By Erin Kelleher
Pictures of celebrities used to be images of impeccable beauty and glamour. There is nothing beautiful about emaciated stick figures whose lives and perfect appearances are crumbling to bits, though.
Celebrity news has also drastically changed.
It used to be that when celebrities had a drug addiction or eating disorder they would disappear while feigning an injury or something else to that effect, hoping not to draw attention to themselves. Now drug addictions are becoming the newest fad in Hollywood. They aren’t hidden anymore. Instead, they are exploited and flaunted with reckless abandon.
The most obvious example is the sad turn that Britney Spears has taken. The down ward spiral seemed to have started when she dated and married Kevin Federline.
Things became even stranger after the birth of her two children. When Spears was seen with her family it was never in a pretty light. She was either about to drop them, steadily clasping a drink in one hand, or driving with the infant on her lap.
While no one expected Spears to be “Parent of the Year,” her activities became increasingly alarming after she divorced Federline and started partying with Paris Hilton. Soon after, her actions took a disturbing turn, when she made an appearance in a Los Angeles tattoo parlor with her head completely shaved, a devastating cry for help.
Following the announcement that her estranged ex-husband would not allow her to see their children, the melodrama of Spears continued. She checked herself in and out of rehab within a 24-hour span, returning within a day after beating a paparazzi’s SUV with an umbrella.
For example, Lindsay Lohan’s director, wrote a letter bashing the actress for her horrible work ethic. She wasn’t showing up for scheduled film times or, if she did show up, she was late and unprepared. Shortly thereafter, the underage star was seen at every night club in L.A., reportedly wasted and out of control.
Lohan also made a one week alcohol-free appearance in rehab. Her last fling in treatment lasted only 30 days. To celebrate leaving the facility, she went out and partied and put on a couple pounds, which might suggest a recovery from anorexia.
It’s a shame what is happening in Hollywood these days, but hopefully the trend will not last. Drugs and wacky diets or eating disorders will only destroy lives that should be filled with promise and an endless amount of opportunity. With all the money and fame it is so sad to see it wasted.
