Flashy stars have a bad habit of making every day look like they just picked the winning seven numbers for the EuroMillions jackpot.
Has it conveniently slipped their minds how such an ostentatious show of wealth is one of the seven deadly sins – vainglory?
Excessive pride – once described by CS Lewis as the “complete anti-God state of mind” – was even the undoing of Lucifer himself, according to the Bible. Now, I’m not religious, but it’s certainly a sin when superstars shout from the digital rooftops about their obscene riches.
The American model Chrissy Teigen didn’t need Jesus to turn water into cheap wine. But it was in very bad taste when she bragged a few short years ago online about accidentally ordering a bottle of Cabernet for $13,000.
And how in God’s name did Ellen DeGeneres think it was cool to whine about feeling like she was trapped inside a jail in her swanky mansion during quarantine?
Sadly, such tasteless faux pas are ten a penny.
I won’t mention any names here because this certain disgraced cage fighter craves publicity. But it drives me around the bend when the former world champ poses in a Lamborghini in his old working-class stomping ground.
It’s crass behaviour because such luxury cars are worth more than a starter home in his neck of the woods with its high unemployment rate. Why brag about being able to keep up with the Kardashians when others in your childhood neighbourhood struggle to even match the Joneses?
Do megastars not realise many hard-working parents find it tough to even afford pricy toys for their little pets at Smyths?
Such a lavish lifestyle will never be on the [scratch lottery] cards for mere mortal souls. So laying it on thick just breathes resentment and provokes unnecessary jealousy.
Online voyeurism feels like an interactive petting zoo where you can look, but never touch. These exotic creatures with their wild extremes of wealth are always showing off their latest ecotourism snapshots. It had me reaching for the sick bag when some celebs flaunted the lockdown rules by jetting off to Dubai on the pretence of it being work-related. Yeah, right! They put themselves in the shop window of this electronic fish bowl to promote a manufactured business image or keep some sweet sponsorship deal.
But it’s a bit below the belt when they’re snapped flaunting an expensive watch that’s been trousered as a freebie. They’re only using their zillion followers here to help sell brands. Talk about literally milking those useless TITs (Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok)!
It’s laughable when you see struggling minor UK celebs – those who couldn’t even get a bank loan for a Golf – snapped with “their” new luxury car, which was gifted to them on lease terms by one of the automobile manufacturers.
Such staged images can cause envy and downright mental distress for your average Joe who’s not sucking diesel.
We might’ve all been forced to live life vicariously during the lockdown. But now that we’re outside and smelling the roses again, I pray this crazed obsession with gazing online at bling is only a fleeting curious fling. But I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Online boasting should be deemed as an unsociable disease. Narcissistic celebs shouldn’t get free lunches when they’ve already got a silver spoon in their mouth.
How can anybody stomach these self-promoting stars? It’s time to starve them of any attention. Unfollowing them is the best cure.
