CELEBRITY CRUSH

Dear Jellybean,

I am obsessed with someone. The thing is, he's famous. I mean, when there's a magazine with him on the cover or something, I go and buy it. And when I see a picture of him, I freak out. I swear, I've watched every one of his movies I can get my hands on. I am going crazy because all I think about is him! I just don't know if this is healthy or normal. Please help me!
-Me

Dear Me,

Relax, you are not alone! Celebrities are so much a part of our lives and our culture, that nearly everyone has had a celebrity crush at one time or another. In fact, lots of stars even admit to having crushes on other celebs!

Celebrity crushes are mostly safe, fun ways to test our feelings of love and attraction. Sometimes, though, a celebrity crush can turn a bit obsessive. That's when you get so into your thoughts and fantasies of a celeb that it starts to take up way too much of your attention, time or money, or cause you to feel upset and stressed. Here are some tips on how to enjoy your celebrity crush without become obsessive about it:

Don't go nutty. It's easy to get caught up in the hype and convince yourself that you really know this person you have a crush on, and that if he ever met you, it would be love at first sight and you'd live happily ever after. That's a cool fantasy - but it's just a dream. Of course, nothing's impossible, but if you find you really start believing that you have a future with your celeb crush, it might be time to come back to earth.

It's fun to have a star's pictures all over your room, or to read everything you can about him. But keep in mind that you're getting sucked into a big money-making machine. The people involved with this star - a movie studio, a record company, a manager or agent - WANT you to get really obsessed. Because the more money you spend on magazines, CD's, DVD's, etc... the more money they make! So don't blow your whole allowance on stuff about your crush. Save some funds for other things, like makeup, movie tickets, or whatever.

Don't let your celebrity crush (which is a fantasy, after all) affect your actual relationships. Crushes on celebs can be exciting, and offer more thrills than everyday life can sometimes. But our imaginary lives should NEVER be more important than our relationships with real people like parents, siblings and friends. If you spend more time watching movies featuring your celebrity crush than hanging with friends, or if you get into real arguments over your feelings for him, then you're spending too much time and energy on the fantasy. Plus, you might be so star-struck that you'll miss out on a real-life crush! Dust yourself off and get out and about. Who knows, you might just spot a hottie at school or at the mall who looks just like your celebrity crush...!