Behind Celebrities' Smiles

Celebrities are public persona or property.  Therefore, the pain behind their smiles is bearable compared to the consequences of showing it by crying or frowning in public.  They might lose the chance of playing the lead in a television show or sequel, of the many sequels producers love.

The solution is to bury internal seething volcanoes and pray the lava doesn’t erupt at Cannes Film Festival, Jio Filmfare Awards in India, the Grammys or The Super Bowl, and compromise the obligatory smile.

They miss being normal but fame’s advantages outweigh obscurity.  They used to be normal people who left the house without make-up like the rest of the world, wore the same coat the whole winter, put $20 gas in their used cars or couldn’t get any money from the ATM because of insufficient funds.  All that changed when the camera adopted them.

Celebrity.  It is the female celebrity to be precise because men are immune to scrutiny.  Nobody calls them overweight or frustrated if they don’t smile for the camera.  In fact, it is regarded as the epitome of macho.

Definitions vary, but being camera ready is the number one requirement for the celebrity and cameras are very demanding.  Masquerade make-up should be colour perfect.  There should be no rude grey in the hair and the body figure or required weight should be zero or 4 at the most.

That is the exterior.  Celebrities have money and time to paint the exterior or add facades like brick or wood.  The interior is the hard part. 

They may be bleeding because of financial problems caused by love, revelation of children born while the relationship was in full swing, bitter ex-wife and kids, husband's impotence, alcoholism, or producers who want them as pillow warmers, before cameras roll.

There comes a time however, when the inbox is full or the pot over boils.  The smiles crack during divorce, drug overdose or suicide.  The world sympathises with an adjective that only applies to the rich and famous: tragic.

By:  Nonqaba waka Msimang.