In today’s culture, real life often gets confused with the
“Real World” ““ and to the extent that it seems
like anyone can achieve fame. Melissa de la Cruz and Karen
Robinovitz set out to prove this is true in their Marie Claire
magazine assignment-turned self-help book, “How to Become
Famous in Two Weeks or Less.”
Unfortunately for anyone trying to use the book as a guide to
engineer their own rise to fame, the authors start their assignment
a step ahead of the crowd. Unlike the authors, the average person
would have trouble getting free couture outfits and services from
top stylists ““ unless he or she was writing an article for
Marie Claire.
Still, there were a few tricks the duo used that could work for
the waiters and waitresses of Los Angeles with dreams of being the
next Tom Hanks or Julia Roberts.
One decent suggestion the authors offer is to always dress to
impress. Try foregoing the standard jeans, ponytail and flip-flops,
and sport a dress, high heels and styled hair. You’ll
definitely get a lot more attention.
And did you know that if you can’t get a personal
assistant or PR person, you can fake it? Call people using a
slightly different voice, promoting “your boss” (you)
as an important person who wants to attend an event.
Perhaps the most creative idea to becoming famous is to form an
entourage. After promoting yourself as a “rising star,”
have a friend follow you around with a video camera “filming
a documentary.” People will find you interesting, and you may
have a better chance of getting into exclusive night clubs.
The lamest trick the authors offer for achieving fame is to get
naked. Robinovitz walks around New York topless, and de la Cruz
goes without a bra, just, as she claims, “like a real
“˜It’ girl!” While baring all in the dead of
winter might be scandalous in New York, you would have a better
chance standing out in Los Angeles by wearing a full-length coat.
In January, you could wear a bikini and people would only stare at
you until the next scantily dressed person came along … about
three seconds later.