Celebrities are an important element in North American culture. They are often criticized for creating unattainable ideals for women. Women and men often try to base their style on what they see celebrities wearing in the tabloids.
It's quite strange to see people obsessing over celebrities. For example, for months and months the only story in the news was that Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt were breaking up. The scandal grew even more when Pitt started dating actree Angelina Jolie. This happened over a year ago, yet people are still talking about it.
Another celebrity story that flooded the news is the fact that Britney Spears shaved her head. Why do we care if she cut her hair? Is this such a scandalous event?
I think that a major reason why this story was taken out of proportion so much is because parents know that their daughters often are influenced by celebrities. Some girls will want to wear exactly the same things that they see Lindsay Lohan wearing in fashion magazines. If I was a father I know I wouldn't be pleased to see my daughter wearing tiny outfits like Paris Hilton.
Some celebrities have even created their own clothing lines, such as Hilary Duff, who started a line called "Stuff" which can be found at Zellers.
Celebrities know that people are interested in what they do during their normal lives, and some even go to the point of exploiting that to make even more money. For example, Jessica Simpson got married, and decided to make a reality show about her marriage.
These celebrities obviously have an extreme influence on today's youth.