We all wish, at some moment in our lives, to be rich and famous. When we are teenagers, we want that even more and with reason. A lot of people seem to think that life is made out of looking great, being popular and having trendy clothes. That is why we seem to look at celebrities as people who have accomplished their dreams and are perfectly happy. We want to be like them: on stage, singing like crazy for a crowd that loves us and cheers on as the lights shine on our glimmering show dresses. We want to have those incredible muscles that all the good-looking actors and models have…

But, what if their life isn’t that great? What if, even for them, things aren’t all rainbows and butterflies? What if, actually, what they seem to have isn’t really worth all the trouble they’re going through? Well, I can assure you that those “what ifs” aren’t out of place. And right here, there is a list of all the things that explain why it’s NOT that good to be a star.

1- Celebrities tend to lose their real friends when they become famous and they can’t have any friends without wondering if they’re there for them or for their money and popularity. In their world, they are a way of making money for all those greedy producers and they often take advantage of their weaknesses to do whatever they please with them.

2- Stars are never really the way you see them. In pictures, experts photoshopped the heck out of them and arranged their hair and put their make up in a special way to make them look the way they seem to be. The ones you see in the pictures and on TV aren’t really them. It’s an illusion that talented people are able to create. So stop dreaming of looking like them; you’re probably better looking than them!

3- Famous people have an obsession on their physical appearance. They’re practically prisoners of that obsession, feeling forced to literally refrain from eating at all to be so skinny that you can see their bones. And seriously, who the heck would want to give a hug to a walking skeleton? Aren’t there enough people suffering from hunger in the world? In other words, it’s not good to be so obsessed with the way you look as they are.

4- Another thing: PRIVACY. Understand well that word, because it doesn’t exist for them. EVER. Don’t try to think about a way to have some when you’re famous, you’re NOT going to have any. Let make this clear: celebrities can’t do anything without the whole world knowing about it. It’s like “Hello pressure!”

5- Have you ever noticed that people spend a LOT of time saying how stars are so completely lame or do mean comparisons and stuff… Ok, I do it too, we all do it, but it’s actually kind of funny if you think about it. We spend time gossiping about the fact that some stranger from Hollywood or whatever slipped on the street. It’s like… “um, well normal people fall too…”

6- Famous people, geniuses and talented stars… they aren’t always happy. Why do you think they end up drug addicts? These people… they don’t live long. Just look at Michael Jackson. He’s one of the world’s greatest artists. Yet, he died at 50 years old. That’s young! Why did he die? The pressure, the lack of privacy, the judgements, the hard work. That’s what happens to most stars. They’re not really balanced in their life and often, quite depressed.

So, in conclusion… Stop wanting to be one of them! Believe me, it’s way better to be a normal person who can have their own life. By the way, to understand this better, listen to the song “Imperfect Is The New Perfect” by Caitlin Crosby. It can help to stop wanting to be someone so completely different from who you are, because whomever you are is always going to be a thousand times than some image that doesn’t really exist.