Being blonde, fair- skinned, and comparatively tall, I was the root of much gawking and discussion. Little girls would follow me around and mime cameras to indicate that they wanted a picture, teenage boys would use their broken English to ask politely, and adults would just grab me, dragging me into the frame of their cameras. Aside from pictures, older men would ask me to marry them on a regular basis, their love for me was professed, and groups swarmed around me. I had an uneasy feeling at first, but eventually got caught up in the so called "fame". My mom would have to remind me that we had places to be and that I couldn't take a picture with everyone.
In the beginning, this experience didn't have much of a context- it was merely a funny phenomenon that would be the root of jokes between the other blondes on the trip, but on the flight home it became more. Just as people targeted me for pictures, I found myself migrating to a retired NBA player (Carlos Boozer: Bulls, Lakers, Jazz, Cavs) and asking timidly for a picture. I had no idea who he was, but his designer luggage, enormous stature, traveling assistant, and first class tickets tipped me off to ask for the picture. I had no idea who he was, but the rarity of his appearance was captivating, seemingly the same as my appearance to the people requesting pictures.
It was interesting to be on both sides of it. To be a commodity one day and then to seek out the commodity was crazy. It reminded me that fame is an everyday thing, a celebrity, whether athlete or singer, is a person too - an idea that I think we often lose sight of.
That sounds like a pretty interesting experience to be treated almost like a celebrity. I can't believe that people just randomly asked to marry you. It's also pretty cool that you ran into a NBA player, even if you didn't really know who he was.
ReplyDeleteThat's so funny. My aunt definitely had a similar experience, except for an entire thirteen years. It's so weird to think about living in America where you might see 20 different skin tones and hair colors in a quick stop at the grocery store, yet I think you do a good job of comparing it to celebrity status. Really it is the same thing, "the people you only see on t.v." whether that's because they're white or they play basketball or they play electric guitar.
ReplyDeleteBeing Chinese, I can definitely see Chinese people swarming you because of your skin and hair color, but I find it hard to believe that old men regularly asked to marry you. But then again, in my experience, Chinese people are ruder than "normal."
ReplyDeleteWhen I went to China everyone thought I was good at basketball and challenged me to 1 v 1's. But that was about all the fame I got. Also the second picture is really funny I like the woman's serious expression compared to your smile.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm jealous you met Boozer! Did you get his autograph?
Funny post :)
This is a really interesting concept! I was thinking about something similar the other day -- if I were to get famous all of a sudden, would that be weirder for me than a famous person being normal all of a sudden?? It's crazy how fast you can travel from one geographic place -- and the culture there -- to another, and the sort of culture shock that comes with that. Awesome post!
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