Podcasts > This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von > E499 Celeste Barber

E499 Celeste Barber

By Theo Von

In this episode of This Past Weekend with Theo Von, comedian Celeste Barber opens up about her path from acting to comedy, building a massive online following through her hilarious Instagram parodies and successful stand-up tours. She candidly shares the challenges of touring, including the toll of constant travel on her family life.

Barber also touches on her personal struggles with ADHD, the stark contrast between America's and Australia's attitudes towards gun violence, and the unrealistic beauty standards perpetuated by social media. Her unique perspective provides insight into the extreme pressures women face today regarding their physical appearances, both online and off.

E499 Celeste Barber

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E499 Celeste Barber

1-Page Summary

Celeste Barber's Career and Experiences

Celeste Barber discusses transitioning from acting to comedy due to lack of acting roles. She built a large online following through Instagram parodies and later successful standup tours, selling out worldwide. However, Barber describes touring as "masochistic" due to constant travel and being away from family in Australia.

Barber had a Netflix show called "Wellmania" that unfortunately wasn't renewed despite good numbers. She hopes for roles showing diverse women like her on-screen.

Mental Health Issues

Barber was diagnosed with ADHD at 16. She says it makes life much harder, with medications helping but having side effects. She rejects describing ADHD as a "superpower."

Gun Violence in America vs. Australia

The prevalence of mass shootings and gun culture in America is shocking and scary to Australians like Barber, who contrasts it with Australia's successful gun buyback program that helped eliminate mass shootings.

Beauty Standards and Social Media Pressures

Barber criticizes social media for portraying unrealistic beauty standards as normal life. She says its constant presence makes these pressures inescapable. Her content satirizes such unrealistic standards.

Travis Kelce's Retirement Press Conference

Barber notes the very emotional nature of Kelce's retirement press conference contrasts with reserved Australian athlete retirements. She wonders if the emotion is genuine or amplified for media attention.

1-Page Summary

Additional Materials

Clarifications

  • Celeste Barber shifted from pursuing acting roles to focusing on comedy due to limited acting opportunities. She gained popularity through creating humorous parodies on Instagram and later transitioned to successful stand-up comedy tours. This transition allowed her to connect with a broader audience and establish herself as a comedic personality.
  • Barber criticizes social media for promoting unrealistic beauty standards, which can negatively impact individuals' self-esteem and body image. She highlights how these standards create pressure to conform to an idealized image that is often unattainable or unrealistic. Barber uses her platform to satirize and challenge these norms, advocating for more authenticity and diversity in representations of beauty on social media.
  • In the context of Travis Kelce's retirement press conference, the contrast with Australian athlete retirements may relate to the differing cultural norms around expressing emotions publicly. Australian athletes are often known for their more reserved demeanor during retirement announcements, while American athletes like Kelce may display more overt emotion for media attention or personal reasons. This contrast highlights the cultural differences in how athletes from different countries approach and express their retirement from professional sports.

Counterarguments

  • While Barber describes touring as "masochistic," some might argue that touring is a privilege and an opportunity to connect with fans globally, and the hardships are part of the career she chose.
  • The non-renewal of "Wellmania" could be seen as a business decision by Netflix, which may consider factors beyond "good numbers," such as strategic direction or audience engagement metrics.
  • While Barber does not view ADHD as a "superpower," some individuals with ADHD may embrace this perspective as a way to highlight the unique strengths and creativity associated with the condition.
  • The comparison between gun violence in America and Australia might overlook the complexity of cultural, historical, and constitutional differences that make direct comparisons challenging.
  • Criticizing social media for promoting unrealistic beauty standards could be balanced with the recognition that social media also provides platforms for diverse voices and body positivity movements.
  • The emotional nature of Travis Kelce's retirement press conference could be genuinely reflective of the personal significance of retiring from a lifelong career in sports, rather than being solely for media attention.

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E499 Celeste Barber

Celeste Barber's Career and Experiences

Celeste Barber discusses her journey from struggling actor to social media phenomenon, successful comedian, and her navigation between career success and personal life.

Early Career as an Actor and Transition to Comedy

Celeste Barber started her career in acting but transitioned to comedy due to the difficulty of finding acting roles. She built a large online following by creating and posting parodies on Instagram. Recognizing the potential of her comedic talent, Celeste eventually made a successful transition to standup comedy and live touring, selling out tours worldwide and reaping significant financial rewards from her hard work.

Started comedy due to inability to get acting jobs

Celeste didn’t come up through traditional standup comedy but found her niche in comedy through other channels, such as acting and online content creation, where her parodies garnered significant attention.

Challenges of Touring

Barber describes the touring process as "masochistic" due to the constant travel and the exhaustion that comes with it. She was initially uncertain about touring, questioning whether people truly liked her work, but this was put to rest by her sold-out shows and the validation that followed. During her tours, she grapples with whether to give the audience more of what they like or to try new material she believes is better.

She has become accustomed to being apart from her family due to the nature of her work and the long-distance relationship she has always had with her partner. Celeste has had to balance her family life in Australia with her professional life, which largely takes her to America where most of her audience resides. During her last world tour, she crammed many shows into a short period to reduce her time away from home, but it still resulted in a substantial six-week absence from her children.

For her upcoming tour, she plans a more family-friendly schedule, working for a couple of weeks and then taking a week off for her family to join her. Despite these efforts, there are times when commitments clash with family events, such as her child's football game, which she will only be able to attend in part due to her fligh ...

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Celeste Barber's Career and Experiences

Additional Materials

Clarifications

  • Celeste Barber transitioned from acting to comedy due to challenges in finding acting roles. She gained popularity through her comedic parodies on Instagram, leading to success in stand-up comedy and global tours. Balancing her career with family life, she faces challenges like extended periods away from home and the need to juggle work commitments with personal events. Despite setbacks, she remains focused on maintaining control in her industry and representing diverse women positively on-screen.
  • Celeste Barber balances her professional commitments, like touring and creating content, with her family life in Australia, where she lives with her partner and children. She faces challenges being away from her family for extended periods due ...

Counterarguments

  • While Celeste Barber's transition to comedy was successful, it's possible that her acting career might have taken off with more time or different opportunities.
  • Gaining a large online following does not always translate to success in other entertainment fields like stand-up comedy or acting.
  • Selling out shows worldwide is a significant achievement, but it doesn't necessarily mean that an artist has reached the pinnacle of their career or that they won't face future challenges in maintaining their popularity.
  • Describing touring as "masochistic" could be seen as a negative perspective that doesn't acknowledge the privilege and opportunity that comes with being able to perform internationally.
  • The struggle to balance family life with a professional career is common, and some might argue that it's a part of the sacrifice for success in the entertainment industry.
  • Planning a more family-friendly tour schedule is commendable, but it may not always be feasible and could potentially limit professional opportunities or audience reach.
  • The cancellation of "Wellmania" after a successful first season could be seen as a reflection of the unpredictable nature of the entertainment industry, where man ...

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E499 Celeste Barber

Mental Health Issues

Celeste Barber candidly discusses her personal challenges with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a mental health condition that significantly affects her life.

ADHD Struggles

Feels ADHD makes life much harder

Celeste Barber was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 16 and has been medicated on and off throughout her life. She emphasizes that the disorder makes her life much more difficult and is something with which she really struggles. As she gets older, she finds the challenges of living with ADHD increase, and she expresses frustration with those who describe ADHD as a superpower as she cannot relate to that description. Celeste notes that ADHD isn’t just about hyperactivity; it's also associated with a lack of dopamine. This can make completing tasks difficult and often leaves her feeling exhausted.

Medications help but have side effects

While discussing the impact of ADHD on her life, Barber mention ...

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Mental Health Issues

Additional Materials

Clarifications

  • ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can cause difficulties with attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Individuals with ADHD may struggle with organizing tasks, maintaining focus, and controlling impulses. It can also lead to forgetfulness, restlessness, and difficulty following through on tasks. Additionally, emotional regulation and time management can be challenging for those with ADHD.
  • ADHD is associated with dysregulation of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain. Dopamine plays a crucial role in regulating attention, motivation, and reward pathways. In individuals with ADHD, there can be imbalances in dopamine levels, affecting their ability to focus, prioritize tasks, and control impulses. This imbalance contributes to the core symptoms of ADHD, such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
  • In some discussions, ADHD is sometimes referred to as a "superpower" due to the unique strengths it can bring, such as cr ...

Counterarguments

...

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E499 Celeste Barber

Gun Violence in America vs. Australia

The contrast between gun violence in the United States and Australia’s response to it is stark, with Australians like Barber expressing disbelief and concern over American gun culture.

Mass Shootings in America

Celeste Barber details how mass shootings in America are shocking and scary to Australians. She shares an experience of being in close proximity to a shooting incident in the United States, which left her in fear and uncertain whether to alert the authorities. This is in profound contrast to Australia, where mass shootings are exceptionally rare. In Australia, alarm bells ring countrywide even if an incident occurs in a different state, highlighting the disparity in the frequency of such events compared to the U.S.

Barber reflects on the necessity to possibly address a nearby shooting during her performance, which showcases the gravity of these violent events for her as an Australian unused to America’s prevalence of gun violence.

Don't understand American gun culture

Barber finds American incentives to own guns, like getting a firearm for opening a bank account, baffling and suggests that change could come from reconsidering such practices. Meanwhile, Theo Von speaks to the deep entrenchment of gun culture in the United States, noting that it ...

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Gun Violence in America vs. Australia

Additional Materials

Clarifications

  • The 1996 Port Arthur massacre was a mass shooting in Tasmania, Australia, where a lone gunman killed 35 people and wounded 23 others. This tragic event was a turning point in Australian gun laws, leading to the implementation of strict gun control measures, including a nationwide gun buyback program. The Australian government's response to the Port Arthur massacre is often cited as a successful example of how proactive gun control measures can help reduce gun violence. The buyback program aimed to reduce the number of firearms in circulation and prevent similar mass shootings from occurring in the future.
  • Gun laws in the United States are more permissive compared to Australia. In the U.S., the Second Amendment to the Constitution protects the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, leading to a more widespread own ...

Counterarguments

  • The effectiveness of gun buyback programs is debated, with some arguing that they do not significantly impact gun violence rates.
  • Cultural differences may account for varying attitudes towards guns, and what works in one country may not be applicable or effective in another.
  • The deep-rooted gun culture in the U.S. is tied to constitutional rights, making changes to gun laws a complex issue that involves balancing safety with civil liberties.
  • The success of Australia's gun control measures may not solely be attributed to the buyback program; other factors such as stringent licensing and gun ownership laws also play a role.
  • The claim that the Australian gun buyback program eradicated mass shootings may overlook other incidents of violence or the potential for underreporting.
  • The financial incentive of $300 for surrendering firearms may not reflect the true value of the guns or the potential economic impact on individua ...

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E499 Celeste Barber

Beauty Standards and Social Media Pressures

Celeste Barber takes a stance on the beauty standards and social media pressures facing women today, using her comedic content as a tool to challenge and ridicule these unrealistic expectations.

Unrealistic Expectations for Women

Social media presents unrealistic ideals as normal life

Barber criticizes the portrayal of women on social media, arguing that it promotes unrealistic ideals of what women should look like in their daily routines, like glamorous school drop-offs or effortless morning routines. She points out the contrast between how women's lives are depicted versus the reality, especially during challenging tasks such as breastfeeding at 3 a.m.

Social media available 24/7 makes it harder to escape

Barber discusses the constant pressure women feel from social media to meet certain unattainable standards. Unlike a magazine or TV, which can be put aside, social media is always in one's hands, she says. Barber references the “neediness” of social media platforms and the compulsion to constantly engage.

Celeste advises that one way to escape the pressure is to turn off notifications, specifically Google alerts about oneself, to avoid the bombardment every few minutes. Her critique extends to the ridiculousness of people being absorbed in editing photos of themselves while simultaneously being engaged in other activities, like writing in a diary.

Her content mocks these unrealistic standards

She admires Taylor Swift's approachable performance style, which she relates to her own content, praising Swift for dancing non-professionally at her concerts in a way that resonates with many people's real and unpolished experiences. Likewise, Barber's content is praised for satirizing beauty trends and addressing these issues, contrasting with the often sexualized and unrealistic portrayals in media and socia ...

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Beauty Standards and Social Media Pressures

Additional Materials

Clarifications

  • Celeste Barber is known for her satirical and exaggerated parodies of glamorous and unrealistic social media posts. She humorously recreates these images in a more relatable and everyday context, highlighting the absurdity of beauty standards and societal expectations. Her comedic style often involves self-deprecation and poking fun at the unattainable perfection often portrayed on platforms like Instagram. Barber's content aims to challenge these ideals while promoting body positivity and self-acceptance through humor.
  • Celebrity culture influences beauty standards and aspirations by showcasing idealized images that can set unrealistic expectations for individuals. Celebrities often represent societal ideals of beauty and success, lead ...

Counterarguments

  • Social media can also be a platform for promoting body positivity and diversity, showcasing a range of beauty standards rather than just unrealistic ones.
  • Some individuals may find inspiration and motivation in the beauty and lifestyle portrayals on social media, using them as goals for personal improvement rather than feeling pressured.
  • Turning off notifications might not be sufficient for some people to escape social media pressure, as the underlying issue may be more deeply rooted in personal insecurities or societal expectations.
  • While Barber's content is satirical, some may argue that satire is not always an effective way to bring about change and can sometimes be misinterpreted or reinforce stereotypes.
  • Taylor Swift's performance style, while relatable to some, may not resonate with everyone, and some may prefer more polished and professional performances.
  • The concept of "women's fucking doors" and similar jokes, although meant to be humorous, might not contribute to a serious discu ...

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E499 Celeste Barber

Travis Kelce's Retirement Press Conference

Very Emotional Compared to Australian Sports Retirements

Travis Kelce's retirement press conference marks a significant moment in sports, characterized by a display of strong emotions. This contrasts with athletic retirements in Australia, where athletes often appear more reserved in their final press conferences.

Possibly More Media Attention Than Genuine Emotion

Celeste Barber, looking on at the proceedings, raises a point about the nature of these emotions. She expresses skepticism about the authenticity of the emotions shown, suggesting that media ...

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Travis Kelce's Retirement Press Conference

Additional Materials

Clarifications

  • Celeste Barber is an Australian comedian, actress, and social media personality known for her satirical and humorous posts. She often comments on current events and trends, offering a comedic take on various topics. In this context, her perspective adds a critical lens to the emotional display at Travis Kelce's retirement press conference, questioning the authenticity of the emotions shown. Her skepticism suggests a consideration of how media coverage can influence and shape public perception of events.
  • Media attention can influence how emotions are portrayed in public events like retirement press conferences. The presence of cameras and reporters can amplify or shape the emotional displays of athletes, potentially leading to more dramatic or exaggerated expressions ...

Counterarguments

  • Emotional expression is culturally influenced, and the difference between Travis Kelce's retirement press conference and Australian athletes' retirements could be due to cultural norms rather than a lack of genuine emotion.
  • The level of emotion displayed at a retirement press conference may not necessarily correlate with the authenticity of the athlete's feelings; some individuals may simply be more private or less expressive.
  • Celeste Barber's skepticism might overlook the individual personality of Travis Kelce, who may naturally express himself in a more emotive way, irrespective of media presence.
  • The media's role in sports is to capture and convey the moments that matter to the audience, and heightened emotions can be a natural part of a significant life event lik ...

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