People all over the world deemed the now-infamous "Imagine" video where celebrities banded together to sing the John Lennon classic as cringeworthy and incredibly tone-deaf. Instead of showing people that "We're all in this together," the stint exposed a different kind of reality. While some people had to scramble to survive, celebrities were living in their gated communities and comfortable mansions.
"That was the government message: that rich and poor alike, we're all at risk. Well, we're not," Professor Rojek explained. "You look at these celebrities and they're all clearly in [compound-style houses]. They've got walls all around them and they're living in the lap of luxury. So for them to reach out and say 'I understand your pain' is a bit fanciful."
With some famous people, we might start feeling celebrity fatigue. Liza Anderson, Hollywood publicist and founder of Anderson Group Public Relations, explained to Yahoo! that the rule 'All press is good press' isn't necessarily true. "There has to be a balance," she said. "You want to make sure they're connected to their audience and they're connected to their fans, but not so much where the fans are rolling their eyes every time they hear their name."
Maintaining some mystery is a way celebrities can avoid that. Experts say that famous people like George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts, and Beyonce are good examples of a balanced media presence.
"She doesn't take pictures with people. She doesn't do press," Anderson said of Beyonce. "You don't really know anything about her, she's very private. People want more, and they don't get enough, so when she does a big feature in a magazine, people are glad to see her."
