Whilst I understand that most celebrities are good looking, reasonably intelligent individuals that people often look up to, I’ve never understood why someone would willingly read celebrity magazines or watch shows like ‘E’.
It’s not that I don’t respect these people, in fact I have the upmost respect for their talents and their ability, due to their clever stylists, to always dress well and look the part. More importantly though, I respect some celebrities for the way they use their wealth and popularity to bring attention to certain serious issues.
Despite all of that, I have no interest in their private lives. I don’t care who dates who, how big their house is or when they lost their virginity. I actually pity them for having to live such exposed and public lives.
Interestingly though, I have an obscure fascination with the private lives of ‘normal’ people, the kind you pass every day in the street. When looking for a place to live recently, I took every available opportunity to sneak a peek at peoples bookshelves, CD racks and DVD cabinets.
I don’t know how I come across this stuff, but a few weeks back I found a page which shows pictures of people and their shoes. Yesterday I found something similar, pictures of people and their breakfasts. Today, I find Fridgewatcher.
I’ve had varied reactions to my fascination. Thankfully my partner is equally as interested. Well, at least she feigns interest for my sake. My friends and family however, aren’t so accepting. Hopefully in jest, my fascination has even been called a sick fetish.
It’s an interesting fetish though. These seemingly insignificant things tell a lot about you. People have their guard up when you meet them in public. Chris rock has said that you only ever meet peoples representatives when you’re out. T.S Elliot wrote “prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet”.
People are generally very selective when it comes to letting people into their homes. It’s the place they retreat to at the end of every day, for many, the one place they can relax and be themselves.
I don’t know if you could ever really know someone without visiting their home at least a few times. I’m not saying your house defines you as a person, but it’s much harder to fake an entire house worth of furniture, books and trinkets than it is to put on an expensive suit.
“How easy it is in our life, to miss what’s being offered.” — Paul Haller