The other day I found myself feeling so uncomfortable because of the conversation that was happening around me, that I had to remove myself from the room. Being around such toxic energy made my stomach churn.

I think what upset me the most about the discussion wasn’t so much who it was about, but talking about another person in that way made the conversation less interesting. From my standpoint, I was more concerned for the fact that we were wasting our time talking about someone else, as if their life and drama was that fascinating.

In hindsight, that’s all gossip is anyway: talking about the life of another person, pair, or group of pals. In doing so, we’re glamorizing them, making it seem like they’re higher than us and therefore we must talk about them.

I think the reason gossiping turns me off isn’t because I’m afraid I’ll hurt someone else’s feelings or that it’s sin-worthy, but because I don’t care enough about a stranger’s life to talk about them.

However, here’s where my terrible-no-good-very-bad contradiction comes in: celebrities. America seems to always be split around the topic of celebrities; you either love them or hate them. I’m on the latter end of the spectrum.

I will, unapologetically, spend countless hours watching E! News and flipping through People Magazine all in order to keep up with the latest celebrity break-up, make-up, or pregnancy.
I’m even, believe it or not, addicted to the lives of pseudo-celebrities.

Tuesday nights are my favorite because “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” are on and Sunday nights are no longer exciting because “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” just ended.
Something about watching women in their late 40s and 50s bicker over things like allegedly calling someone else’s disease a fraud are entertaining to me.

Because my life has significantly less drama than the wives of Beverly Hills, their fights are alluring.

Reality shows depicting lives spent brunching and jet setting rather than working tend to get a bad rap and I understand why.

However, I think the same argument can be made for our lives. We spend our time talking about other people, whether it be interesting or not.

I fall somewhere in between the spectrum: I like talking about the Ben and Jen break up, but chit-chat about whose dating in my school bores me.

I think the main disparity between celebrities and the people in our everyday lives isn’t so much the fame but the age difference. Talking about high schoolers that I see in the halls bores me because I’m the same age as them and their problems aren’t all that complicated, just superficial.

Whereas watching the lives of actors (and former actors) unfold on the screen entices me. Their drama feels more legitimate, newsworthy problems that don’t just involve one person, but sometimes encompass an entire family too.

Gossiping is interesting in the sense that, on any given day, it can make you feel excited, like you just heard something no one else knows.

For me, the line needs to be drawn somewhere between teen drama and celebrity gossip. It seems contradictory, but I can’t tolerate talk about who’s dating who, I’d would much rather discuss the latest Hollywood scandal.