So, last evening I took my wife to Disney Springs for dinner at an Irish restaurant/bar. For those not familiar, Disney Springs is a publicly accessible outdoor shopping and dining center. After eating, we walked eastward along the lake shore, browsing in shops along the way. Right from the start, there were three Miss USA contestants who were heading in the same general direction. You don't see that every day!
As we proceeded, we saw how people were acting around these three pretty young ladies. (Emphasis on young; I was shocked by how young they look). Repeatedly, they were asked to pose for pictures with strangers and they were really, really good sports about it. But soon it became apparent the downside of celebrity. Their many interactions with the public were so one-sided with everyone wanting a piece of them, offering nothing in return.
By the time they reached a character statue which they wanted to pose with for their own pictures, I had seen enough and was quite willing to do something that I never do: offer to photograph all of them with their camera. Just then, a young guy moves in ahead of me and I'm thinking yeah, you sly son of a gun, here's your opportunity--go for it!
What does he do? He asks Miss ____ to take his iPhone and take a picture of him with the other two! WTH? Call me slow, but I just didn't see that coming. Well, at least everyone was consistent.
I'm sure with all the star contact that happens at the cons, that there's much more insight out there as to what it must be like to be a celebrity, what makes them bite their tongue and what they appreciate.
