Friends with Benefits - is it possible?

Last week I saw the new Hollywood creation 'Friends with Benefits', starring Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake, with some friends and we loved it. It was funny, crude and rude, all in equal measure. Justin and Mila are so hot together; their chemistry is electric and I wish I had a friend with benefits that looked like either of them. Well, maybe not with 'benefits', but I'd sure as hell love a friend that looked like either of them!

But it really got me thinking about the basis of the movie - can friends really have benefits with each other and stay friends? Sure, in theory it's easy enough. But when it actually comes down to it, is it practical and wise?

I don't think it is.

Some say sex is sex. I disagree. I can't fathom how people can have sex just for the sake of it, with no attachments, feelings or emotions. Sex is a physical act between two people and to get THAT intimate with someone, and for it to not mean anything, freaks me out. It's like saying 'I Love You' if you don't mean it - if you don't mean it, don't say it. If the sex is meaningless, don't do it.

Not only that, but is it worth jeopardizing a friendship for the sake of sex? Sex can be great, but it can be just as dangerous, especially when bought into contact with friends. How awkward would it be the morning after the night before? I couldn't face it. Then the awkwardness would begin, then the avoidance, then the 'feelings', then more avoidance, etc. It's not worth it.

Justin and Mila make it look so easy. They're friends, they're lovers, they're friends, they're lovers, they're haters, then they're full-time lovers. But, sadly, not everyone is guaranteed the fairytale ending that is given in Hollywood movies. What happens if said friends can't be together in a full-time relationship, or if the 'arrangement', as it were, means more to one than the other? There are so many complications that come with such an arrangement and I feel it could do more harm than good.

Maybe I should conduct an experiment and gain first hand experience? HA, I think I'll pass this time. But for anyone reading this post, or for anyone that has seen the movie and think it's a good idea, I really advise you to consider the repercussions.

But, overall, I absolutely LOVED the movie.

*****

Five Stars

The Cult of Celebrity...

The Cult of Celebrity is a fictitious cult. A cult comprised of rich, successful, powerful individuals whose lives are a million miles away from ours. But why are we so obsessed with this cult? If there is nothing remotely similar between 'us' and 'them', as it were, why do we feel the need to be constantly divulged with what is occurring in Celeb-land?

For my final year dissertation project, I intend to base it on the cult of celebrity. I'm not ashamed to admit that I AM obsessed with the cult of celebrity and as bad as it may sound, I find it far more interesting to read about the latest celebrity scandal rather than the latest real-life scandal. Superficial, but true. I'm mesmerised by the power that celebrities hold over us; celebrities have the power to influence our day-to-day life, and ultimately DO influence us.

To aid me in my project, I've done some initial reading on the topic and Cooper Lawrence has written a book called 'the Cult of Celebrity'. This book, I find riveting. Lawrence analyses the power of celebrity from all aspects, from the power a celebrity has on politics, to the power they have on persuading us, the audience, to purchase items that they endorse, to the power they have on society as a whole.

From reading the book, I have realised just how much celebrity culture influences me. I'm a media junkie and consume media through a plethora of platforms; TV, iPod, iPhone, Internet, the list goes on. The most recent chapter that I have read in the book has discussed success and how we compare our success through a variety of ways. Some people compare their success through their financial situation, some measure their success against the property they own and some measure success by the size of their family. Celebrities measure their success by how much money they have, how many houses they own, how many awards they have won, how many record sales they've racked up, etc.

At twenty years of age it's hard for me to measure by success by any standards, but I measure by success by all of the things I've been lucky enough to experience. I've been abroad twice and funded them both myself, which proves I have some kind of financial stability; I have had numerous trips to London, seen two West End shows and even attended the Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 première. (Although I watched from the outskirts, I was still there!) I've been accepted to University and am heading into my final year, and I've also completed a work placement in London, too. These factors contribute to the success I have achieved thus far. But my motivation for achieving such things, and hoping to achieve much, much more in the future, is celebrities. When I see people like Tulisa Contostavlos come from nothing to X Factor judge and music starlet, it puts into perspective that anything is possible. You just have to persevere. Rihanna has to be one of the most famous musical entertainers in the world right now, and she's only 23!

This topic is so large and covers so much, too much for me to cover in one blog post, but I just find it interesting that celebrities are a large entity of society today. Well, the society I live in, anyway.