The Telegraph – 16 December 2014 – ‘Why are the Most Famous Celebrities So Insecure?’
…fame and insecurity often overlap. While we idolise the celebrities who seem larger than life, the human beings behind the famous personas can struggle to accept that they’re worthy of such praise. Even the biggest and most egotistical celebrities can be wracked with insecurity…
Celebrities have wealth and attention in abundance, and because they have an excess of what we crave, many expect famous people to be self-confident.
Celebrities must present a persona to the public – hiding bad moods or personal difficulties – and can struggle with feelings of inauthenticity as a result. This is only exacerbated by groupies who lavish attention on celebrities not for their personal characteristics, but for the sake of their fame. The mistrust of personal relationships combined with constant scrutiny and strong public reactions can lead famous people to doubt their sense of self and become highly insecure.
In other words, no level of success will lead to self-satisfaction and security. Dr William Shanahan, medical director at Nightingale Hospital, says that although most people would be overjoyed at winning an Oscar, it may not guarantee self-confidence. “It really comes down to your internal view of yourself,” he says. “If you yourself feel the piece you got the Oscar for was not the best work you could do, you may think you’ve been fraudulent and people are being kind to you because you’ve been around a long time or they owe it to you or for some reason.”
Read the full article here.
