Moving Past a Celebrity Obsession
America is obsessed with celebrities from magazines like "People" and "US Weekly" to TV shows like Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood and The Insider. But how much is too much? If you can't move past your celebrity fix, Dr. Phil has advice.
- Pursue a realistic passion. One guest admits that she spends hours reading about Brad Pitt and dreams that she'll one day marry him. Dr. Phil observes that she is living in a fantasy life because she drinks her coffee in her Brad Pitt mug, puts up posters of him all over the house and really believes that she'll meet him. "Don't you think that you might be putting so much energy into this that you would be upset if it just never happens?" he asks. Dr. Phil suggests that she put more energy into dating or pursuing a realistic goal. That way, she won't set herself up for disappointment if she never becomes "Mrs. Brad Pitt."
- Celebrities don't always look like celebrities. Are you infatuated with Jennifer Aniston's hair or Halle Berry's body? If so, take heart in knowing that famous people put a lot of work into their appearance and don't just wake up looking glamorous. "Do you get the fact that Jessica Simpson doesn't look like Jessica Simpson?" Dr. Phil asks one guest who dreams of resembling the pop star. "Do you think she looks like that when she's cleaning up after the dog or something?" Lighting, hair stylists and make-up artists can work wonders. It's smoke and mirrors, so don't believe the hype.
- Learn to accept yourself. Stacie is unhappy with her appearance, and is considering going under the knife again to look like her idol Jessica Simpson. "Your goal needs to be not to change your body image but to change your self-image," Dr. Phil advises. He encourages Stacie to read his book Self Matters to change the way she views herself. She needs to embrace her gifts, skills, abilities, characteristics and everything that uniquely defines her. Once she learns to accept herself, she will be able to confidently say, "I'm OK with me because I'm going to be with me for a long, long time." Then she can look at Jessica Simpson and say, "She's cute. I really like her singing. I really like her talent ... I admire her for being disciplined enough to work out, but I'm also glad to be me."
- Don't be duped by the marketing machine! Would you spend $600 on a Louis Vuitton purse that you can't afford because Cameron Diaz has one? Do you need to wear $500 Jimmy Choo shoes so that people will think you're important? "Don't be a sucker," Dr. Phil says. The next time you reach for a maxxed out credit card to buy the latest fashions from Vogue magazine, ask yourself why you need to look like a celebrity " especially if you're doing so on limited finances. "Stop measuring your self-worth as a function of what somebody marketed to you," Dr. Phil warns. Be a star in your own life.
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