 'on’…to live under a nonstop spotlight where even your most mundane moments are picked the fuck apart, filmed without consent, and turned into content for public consumption. it’s scary to think about what being perceived so publicly can cost you…the pressure to never have an off day…consistently biting your tongue when someone pisses you off (because if you don’t it could hurt your brand…and that kind of slip can cost you a paycheck).
so many people romanticize having a career of massive fame and fortune…as it is (in a lot of ways) an extravagant and exciting way to live…but at what cost? any form of constant visibility can blur the line between admiration and dehumanization.
the more i sit with this…the more i realize that i don’t think i want to be known like that.
and i really don’t wish for fame.
i take it for granted that i can walk outside…throw on my airpod maxes…and have a cute little solo date shopping at a flea market, wandering through a bookstore, or even going to a concert…without worrying about who’s watching or how i’ll be perceived. i enjoy living a life where i don't have to always think about showing up perfect all of the time…where i don’t have to worry about whether or not my flaws will be held against me...a soft, unencumbered life where i don’t feel like i have to prove anything to anyone…where i’m exisiting without constant scrutiny.
it’s a privilege i have to be able to roam around completely unbothered.
to wrap this essay up neatly with a little bow…i think more people need to remember that celebrities (and public people in general) are still just people at the end of the day. being a celebrity is simply their occupation. as much as we love to glamorize it, it’s still a job. yes, that level of attention often comes with the territory, and some might argue it’s just part of the deal and that it’s something public figures should just “get over”…but that doesn’t automatically make it okay. in fact…it doesn’t make it okay.
celebrity or not…everyone’s just trying to get where they’re going without being turned into a spectacle…and at the end of the day…not everybody needs live inside someone else’s camera roll.
if you enjoyed this piece…here are some others i’d recommend:
i'm a maladaptive daydreamer
about a year ago i was driving to the silverlake flea market to do some shopping.
stop and smell the roses
in chapter two of the artist’s way by julia cameron…she shares a story about her grandmother and how despite all the chaos…trauma…and emotional struggles she lived through…she stayed grounded by payi…
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