How The Term “Reality Star” Is Distorting Perceptions

If you’re a 20 something, then you’ve grown up in the age of reality television. You’re familiar with shows like The Real World, Survivor, and Fear Factor.

What you’re also probably familiar with is the term reality star. While this probably seems like it’s no big deal, it is and here’s why:

Whenever it was that you first became acquainted with the idea of a celebrity or a star, you were probably taught that this is a person of important social influence. An A-lister is someone who is successful, a role model, beautiful and generally, admirable.

I’m 100% on board with supporting people in the entertainment industry who are incredible actors, performers, philanthropists and composers. But what I am disgusted with is the praise and level of obsession that is given to “reality stars”.

Why they are even referred to as such is beyond me because these **stars** could not be living further from reality. I truly need someone to explain to me how crying over a leaked sex tape, shooting nude photographs, and flaunting plastic surgery is in any way a reality. I have done zero of these things and I’m pretty sure my life is real.

This is not the life of a realist; this is a life of selfishness and delusion.

Most infamous is the Kardashian clan, who quite literally, hurt my soul. At a glance, you could try and say these people are successful if you’re examining them from a financial point of view, but from an ethical one, they are failing in more ways than one.

They are representative of the thousands of reality stars who behave poorly and set bad examples and then are glorified for it.

What kind of message does it send to girls and young women when they see someone placed on a pedestal, given millions of dollars and fame, all because of having sex, filming it and then exposing it to the world?

A really f’d up one.

Maybe these people are famous, but it is by no means because of their participation in reality. In fact, it’s because of their lack of participation in a normal, sane, morally correct lifestyle.

It’s fine by me if people want to live their lives this way, but the media’s constant and obsessive glorification of *reality stars* is hurting how other people view themselves.

Yes, you can argue that it’s important to build your own self-esteem, but how can a teenage girl ever feel secure when we constantly enforce beliefs that make her feel otherwise?

If you see that Kylie Jenner has 3 million followers who praise her lip injections, huge butt and breasts, what will that leave you feeling like if you don’t look that way?

Like you are failing and the only way to succeed is to fix yourself.

This term and this obsession are distorting people’s actual perceptions of themselves. Maybe we should consider referring to these people as Delusional Stars or Faux Reality Stars. Let’s at least pay some kind of acknowledgement that these people, their problems, and their lifestyles are NOT normal.

The biggest issue of your life probably won’t be that you’re so tired from all your photo shoots and you want to lay down, that you’re getting divorced for the third time, or that you literally just cannot for the life of you figure out what to wear to that red carpet event next week.

I don’t want my future children to have to second guess their appearances or worry that they’re not successful when comparing themselves to people like this. Nor do I want them to strive to be this way.

I would be ashamed if my son or daughter aspired to behave like most of these reality star. In actual reality, this is not so much of a long shot. If an eight year old saw this disgusting behavior applauded all the time, he or she may want to feel that same reinforcement.

While I’m not saying my future eight year old is about to take her clothes off and take pictures of it with Ray J, I’m saying they would consider it because they’re seeking the same type of approval.

Metaphorically and literally, a star is in the sky and above us. It is unattainable but admirable from a far.

But reality is attainable and it’s right in front of us for the taking.

A reality show is not an accurate representation of the life most humans lead. We must quit blurring the lines and think about the emotional damage this can do.

Why Kim Kardashian’s Butt Makes Me Sad

I always swore I’d never write about her, but here I am, writing about her. Ugh, I hate myself a little bit right now, but there’s a greater purpose here, I promise. I know we have all seen the infamous, “Break The Internet” picture, but if you somehow live under a rock, here it is:

Before I go further, I have to say that her ass in this picture legitimately frightens me. No, I’m not jealous. I’m not trying to body shame her. She is a gorgeous woman, just not in this disgustingly edited photograph because IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO LOOK LIKE THIS.

I would honestly be concerned and troubled as to how the laws of physics and gravity worked on that woman’s body if I thought this picture was real. However, this screams Photoshop. The picture features Kim Kardashian’s butt with a small guest appearance by Kim Kardashian’s face. Now, it is a bit odd to say (openly) that someone else’s buttocks makes me sad, but it does. This edited image is a bigger symbol of what unrealistic expectations the media has created for our society, and it’s nauseating.

Kim K looks like how Photoshop wanted her to look. The viral photo is disturbingly disproportionate and everyone knows it. SHE even knows it. It makes no biological sense to have a waist that tiny with a butt that large, it just doesn’t. It’s viral photos like this that get captioned, “best body ever” or “sexiest women alive,” is she the sexiest women alive? To some yes, to everyone? No. Can I see those statistics and who are your sources?

EVERYONE has a different definition of what the “best body” is, the media’s just so happens to be a cartoon character.

I honestly would have never known that an ass could get so much hype, it literally poops, everyone. It literally poops. But then I hear guys talking about it and they’re all, OMG LOOK AT DAT ASS IT’S SO FAT I WANNA BURY MY HEAD IN IT, and I’m just thinking yeah do you…because it poops, so I’ll pass. Also, I don’t think I would ever want a man to bury his head in my butt, BUT if I did, I bet you he still would even if my butt was tiny. Which I’m proud to say it is.

I’ve already encountered my fair share of sexism, bodyshaming, and the fabulously unrealistic male expectations fueled by the media. We all watch as our guy friends or boyfriends attempt to discretely, or not so discretely, drool over the magic creatures that are the Victoria’s Secret models, or gaze admiringly at Kim K’s tush. Yes they are beautiful, but for most of us, it’s unrealistic. I will never look like that, and I shouldn’t have to feel bad for not looking that way either.

The media makes us feel bad for not looking like a Photoshopped magazine cover. We should not feel bad about ourselves because we didn’t decide to inject fat from our stomachs into our butts. We should not feel bad for not happily volunteering to have our own noses broken so they can be shaped into “cuter noses.” We should not feel so badly that we pay thousands and thousands of dollars to surgically alter ourselves into SOMEONE ELSE’S idea of beautiful.

There are women in Burma who wear fitted rings around their neck to make their necks longer because in their society a long and giraffe-like neck is beautiful. We see these women with their long necks and act so shocked and scared. Yet, here we are, in a society where I could decide to hop up onto a surgical table and have implants put into my chest because guys will think I’m sexier, and everyone acts like that’s just A, OK. Are you kidding me?

We’re told that we have to have big breasts, but tiny waists. We’re told to have a fat ass, but skinny legs. These expectations are not just for women though, men are also affected. They’re told they have to have a six pack, muscular arms, chiseled jaws, piercing colored eyes, and big penises. Who decided that these were the “must haves” because light yourselves on fire, they’re not.

Also, did anyone tell Kim that the Internet still works?