Have you ever gone on the internet to find out more about your celebrity, found others

with your same celebrity interests and spoke day in and out about them? Had your whole
life revolve around them, only to hide near their house till they had to call security on
you? Well, okay. The last one seems a little bit exaggerated, but celebrities play a huge
role. And today let us find out why. The 1960s saw the rise of Beatlemania, where die
hard fans would throw their bras as the Beatles went by. Young women have supposedly
cut their wrist when actor and heartthrob Amitabh Bachchan met with an accident on the
set of coolie. And recently, thousands of fans came together to pay tribute to the
basketball legend Kobe Bryant. What is it about these people that make us feel excited,
sad and intimately related to them? When people view their favorite celebrity, a form of
parasocial relationship, a one way relationship of intimacy is created. Identifying with the
celebrity increases self esteem, where fans see themselves as an extension of their
favorite celebrity worthy of the same love. Celebrity culture shapes our thoughts, style,
conduct and manner. It affects and is affected not just by hardcore fans, but by entire
populations whose lives have been changed from the shift from plain to aspirational
consumers. How did this happen? The formation of fandoms for these celebrities give
people a chance to connect with the other fans. As Stever argues, it can help people deal
with loss by allowing them to reconnect with certain emotions. Cohen suggests these
parasocial relationships can help develop empathy. Being invested in a celebrity can help
feel a sense of identification, belonging, and psychological benefits. The consumer
oriented market economy lies with the freedom of choice and individual preference,
which are primary values. Advertising has moved from the utilitarian aspect and has
become about lifestyle choices. Many global brands avoid even mentioning products in
an attempt to create connection between their brand and celebrity endorser. L'Oreal
spends over $1.7 billion per year to maintain its brand recognition by the name. Very few
issues people or groups command the public's attention over policy agenda for long.
Celebrity status has come under the political process. Interviewers often ask celebrities
about their political opinion. In fact, we have quite a few celebrity turned politicians that
prove that they play an important role in the political process. Emma Watson famously
known for playing Hermione in the Harry Potter series, was selected as a United Nations
Women Goodwill Ambassador. Jaya Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Mary Kom are all
notable actors and sportspersons who were nominated to hold a position in the Rajya
Sabha. Smriti Irani, known for her famous soap opera Kyunki SaaS Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi,
serves as the Minister of Textiles and the Minister for Women and Child Development.