Can everyone deal with the side effects of being a public figure?

Does anyone out there also have the feeling of being against the grain of the world? Turns and moves, for the most different reasons that wouldn’t fit here, I feel like this. As I work with news linked to the artistic universe, however, I mention here one of the current behaviors that most provoke this feeling in me: people’s unbridled quest for fame. “Big Brother Brasil” has been there for so many years to prove it. Or the internet, with Twitter, Instagram, TikTok… In these spaces, there are a lot of interesting people with something to say, without a doubt. At the same time, there are a lot of characters who subject themselves to any kind of thing to appear and, after being noticed and conquering their millions of “fans”, don’t know what to do with the side effects of excess exposure. Yes, because I’ve thought countless times that it must be a pain to have everyone’s opinion on everything you do in your life, from choosing your look of the day to your new boyfriend.

At the same time that social networks allow more people to grow and show their skills, they also enhance a behavior previously restricted to neighborhoods and pub tables: talking about other people’s lives. Before you accuse me of being a hypocrite, I still remember the gossip magazines that have always existed and have a captive audience. But after having the spotlight turned on you, who really doesn’t have something good to show sustains the pose? It seems that many do not. And what we see is a festival of vexations. Or, much worse and more serious: a succession of psychological problems caused by criticism and attacks.

Just the other day, on “BBB”, a participant said without any embarrassment to confinement companions that he needed to read more, since after the program there was a chance to become a well-known figure on TV and he didn’t want to be ashamed. But the boy has a degree in law, a profession that, presumably, requires reading practice. As much as he pursues another activity, hasn’t he read even in his years of study? Revealing this doesn’t seem to cause you any embarrassment, but being eliminated with a bounce rate does. I could see it on your face. Possibly, he is one more in the middle of a portion that, having gained an important space, may not know how to use it in a way that aggregates.

Even those with a respectful past trajectory — and what a trajectory! — suffers from the consequences of internet court and may be unsure how to deal with it. In this last week, one of the facts that most reverberated in the media was the announcement that Babi, Arlindo Cruz’s wife, confirmed that she had a new boyfriend. Until then, the great interest is predictable, since the entire clan is well known to the public. Those who follow the sambista’s work know that he suffered a stroke in 2017 and, since then, Babi, as well as the children, has been by his side in the arduous recovery process that remains, as the musician carries sequels. Despite the pain, it’s a beautiful story of companionship, and we only know part of it, because we are aware that all families, like yours and mine, keep things that don’t concern anyone else. And isn’t it that this woman felt the need to publish a statement defending herself against the attacks she suffered? She was branded as a villain!

I ask: what do people have to do with Babi Cruz’s love life? Only she knows about her anxieties, her joys, what is good or bad for her and what goes on inside her house. Do you think I don’t have an opinion on this matter? Of course I do, it’s normal. But if I don’t keep it to myself, I share it with my close ones, with people who come to ask what I think, and that’s it. I’m not going to put the bedelho there, as many think they have the right to do. In our everyday lives, in our routine of anonymity, don’t we think it’s abuse when someone we’re not intimate with interferes with our choices? Can you imagine having to pay that price to be famous?

Nowadays there are memes to translate almost everything. One that constantly resurfaces goes something like this: “If you mind your own business, you won’t have time to mind other people’s lives”. Good motto to follow, isn’t it? Put our own life at the center of our attention. Then, if by chance some fame comes as a result of this, we will have consistency to deal with it.