Fame

The crew from a well-known TV show came to film at my place of work today. When the star of the show appeared alongside the five cameramen, three sound techs, and a bunch of interns, I had a little flashback. But my sudden flashback had nothing to do with the celebrity or the cameras. It had everything to do with the faces of the people watching.

I was working at the front desk when it happened, so I was able to see many different reactions to the sudden appearance of a celebrity. There was the ever popular "stop and stare", which almost everyone did at one point. I also recognized several "realization and jaw drop" moments. Then there's the always cute but slightly annoying "whisper and giggle" technique. This one was popular with the teens.

I saw the "neck crane" technique, where the person cranes their neck around as far as it will go, then snaps it back into place when the celebrity turns in their direction. I also recognized the "slow walk", where a person goes into slo-mo mode once they notice the famous person in their midst. Of course, there's the typical "magnet draw" too. It seemed as if every person in the building slowly moved toward the center of the action, creeping ever closer - like a magnet being drawn to a metal surface.

I also fielded several "question and gawk" inquiries at the desk. A person would walk up, ask me what was going on, and gawk after I explained the circumstances surrounding the famous person and the film crew in the library. And, of course, there were many "big eyes" today.

Watching it all unfold was like visiting the Expressen newspaper offices and the Förkväll TV studio. The entire process was fascinating and oddly alluring.

As you can imagine, fame was a big topic during the lectures in October. I spent a lot of time hearing about it, observing it, reacting to it myself, watching others react to it, and contemplating it.

And yet, even with all that information and observation, I was still fascinated by it when it materialized again today. I'm fascinated by its hold on people. By its strange attraction. By its ability to change the atmosphere in a room.

Fame somehow engulfs everything in its path. It's almost as if people freeze, time stops, and the air is sucked out of the room when a recognizable face appears. All the attention falls on one person. Can you imagine what life would be like if you were met with such a reaction when you entered a room? It's easy to understand why people who are famous look for places they can just be themselves. Places that are immune to this atmospheric drop. I bet those places are hard to find.

When Jessi, Anja, Jenny and I walked out of the press office, we were standing on a normal street corner in Stockholm. And just like today, I was able to observe the reactions of people walking by as they caught a glimpse of a well-known person. I watched as people moved into slow-motion, instinctively moved closer, craned their necks, and dropped their jaws.

And I recognized myself in their faces. Like I said, utterly fascinating.