Celebrities, they are just like us!

They pump their own gas, they buy groceries, they walk their dog, they go to the bathroom!! I can’t help but laugh every time I read this section in magazines whether it be US weekly, Star, or any other gossip magazine. I find it honestly hilarious that celebrities are put on such a pedestal that people actually forget that yes, they are human just like us. I understand that with their job comes fame and with that fame comes the constant spotlight. But us common folk need to remember that they go about life just the way we do. Anytime a celebrity does something that we do on a daily basis, people literally alert the media.

Recently, a picture of Michael Phelps taking a bong rip was leaked. The media had a hay day with this because the man, the legend actually smokes weed like millions of people in our world. Is it so astonishing to think that Michael Phelps does something other than swim? People forget that despite his recent world record, he is really just enjoying his life and doing things he wants to be doing. So what if he smokes. Are his sponsors seriously going to consider dropping him because he was “caught” getting high. Could his endorsements really believe that he because he smokes he is bad for their image? In the article, it stated that a couple of his reps were willing to pay an insane amount of money to prevent this photo from being leaked, but who seriously cares? If Michael Phelps can smoke and be one of the greatest swimmers in history, who is to judge him for what he does outside of the pool.

If anything, I am sure this made some people appreciate him even more. Like hey, here is this incredible athlete who is also an average guy. For me this also puts weed into a new light. I’m sure many people already know that smoking can get the creative juices flowing and sure we know that many great songs have been thought up while the artist was high, or poems have been written after a couple hits, but now we know that some of the best athletes in the world can break world records, be world famous, be in extremely great shape and at the same time they can also smoke.

There is a common perception, as presented in many of the “be above the influence” ads that people who smoke are a waste of life or are lazy and don’t think for themselves. There is a difference between abusing something and doing it in moderation. I don’t think someone who occasionally gets high isn’t thinking for themselves or would just stand there while someone shaved their head or gave them a tattoo. I understand why parents might get upset about this picture because Michael Phelps is a role model to many kids and adults around the world. At the same time, I don’t think it’s fair to judge what someone does in their own time. Granted he knows he is in the spotlight and maybe should consider it. But what if smoking is part of his routine? Maybe he shops for groceries, walks his dog, and then likes to smoke.

People obsess about what celebrities do and I think this is just another example of people needing that gossip to feel like they are in the know. They can’t help but want to judge someone and I feel like some people are just sitting around hoping someone like Michael Phelps will slip up, shattering a perfect image that we, not him, created. I say we let Michal Phelps and other celebrities go about their daily lives without obsessing about whether or not they got non-fat or whole milk in their coffee drink. If Michael Phelps wants to smoke let him smoke; as long as it doesn’t interfere with his swimming everyone should just go about their own business as usual.

E. O'Neil