Attention seekers, everybody seems to have a disgust for them it seems, right? Everybody laughs and talks behind the back of the emo kid, everybody scorns the drama queens, everybody hates the brown-noser. Everybody always says "oh, they're just doing it for the attention, just ignore them". They want it all to be about them, and we hate them from taking the communal spotlight to themselves.
There are other people out there who seek attention as well, though we look at them differently. There are achievers, there are people who show different, though positive qualities, there are people who are just naturally likable. These people may not even be actively seeking the attention and adoration of others, yet they often get both in abundance. They are the people you look up to, the people you like, the people who are generally pretty popular.
What separates the "attention whores" from the generally likable others? It's all in how one seeks or gets that attention. Nobody likes the whining kid or the one who blows their whole life out of proportion, these people seem desperate, and nag you for all they can get, they're like beggars. The achievers and others, they earn that attention along with a considerable deal of respect. As I said, some don't even try, some just be themselves and in doing that they earn the respect of their peers.
This writeup inspired by characters on various "reality shows", and my consideration thereof