In defense of stars some fans love to envy–and hate
GWYNETH Paltrow
Fans adore stars—in fact, their adulation is what has made their preferred faves “anointed” luminaries and celebrities in the first place. But, the star-fan relationship is actually quite complicated and sometimes even contradictory.
Yes, there’s love and devotion, but there’s also envy, resentment and, even in the most confounding instances, hate.
The most instructive example of that harsh aversion this season is the acclaimed, lovely and gifted actress, Gwyneth Paltrow. The way some fans relate to her, she’s a bundle of alarming stellar contradictions.
Last year, People magazine crowned her as the most beautiful celebrity in show biz. Since Paltrow is already in her 40s, that was regarded as a triumph for all “maturing” women, so she was lionized as an influential change agent whose persuasive influence wasn’t limited to the evanescent and ephemeral world of show business.
Then, just as Gwyneth was getting over her bemusement over being made an official “beauty titlist” this late in her public and private life, she got slammed with the contradictory “honor” of being cited by Star magazine as the most hated luminary in the biz!
What was going on? From Most Beautiful to Most Hated in one fell swoop? Oh, what a stellar fall was there, down to the very pits of show biz ignominy!
Why was Paltrow so reviled by the mag’s polled readers? Why not any number of more obviously and infamously off-putting celebs like Charlie Sheen, Chris Brown, Donald Trump, Kanye West and Madonna? Let us count the (obviously biased) ways:
Some fans dislike Paltrow for being an “out-of-touch elitist” who loves to boast about her extraspecial attributes and stellar status in life.
They think that she was born in the lap of show biz luxury, with both of her parents being celebrities in their own right (not that true, she demurs). Thus, she ostensibly grew up as a stellar “princess,” and success came easily and breezily for her.
Early in her acting career, she scored big with a stellar role in “Shakespeare in Love.” After she reached the peak of her acclaimed acting career, she reinvented herself as an expert in living the good life, pushing pricey products on her influential Goop blogsite.
She also ticked some people off when she became a wife and mother, especially when she “overprotected” her children, to the extent of strictly controlling their food intake—and boasting about it in the media.
It’s all a matter of perception, you see, and it seems like enough people have opted to take a more envious, jaundiced “Who does she think she is?” view of Paltrow’s activities and accomplishments, hence her latest “award.”
On the other hand, other people precisely praise Gwyneth for protecting her kids, lashing out at the pesky paparazzi, plugging for organic eating and living—the very things she’s being rapped for. Like we’ve said, it’s complicated!
For our part, we’re going for and with Gwyneth—for a very simple reason: She’s gifted us with some exceptional portrayals. That makes her both beautiful and lovable in our book!
