Celebrity Whore

by Brittany Geragotelis

Last night I ran into a celebrity. It wasn't one of those sightings where you spy that star from your fave show on the street while he's walking by in his unassuming outfit, all scruffy, with his eyes hidden behind a darkened pair of sunglasses and drinking an iced green tea from the Bux. Where you Tweet about them as soon as they've gotten far enough away from you that you can pull out your phone descreetly. Hell, maybe you don't care about decorum at all and you whip your phone out right in front of him and snap a quick pic before he can get away. No, this was different.

It was different because I know this person.

Now, we're not besties or anything, but this starlet, let's call her Penelope (and no this isn't even remotely a clue to her real name, so don't even start guessing. You won't get it, I promise), runs in the same circle of friends as me. We don't hang out, but I see her every once in a while, which is way cool--

--at least it would be if I didn't turn into a blithering idiot every time I talked to her.

For most people, this reaction would be understandable. Most people don't regularly find themselves standing face to face with celebrities. But me....this type of reaction is unacceptable. Because the truth is, for 10 years it was my job to do just this.

As an editor at American Cheerleader, I interviewed celebs like Miley Cyrus, Dakota Fanning, Kendall Jenner, Ashley Tisdale, Ashley Greene, Ashley Benson (there were lots of Ashley's), Debby Ryan and even Jamie Foxx. And being the celebrity-obsessed person I am, I was nervous to talk to each and every one of them. But I always pulled it together long enough to make a good impression and get a great interview, before going and freaking out in private.

So, why is it that every time I get around Penelope, I feel like such a loser? Suddenly, I start saying the stupidest things, ask the dumbest questions, get all tongue-tied and revert back to the uncomfortable nerd I was in high school.

It could have something to do with the fact that I'm not actually interviewing Penelope. See, when I was interviewing the other celebs, both of us were there to do a job. It was my job to ask a slew of questions that would allow our readers to feel like they got a chance to have a peek into that person's real life. And of course, it was the star's job to put forth the image they wanted their brand to reflect as well as highlight whatever project they were working on at the time. Neither of us was being ourselves...not really. We were both playing our roles, being on our best behavior. And that's what trips me up about my encounters with Penelope. My role becomes...just me. And just me is someone who geeks out when she meets celebrities. Just me is someone who cares what creative people that I admire think about me. Just me is self-conscious and not always polished and still that nerd in a lot of ways. Just me isn't always calm, cool and collected.

And if I'm really honest with myself, if Penelope wasn't famous, I have to wonder whether I'd really even care what she thought about me. The answer is: probably not.

So, what I realized about last night is that I need to start embracing my real self. And if someone doesn't like who that is, that's fine. Because the truth is....she's pretty cool, too.

5x5,
B.