Katie Roiphe, Profiles Encouraged

Roiphe says, "the role of the movie-star profile is to reinforce and sell that stardom, not to examine or undermine it." (Profiles Encouraged, pg 378) Today you can pick up your remote control and flip the channel to MTV or VH1 and find shows such as "Cribs" which offers viewers a private tour of different celebrity homes to "The Fabulous Life of..." which each week profiles a different aspect of the extravagances that stardom affords celebrities. Pick up a magazine such as "US Weekly" and you can see pictures of various celebrities vacationing at the finest resorts, dining at posh restaurants and drinking at exclusive clubs. Along side the pictures, you can read a detailed accounting of the amenities that each establishment offers, the prices extended to those that partake and the popularity of each venue in the world of the Hollywood elite. These profiles aren't about the particular celebrity but more about the lifestyle that is afforded them through their celebrity status. I can honestly say that when I am watching these shows or reading these magazines I am not fantasizing about being that particular celebrity because I admire them on a personal level, it is quite simply an admiration and desire for the lifestyle that their fame and wealth affords them.

Along with people like me, there are also the people out there who through these movie-star profiles believe that they are actually getting to know the celebrity on a personal level by reading a three page interview given in hopes of promoting that particular celebrity's most current production. In fact, I work with a woman who fits this profile perfectly. Many of us follow the latest celebrity headlines along with the newest movie releases coming out at the theatre and often we'll have conversations about them between our cubicles. Not a conversation goes by without our afore mentioned coworker scooting her chair out to the middle of the aisle to give not only her opinion on the topic but also the opinion of the said celebrity as if she were their close personal friend. Often times it is a source of amusement for us because it's as if she actually believes that she can personally account for that celebrity. But in her defense I must say that most people in the world fantasize about living the life of the rich and famous and so whether you would say that the celebrity profile is for those that worship the fame or for those that worship the actual movie-star...there's something for everyone.