Elements of Celebrity-hood

Chris Onyeka at GIAMA Awards 2013

When ordinary people do extraordinary things in the public eye, they enter the realm of Celebrity hood. In some cases, this is purely by chance, in some it is after a long struggle, while with others, it is the result of careful planning and by getting to know the right people. While some people achieve fame and fortune by being in the right place at the right time and by doing the right thing to get noticed.

The media makes the celebrity. When a person becomes famous, he or she is automatically put into the spotlight by the media. The new celebrity's life is taken over by the media, which prints articles about the life of the celebrity, in every national and international newspaper and magazine. Advertisement campaigns are launched and the celebrity is also the Brand Ambassador for many brand names. A good test of a Celebrity's fame is when he or she is in demand. It is not easy or cheap to get good publicity from the media. On the other hand it is the life of the celebrity and of other celebrities which keep the media in business.

There are also cases of several new celebrities who cannot handle their fame and fortune. These types of people, without proper mentors, go into drugs, drink and sex, gradually being featured in all media publications, broadcasts and announcements for making the news for all the wrong reasons. This is an instance where the media can break the celebrity, eventually resulting in the decline of the star celebrity. Be careful and watchful of your actions as you chase stardom, everything counts.