
Reflections

“When I grow up, I want to be famous, I want to be a star…”
How many of us have ever wished we were famous? What would it be like to see our picture everywhere, to be talked about, revered, ogled at, invited to do talk shows, and make personal appearances? Wouldn’t it be great to have designers wanting us to model their clothes, companies wanting us to promote their products, people stopping us on the streets telling us how great we were and wanting our autographs or a picture with us! What a charmed life that would be!!???
The perks could go on and on, but just like every sales pitch, there’s a catch. Let’s think about this for a moment. How many things – everyday things – would become a bit more difficult. Chores like grocery shopping, banking, putting gas in your car, would take so much longer if everyone decided to stop you and want a bit of your time. Going out with friends (everyone wants to be your friend), vacations (to get away from it all except the paparazzi who could find where Jimmy Hoffa is buried if they pooled all their resources, I’m sure!) walking your dog, and taking out the trash would all come with a potential camera in your face. You would always have to look your best (lest you wind up on People’s worst dressed list). You couldn’t have a bad day and yell at the paparazzi to get off your lawn, out of your face, stop following you, etc. You couldn’t gain some extra weight at the holidays and then go to the gym to work it off without having your picture show up in one or more of the tabloids with some crazy reason why you’re there. You wouldn’t be able to just have a conversation with someone without wondering if something you said would end up being quoted in a far different way than its original intent or that the person would misunderstand you, end up being offended and then slap you with a lawsuit! You’re under constant scrutiny. Somebody always wants something from you, your time, your money, and your connections.
Don’t we have enough stress in our normal, everyday lives? Why would we want to add notoriety to that? To me, it seems to make things a bit more complicated. Sure, the money is there, but what happens when your star fades, you grow older, and the offers stop coming in. Then what do you do? Can you ever go back to normal? Is being in the limelight addictive? I wonder about the dancers who have acquired this status on Dancing with the Stars. How has it changed them, or has it changed them? Have they planned for the future? I’d be interested to know. I’ve been asked by friends outside of the industry if I wished I could be a regular on the show and my answer is “NO! Not at all!” I relish my down time. I wish there were more of it sometimes. A young lady I met in a hotel after a comp a couple weeks ago said she was so excited to meet someone “famous” (referring to the fact she read the articles I wrote for this publication). I was truly flattered by the remark and did my “happy dance” a few hours later in the privacy of my own home. That someone actually read what I wrote and didn’t despise me afterwards will allow me to peacefully exist on the edge of anonymity for the rest of my days!
Originally published September/October 2008 edition of Dance Notes