Celebrity Crushes: What They Reveal About You

No matter our age we all have celebrity crushes. No one is immune. It could be a sports figure, author, musician, actor or talk show host. It's normal and natural unless we become creepily obsessed. As teenagers and young adults we fantasize about dating or marrying our celebrity crush because it often helps us discover the qualities we are looking for in a mate or relationship. Imagine if you had actually married your first celebrity crush which in my case was the obscure Canadian teen aged heartthrob, Tony De Franco of the De Franco Family. Remember the song, "Heartbeat, it's a Love Beat" ? No? Well, you're not alone but Tony was a Tiger Beat magazine darling during the 70's. My sister's and I used to play their album and sing along as if we were the De Franco back up singers. Obviously, we couldn't be part of the De Franco family fun unless we married one of the brothers. Luckily, there was Benny and Nino DeFranco for each of them.

Whether it was his dark brown puppy dog eyes or the way he wore his flared pants and platform shoes I'm not sure what the attraction was for a five year old girl who couldn't even write a love letter yet. Despite all the crushes still to come Tony De Franco was my first. Do you remember yours?

In my late adolescence my neighborhood friends and I would gather together in backyards on picnic tables and act out popular movie scenes from the musical sensation Grease or the young adult angst drama The Outsiders. Both movies launched the careers of such stars as John Travolta, Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise and my personal teen hottie heartthrob, Ralph "Daniel San" Macchio. While most of my girlfriends dreamed of canoodling with C. Thomas Howell or getting lovey- dovey with Rob Lowe, my heart belonged to the sensitive doe eyed underdog karate kid greaser. " Let's do it for Johnny, man!

My teen aged crushes really revealed to me that I had absolutely no clue what I was looking for in a boy or a relationship. Infatuations ran the strangely complex gamut from Robert Smith of the Cure and U2's Bono to Edmonton Oiler hockey defenseman, Paul Coffey. This trend of attraction towards tender yet tough manliness continued into my early twenties and reflected my real life relationships. Perhaps the qualities I was searching for in a lover was an intelligent creative artist who would defend my honor by knocking teeth out with a stick. In all sincerity it's a damn good thing I decided not to marry early in life.

Therapist and author of I Love You But I'm Not In Love With You , Andrew G. Marshall encourages couples to use their celebrity crushes to spice up their sex lives. As long as the fantasy does not carry any negative overtones such as comparing a spouse to their crush in a derogatory manner or obsessive celebrity chatter, a crush can be used to fuel the fires of desire. Don't be afraid to reenact that Ryan Gosling - Carey Mulligan elevator kiss from the movie Drive to rev up the engines. Why not fantasize about smooching luscious lipped British actor Tom Hardy until you can actually kiss your significant other? Our brain is the largest and most sensitive sex organ. Isn't there an author you are dying to co-write or illustrate that book with or a famous chef you have always wanted to create a gourmet meal? Don't we all fantasize about being a record breaking athlete or great American hero? ( or at least date one) We all use our dreams to motivate ourselves.There is no need to be embarrassed or ashamed to share a crush with a lover or spouse as long as you ensure your authentic love for them. Examine your celebrity crushes to reveal what you need and long for in every day reality.