INFJs and fame | INFJ Forum

INFJs and fame

krooler

krooler

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Oct 4, 2009
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Say you just got really famous almost over-night. People on the street suddenly notice you and wherever you go it seems like almost everyone knows you or talks about you behind your back.

Of course it's relevant why you got famous, but try to leave that out of the question; it's more the concept of 'fame' that I'm trying to get at; the fact that people you don't know would know who you are.

How would you deal with fame, being an INFJ?

:m036:
 
I have often wondered.

I dont know how celebrities handle the intense scrutiniy of being news.

I would not want every mistake I made on the front page of the paper. How awful!
 
I think being considered "famous" would be a bit terrifying. People seem to respond to celebrities in very extreme ways, and what people expect from them is never anything close to what they actually are or can deliver. People are always incredibly over- or underestimating them, and neither of those things seem very pleasant to experience.

I think I would try to be as nice as possible to the people that did support me and do whatever I could for them, because their devotion would be very bizarre, and the rest of the time I would become completely reclusive. I would start to suspect that every person I met just wanted their 15 minutes by association, but I still wouldn't be assertive enough to tell them to back off. I would feel bad for subjecting my true/old friends to that kind of situation.

I would try not to Google myself, but I probably would at some point. And I think that would be the end of it for me. The criticism, which would inevitably come, would make me want to give up whatever it was that made me famous in the first place very quickly.
 
Part of me wants to be famous. More well known then anything. Really I can deduce it to just being seen for doing something.

While I do like some kind of attention, being constantly in the spotlight is draining to me. To always be seen and reconized by everyone would be extremely taxing to me.
 
Honestly I think it would do me good. I'm all talk right now and I don't think I'd want this to happen, at least not quite yet, but I'll explain. I'm starting to feel annoyed with aspects of myself, and I think that kind of scrutiny and being watched would FORCE me to deal with them quite quickly. I'd have little choice but to learn to overcome these habits and attached emotional lessons, which, despite how painful it might be, would be freeing. Instead, I feel like it is taking me a long time and I don't think it has to.

I would go bezerk though, after I lost some of my privacy. People could talk about me, and I would accept the good and bad of that if I was famous, but there are aspects of my privacy I would absolutely want to retain and I would fight with the fierceness of a lioness for her cubs for it.
 
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As a formerly accomplished singer/songwriter, I was once snapped up by a manager of some high profile stars.
Initially excited at the prospect, I soon became completely paranoid about how this might turn out.
I broke contact, left the country, and never performed professionally again.
I have no regrets about my action.

INFJs may have the talent, may desire the fortune, but it's not really about the fame.
 
under skies said:
I think being considered "famous" would be a bit terrifying. People seem to respond to celebrities in very extreme ways, and what people expect from them is never anything close to what they actually are or can deliver. People are always incredibly over- or underestimating them, and neither of those things seem very pleasant to experience.

I think I would try to be as nice as possible to the people that did support me and do whatever I could for them, because their devotion would be very bizarre, and the rest of the time I would become completely reclusive. I would start to suspect that every person I met just wanted their 15 minutes by association, but I still wouldn't be assertive enough to tell them to back off. I would feel bad for subjecting my true/old friends to that kind of situation.

I would try not to Google myself, but I probably would at some point. And I think that would be the end of it for me. The criticism, which would inevitably come, would make me want to give up whatever it was that made me famous in the first place very quickly.
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+1

I mean i struggle having to stand up in front of a group of people, and that's my job. So, i doubt i would handle celebrity well, at all. I'd love to be able to say i could handle it, but i know the criticism, the judgement, the expectations, would send me to rehab every couple weeks. I would probably set up residence there, probably at one of those really luxurious rehab/spas.
 
I think being famous is would be a bit of a hassle. It baffles me how a lot of people (especially when I was in high school) always talk about how they want to be famous and live the glamorous life and everything. I always see how a lot of celebrities are always subjected to being followed around by the paparazzi 24/7, constantly being followed around for autographs etc. I would imagine that it would get to be extremely irritating.

I would want to be famous, but if I were going to be any kind of celebrity, I would keep a low profile and be kind of mysterious. I would probably want to have a small cult following.
 
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I think that's the best kind of fame

with this addition -> without anyone knowing your real name
 
It would most definately be too much for me. I'd try to stay out of the way.

I wouldn't appreciate an onslaught of mostly uninformed judgements, as I have enough judgement from myself and my peers to deal with. I'd probably need therapy or an intense routine of my favorite hobbies. Sometimes I like to think I want to know how people percieve me, but truthfully I know I'm not strong enough for that. Not yet anyways.
 
sookie said:
I would not want every mistake I made on the front page of the paper. How awful!
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Oh come on! You know that we never make mistakes. ;)

On a more serious matter, I think becoming famous changes you. At first you are careful to not make mistakes but you soon realize that you can't possibly control what information you emit to your surroundings. I think you start to lean more towards the 'FFFFFUUUUUUUUU'-side of things while still knowing that you need to take responsibility towards your good old friends.

I had a INFJ friend who, over the course of just a few days, won a local counter-strike competition and had his band's songs played on the local radio. When hitting the pubs on the weekend everyone knew him for different things. For some he was a computer hero, for others he was a musician and for some he was both and for the rest he was neither. In the end he just said 'fuck you I'm famous and you're not lol'. He was even in the local papers and he just said 'Oh so that's the way it is... I had no idea but ok cool lol!'. When among his close old friends, though, he admitted that it was a true hell and that he wanted to just get away. I don't know where he is today...

Thanks for the thoughtful replies! :)
 
I'd move to a cave and live like a hermit. Fame would be my personal H.E.L.L.
 
Moxie said:
Wouldn't it be cool to be famous without anyone ever knowing what you looked like?
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It has occurred to me that the Blue Man Group really has it figured out.

I don't think I could handle it very well. Being stared at is disturbing to me. Even the little performing I do takes a bit of recovery time. I played a solo Christmas concert a few years ago, and as I was setting up a few people were hanging around just watching my every move. I know they were looking forward to the concert, curious, and probably trying to be available to help, but it almost gave me an anxiety attack. I could hardly move and felt trapped by their eyes. I know that probably sounds extreme, but it's how I felt. For the performance I had a ton of decorations including snowflake projectors to shine swirling snowflakes on the ceiling, so that people wouldn't be looking at me. It seems ironic that I perform, but it is mostly because I love music, and it is one of the practical outlets for functioning as a musician. My deep love is being alone and composing. The moment I feel alive is when my mind can engage fully and I create at my best potential. Performing doesn't make me feel alive, but it is part of what I need to do to function, and I like making people happy and feeling some sort of connection, but it is a far more conflicted process for me.
 
If you mean lot of wealth along with the fame...sure...bring on the fame. I would love to have a fortress mansion as my home, with high 15 ft. walls surrounding my property with the latest high tech security equipment and barriers with it.

I mean that's the way most celebrity singers and actors live anyway, behind walled and gated multi-million dollar fortresses, and they tend to only socialize with other people in their social hierarchy as it makes obvious sense why.

Fame without the fortune...NO, I wouldn't want it. Fame with the fortune..YES, I would gladly take it, as I could afford the necessities of living a famous person's life. I have pondered this for a long time.

I understand how celebrities have deep disdain for paparazzi hounds, always following them, sleeping outside their homes , sometimes even climbing the wall and hiding in bushes,ect.

When you hit a certain point of fame and stardom , it makes sense to put up shields,walls, and barriers as the protection is necessary. I'm a secretive private person anyway, as long as I had access to the security measures , then I could handle living a famous life.
 
Julia said:
It has occurred to me that the Blue Man Group really has it figured out.

I don't think I could handle it very well. Being stared at is disturbing to me. Even the little performing I do takes a bit of recovery time. I played a solo Christmas concert a few years ago, and as I was setting up a few people were hanging around just watching my every move. I know they were looking forward to the concert, curious, and probably trying to be available to help, but it almost gave me an anxiety attack. I could hardly move and felt trapped by their eyes. I know that probably sounds extreme, but it's how I felt.
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I have the same experience. I am uncomfortable being looked at or stared at. Weird.
 
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I asked this to myself when I was younger, maybe around 7 years old and the answer remains the same and I doubt it will ever change.

No, I definitely would not want to be famous.

I can't even stand people staring at me and I'm very anal about my privacy. If I get famous, all these things that I can't stand will bother me endlessly, and I just don't think I can deal with that.

Besides, as under skies has pointed out, people tend to put up very high expectations of someone famous. They seem to forget that beneath all the fame and glory, they are still and always will be people and thus they make mistakes. I can't do that. Thinking about it overwhelms me already and an anxiety attack is threatening to bubble to the surface, what more if actually experienced?
 
I'd not like to be famous, but I'd not like to let any fear of scrutiny hold me back from potential achievements. I mean, if I had the choice to get a book published but I'd be famous for it, I'd get it published and then just wait it out until the people left me alone (I had a weird dream about getting a book published o_O).
I'd hate being followed around or pestered especially, I like privacy.
If I was famous and rich I could just buy and island or something.
 
Moxie said:
Wouldn't it be cool to be famous without anyone ever knowing what you looked like?
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That's the only way I could pull it off, and probably with a pseudonym. I hate having the eyes on me, especially since I do a lot of my work a bit more in private, but I wouldn't mind at all having the ability it took to reach that point.
 
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