A Look Back At 29 Rare Celebrity Images From Years Gone By

However, as much as we admire these pictures, according to psychoanalyst Ken Eisold, Ph.D., we must be wary of celebrity culture.

"The proliferation of celebrities in our culture is relatively recent," Eisold said. "In the past, writers and actors sometimes became celebrated, well-known, even famous, but it was seldom something they aspired to. A by-product of exceptional achievement, usually, fame was often awkward for the person thrust into the limelight."

"But the media's voracious appetite for content is, no doubt, the major driver of celebrity culture today. Moreover, celebrity now can be monetized though endorsements and testimonials."

"So what do they do for us, apart from giving us momentary distractions from the bad news of accidents and disasters, and the lingering problems of unemployment, political gridlock, corruption, war, and terrorism?" Eisold asked.

"Well, yes, they do that, providing diversion from constant drumbeat of bad news. Apart from an occasional “wardrobe malfunction,” few really terrible things happen on the red carpet."

However, the psychoanalyst believes that the endless parade of celebrities in the media gives us a prettified and palatable version of social inequality.

"The super rich are invisible in their gated communities and penthouses, private planes, limos, and exclusive resorts. We know they are there, even if we don’t see them. Celebrities, on the other hand, are over exposed, appearing and reappearing on talk shows, late night TV, society pages, magazines, etc. They have a lock on our attention," he highlighted.

"Though we may envy the privilege and fame of celebrities, we seldom admire or respect them. On the contrary, we enjoy their foibles and antics," Eisold said.

"Their affairs and divorces make us feel superior. Their pranks amuse us while often inspiring contempt. And we know, as well, that the shelf life of celebrity is short lived. New celebrities constantly displace the old."

But they do live in a rarefied realm. "They are swept to the head of lines in theatres and restaurants, the police protect them, keeping the rest of us at a safe distance," Eisold said.

"Often, they are involved in politics, donating their services for fund raising, and they give money themselves – but not the tens of millions of dollars the super rich give to Super Pacs. They have publicists but don’t hire lobbyists or meet privately with candidates to influence legislation."

Eisold believes celebrities provide a kind of camouflage for the top .01 percent, "distracting us from the yawning income divide that continues to widen at our feet."

Yes, the wage gap between CEOs and US workers jumped to 670-to-1 last year. But are the people we see in these pictures exploiting us with their charm or are they just trying to make the most out of the system they're living in?

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