Most of us know that celebrities have more money than we do, so we really don’t need them to boast about it online. We can assume that directing an incredibly successful blockbuster film will bring in a bit more money than working at a restaurant, but after a certain point, large amounts of money just become incomprehensible. Trying to fathom a billion dollars is difficult enough, but trying to fathom ten billion dollars is even harder. Supposedly, that’s George Lucas’ net worth, by the way.

George Lucas isn’t really the type of person to be flaunting his purchases on Instagram though. Whether or not you believe billionaires should even exist is a discussion for a later time, but many people can agree that boasting about your wealth online is a bit distasteful. Didn't their parents ever teach them that bragging is rude? Especially given the recent inflation rates, the insanely high costs of housing and how difficult finding a high paying job has become, I don’t really see the logic in flaunting exorbitant wealth in the faces of millions of followers who are likely strapped for cash. 

Now, you might be thinking that these posts are inspirational. If you have a dream of becoming wealthy, seeing someone else who has achieved that might give you the drive to work even harder in your career. But how hard did Kim Kardashian really have to work for her money? How much of it came from her family and being set up for success? I’m not saying it is impossible to work hard and earn more money than you could ever need, but it is definitely less likely for someone from a small town who did not inherit any money to become a billionaire than someone who has generational wealth.   

Wealth also seems to beget more wealth. Have you ever heard of a celebrity being given a product or experience for free so they would publicize it? The more famous someone is, the more brands will reach out to them for endorsements and the more opportunities they will be provided. So even if their fame did not come from being wealthy in the first place, it’s usually not too hard to capitalize on a platform. 

And once someone has reached a certain level of affluence, they don’t need to work as hard to maintain or grow their funds. They can make investments and create new business ventures without requiring loans and donors, and their fame will help their businesses get off the ground. Kim Kardashian has her shapewear line, Kylie Jenner has her cosmetics line, and Rihanna has Savage X Fenty. I’m not saying that entertainers, athletes and public figures don’t work hard for their money, but it can be a bit misleading to brag about how hard work gave them their funds when there are plenty of health care workers, teachers and essential workers going to incredibly demanding jobs every day and still struggling to make ends meet.

Why do celebrities make so much money anyway? Don’t firefighters, nurses and teachers deserve to earn a significant living for all of the good they do for society? I value a great film and beautiful music as much as the next person, but I don’t necessarily think that all actors require multi million dollar homes to perfect their craft in. Especially when there are over 65,000 homeless individuals living in Los Angeles alone. But according to ABC Australia, celebrities make so much money because jobs that cannot be performed by many people and that generate great revenue or prestige for employers have been deemed extremely valuable.   

"A teacher can't generate as much value as an Olympic runner can — and there are more people who can do that job [teaching]," Kate Phelan, a lecturer in the School of Global, Urban and Social studies at RMIT, told ABC Australia. "And so … teachers can't threaten to go elsewhere and ask for more in light of that." So of course, once a celebrity becomes known for their special talent, whatever that may be, they won’t accept anything less than what they want. Even if they are a billionaire already, there is no way a Kardashian will make an appearance for less than a hefty price. What a tragedy it would be if they actually earned a normal salary for once, despite being set for multiple lifetimes with what they have already. 

Being famous is certainly no walk in the park, though. As Dr. Luara Ferracioli, a lecturer in political philosophy at the University of Sydney, told ABC Australia, "If you make it into those professions you receive a huge financial reward, but part of what you're being rewarded for is your looks, and that's the result of a sexist society that places too much value on how women look.” Perhaps these individuals deserve to earn hundreds of millions of dollars for being scrutinized each and every day for how they look and how they choose to live their lives. I get nervous enough about posting a photo of myself on Instagram when I know the only people who will see it actually know me in person; I can’t imagine the pressure of millions of eyes seeing my acne and commenting on any weight fluctuation I experience. But does the emotional distress really justify having more money than you know what to do with?  

The more money these celebrities earn, the more out of touch they become as well. If you are extremely famous, you’re not going to want to grocery shop for yourself or fly economy on a plane. Aside from the annoyance of being recognized and photographed, it can actually be unsafe. People do not always respect the privacy and personal space of celebrities, so many famous individuals choose to limit their contact with the public. If you are living in a multi million dollar home, surrounded by people who work for you and do all of your shopping and cleaning for you, it can be easy to forget that 99% of the world does not live that way. Why would a wealthy person be concerned about the homeless people trying to earn a few dollars by washing windshields at a gas station? They never encounter them. This state of being out of touch with reality leads to these tasteless Instagram posts and bragging about wealth. Even if they were once in the shoes of their many followers who are living paycheck to paycheck, some celebrities just forget (or don’t care).

Angie Hobbs, a professor of the public understanding of philosophy at the University of Sheffield, told ABC Australia that the current ideas of who deserves what actually raise some moral concerns. "[The philosopher] Plato said not only is it bad to value fame for fame's sake — rather than fame for the sake of virtue or some positive contribution to society — but the very worst thing is to confuse success with material wealth," she explained. “The danger is that footballers and film stars and so on, because of their massive salaries, will simply, maybe unconsciously, feel that they are 'worth' more, not just in material terms, but in terms of moral value or contribution to society."

The problem with the inflated sense of ego that many wealthy and famous people experience is that it can go both ways. “Other people in society, who aren't the footballers, will also think, 'That's OK' and continue to buy the magazines and sort of condone and go along with this system,” Professor Hobbs explains. But these lower-paid individuals might then think that if money and fame equate worth, they must be worth less themselves. "There is the danger that inside, logically, they're going to end up feeling inferior because they have less money, and because we have confused money with success and worth.”

And if the wealth gap is something that bothers you, you might be interested in minimizing your contribution to it.  "People might say this is a terrible system, but they're not actually fighting against it … they're not taking their money away from the celebrity cult,” says Professor Hobbs. If you don’t want to support the Kardashians and Paris Hiltons of the world, don’t buy their products and don’t follow them online. Don’t watch their shows, and don’t discuss their personal lives. Kate Phelan also says that it’s important to make an effort to support workers in lower-paid positions when they call for better conditions and increased wages. "If people go on strike, I think we should say, 'If they manage to get more money, good for them. That will show what their job is worth'."

Do you feel like eating the rich yet? We hope this list is not making you sick to your stomach, but it is a gross reminder of how wealthy many famous people are. Keep upvoting the pics you want your fellow pandas to see, and then let us know in the comments how you feel about blatant displays of affluence. Do you admire these individuals for earning so much, or would you prefer to tax them all 40% to direct their funds to those in need?