poPReflection

Jade Goody has died.

For most of the stateside residents, we had no clue who she was while she was living. Reality Television stars from across the pond just don’t blip on our radar – even with the international controversy they cause. We only know of Jade because she was dying, and doing so in a very public matter.

Ms. Goody had been diagnosed with cervical cancer. Upon realizing it was terminal, she set out on a massive media blitz selling her story rights and the last days of her life to the public. The money, she insists, is going to take care of her two young sons.

This is an entirely new chapter in the fame machine. For so long, public figures have kept their pain and suffering out of the spotlight. Heath Ledger didn’t give a predesignated FINAL magazine interview. Kurt Cobain did not shoot himself with an audience. Although we do not have actual access to Ms. Goodey’s last moments, we have been kept updated through gossip sites, and even major TV news stations on her slow demise.

What does this mean for the future “stars” of tomorrow. Will this become a new trend – selling out your final moments for a quick buck for your family? Is this a good idea? Is it a bad one, at that?

By Jade Goody coming public with her battle with Cancer, Britian has seen a rise in cervical cancer screenings. They are calling it the “Jade Goody Effect”. She has given a face to the suffering that those dying with the disease experence.

We must remember that Jade Goody started as a contestent on Big Brother UK. She didn’t win and was the gossip rags favorite “idiot” to cover for awhile. Through clever marketing and her desire for fame, she made a career out of it, appearing in “Celebrity Big Brother” (with the now infamous “racisim” charge) and launching many products. She didn’t really do anything special. She lost two realtity shows, and pissed off a majority of India.

What Jade Goody has shown is how to extend the 15 minutes you are guarenteed
by being on television. She used everything and anything she had to stay in the spotlight until the bitter end.

I’m slightly afraid that this will become a new trend. I am saddened by her passing, and my heart goes out to her family, but I can’t help but to be slightly relieved that we won’t be getting the hourly updates anymore. Somethings are meant to stay private for a reason. Kudos to her to raising awareness for cervical cancer and getting the sense to sock some money away for her kids, but there was an oversaturation of Jade Goody in the media. It spilled over to America, where she only became famous for dying. Somehow, I don’t think that’s right.

Where is the line drawn? Is it ok to do final interviews from your hospital bed? Should you get free stuff for a lavish wedding because you are weeks away from death? This is an issue that, surprizingly, has not come up before in media-land.

I suspect that this issue will arise again. To that future person, just remember someday your family will look back on these “memories” as preserved in the glossy media magazines. Will you want them to remember you like this?