Ellen sets the bar

Last friday in class we were talking about Ellen DeGeneres and the controversy that followed her when she came out of the closet. I am personally a huge fan of Ellen, i think her talk show is hilarious. But regardless of my personal likings with Ellen, the media swamped her once her secret "came out" in the open. (get it? came out...like coming out...ok-not that funny)

Well anyways. Back to the topic. 

I found it funny that when Ellen first came out, her show (then it wasn't a talk show) lost a lot of viewers and eventually cancelled due to other reasons. However, now her show is huge success and has many viewers. 

I think at first her being gay took many people by surprise. Homosexuality wasn't something that was talked about or praised a lot, especially in the media. So her coming out and being proud, and going on with her show and her life publicly caused a big shock and upset for many viewers. But, I feel like Ellen took a huge step and because of it she is better at what she does today. She was hiding her life from those who she shared so much with, which is a little ironic if you think about it. And while yes, she did go through a struggle when she first came out, it never stopped her from continuing to do what she loved doing-or chasing after her career. She not only made herself stronger, she helped others who looked up to her come out as well. She took that first step, and showed others that they can do it too. 

I think when people are in the public eye like that, whether gay or straight, they all go through upsets and have similar experiences. Whether its being gay, infidelity, marriage, kids, job loss, surgery, etc...they look to others who have been through it before and for their reactions. And once they go through whatever it is they are going through, their fans look up to them once they are going through it. Its like a big chain reaction. Its always easier to know that someone else has been through it. Its always easier to know what mistakes have been made and how others have handled them. But someone has to take that first step, someone always has to go first and set the example-either good or bad. 

It was a very interesting topic to talk about in class and it did make me think about things in different way.