5.11 :: A story about egos gone wild...

Well good evening lambs,

It's mid-week, after hours after a full-day at the salon and I'm blogging for me life. ha ha. Not really, but kinda... (you know how I LOVE blogging!)

So, this week has been a WHOLE SLEW of news articles about people I love!! We've got Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" video and her runway debut for Mugler in Paris. We have John Galliano, the genius he may be, making racial slurs and anti-semitic comments and I heard this morning that Christina Aguilera was so intoxicated last night that she was taken into custody for public intoxication...

OMG, where are my role models going and why are THEY my role models?

I know this sounds like I'm casting judgment (which I am), but don't you feel like you also cast judgement when someone you admire makes a really dumb decision?

I mean, for starters, Gaga's "Born This Way" video REALLY failed to impress me and her latest avante-garde creation as a nouveau Bride of Frankestein is not flattering at all! I LOVE artsy people, but sometimes they make stupid decions. Giving birth to alien Gaga heads in a music video about being proud to be gay is NOT my idea of amazing! Or Avante Garde.

Christina, she's having a hard time with her divorce and was so drunk (thank God she was NOT driving)

And then there's my favourite John Galliano saying bad stuff (how elementary school of me) on film about Jewish people. Not cool!

All these amazing individuals made me think: DO I LOVE HOW I'M PORTRAYED PUBLICLY?

I mean, really, ask yourself... have you done dumb shit too?

We ALL have. Fact is, I'll still buy Gaga's record, and LOVE Christina and follow Galliano on Twitter! They made horrible decision creatively and personally, but I still love them. I think alot about that when I'm blasting some odd situation over Twitter or have a cyber-rant on Facebook in front of all my clients.

I think about appearing like a douche and why it's not okay to be as public as I am. And then, at the end of the day I have to remember that we ARE ALL people and we ALL put our pants on ONE LEG AT A TIME.

Today, a client of mine was talking about Charlie Sheen's fiasco and demanding $2 million an episode. We didn't talk about the $2 million or the show, we talked about all the CBS has to let go due to Charlie's publicity and deciding to shut down the show!

My client shared this with me. He says he prays every morning and tells God, "Give me enough money not to be mad at you, but not enough to forget you."

Makes you think!

Did Charlie forget about his divine spark? His Creator? Does he EVEN believe that?

What about Gaga portraying herself as "Mother Monster" and giving birth to Gaga-heads in the new vid? Is she really taking the "Queen" of pop title to heart? Does she believe she's really a "mother" to all her Monsters? And Galliano said he loved Hitler and wanted to gas all the jews! You know, I have alot of Jewish leanings and a Sephardic background. Not cool. Does he REALLY think that or was the alcohol talking?

All of this is not a case of money, fame or booze. It's EGO.

Watching my favourite celebs praise and idolize their own egos made me put myself back into perspective.

I'm just Josh.

I blog, I write, I want to be a superstar in this industry, but when I start calling myself "Mother Monster" and talking about "gassing [religious groups]", it's terrifying.

I didn't actually say any of these things, but I really believe what my Rabbi said, "we are all mirrors of each other"

Are all of these people I admire showing me all that COULD happen to me?

How many comments or bad decisions are we from spinning out of control?

Not too far when you think of it.

Today, I want to thank my 65 year old gentleman Robert for telling me his prayer. I told him mine and my mantra and he shared his with me (coincidentally HE used to do hair TOO), he taught me so much more than Gaga, Galliano or any public figure could. He taught me to appreciate what I have and NOT give in to my ego.

-J Ry.