This was published 7 years ago
Lara Bingle copy Keira Maguire is becoming a player in the fame game
Exactly who and what constitutes a celebrity these days?
It is indeed a perplexing question. No longer is it the Nicoles, Cates, Hughs or Kylies who reign supreme, especially if you took a litmus test of the names being given celebrity status.
Lara Worthington arrives at the InStyle and Audi Women of Style Awards last month.Credit: Getty Images
Here's a snapshot of the past week in the world of "celebrity media", but don't feel too bad if you find yourself asking "who are these people?".
Even those of us in the business of knowing such things would be hard-pressed to name more than a few of them, let alone explain who they are or why they are in the "news".
Keira Maguire (far right) is an upcoming contestant on The Bachelor. She is best friends with Lisa Clark (far left) who is Strahan's first cousin. Also pictured The Bachelor season two star Lisa Hyde (middle right) and Big Brother star Aisha McKinnon. Credit: Facebook
For example, who out there would consider Keira Maguire a name worthy of the sort of media attention the likes of actor Margot Robbie enjoys?
Keira who you ask? Well, apparently she is famous for being a ... wait for it ... Lara Bingle look-a-like.
Yep, even the counterfeit versions of the incongruously famous are getting a run in the world of online celebrity news, eating up the same space that once would have been dominated by a rising star like Robbie, though thanks to the rise of the Bingles of this world the fame smorgasbord grows ever larger.
According the Daily Mail, Keira has now signed up for the latest series of The Bachelor, though the show is yet to actually hit the screens, according to the Mail she is a "star". The online news site has been lavishing her with articles and countless photos, most of which have been duly taken off her Instagram feed.
Beyond her upcoming appearance on The Bachelor, apparently LookylikeyLara's occupation is a "vlogger", which for the uninitiated appears to be the job description of someone able to make money out of uploading videos of themselves wearing bikinis onto social media. Oh, and she lives in Bondi (quelle surprise!).
Now it wasn't so many years ago that the real Lara Bingle was being criticised for being famous for not actually doing much more than appearing on television in her bikini and dating a star cricketer. However, as the years have passed and Lara's infamy has grown, she has assumed the celebrity mantle in her own right.
After having every detail of her life splashed across magazines, newspapers and even on her own TV show, I have watched the rise of Lara for several years. Indeed PS' last conversation with her was after she became a mother with her partner, actor Sam Worthington, besotted by their baby boy Rocket. But unlike in previous years, our chat awkward at best, the blonde telling me: "I just don't want to talk about my personal stuff ... we really appreciate our privacy".
Whatever you say Lara, though even she must be bemused that a Bingle copy is now becoming a player in the fame game.
Another name I found myself Googling this week was a busty blonde calling herself Angelique "Frenchy" Morgan, who was getting more than her fair share of airtime for no obvious reason. Turns out she is the bi-sexual lover of ... wait for it ... Gabi Grecko. Who you ask? Gabi is the ex-wife of Geoffrey Edelsten, the one that came after Brynne.
Still with me?
But who cares about the or merit of celebrity status? Certainly not "Frenchy", who managed to give a lengthy interview about her problematic breast implants as though she were Madonna reflecting on her 30-year career.
Frankly, I'm not sure who I feel sorry for more: the poor reporter who spent three years studying journalism who was tasked with putting such drivel into an article, or the clueless reader who actually clicked on the story and further fuelled the desire for such irrelevant piffle in the brave new world of digital media.
No doubt it was the same reader (I plead guilty) who clicked on another story this week about someone who once appeared on My Kitchen Rules, a woman named Lynzey Murphy, who was unconvincingly described as a "star" in the article.
Lynzey made the news this week because apparently she had deleted her boyfriend, a former footballer named Dan Conn, from her Instagram account. I know, shocking right?
Suddenly, the original Lara Bingle is looking and sounding more like a Cate Blanchett by the minute.