Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Money and Celebrity
I've been thinking a lot lately about the role that financial wealth plays in Los Angeles. Though obviously there are wealthy people throughout the United States who live "fabulous" lifestyles, there is something about one's ability in LA to "buy" status that I find interesting. With "reality" shows like "The Hills" on TV, the definition of celebrity is shifting. What is it that these girls have that make them such "intriguing" celebrity figures? Yes, they have a television series, but I think more crucial to their notoriety is their ability to buy the lives they lead. They wear outfits worth several hundred dollars, they carry bags worth (often times) more than a thousand dollars, they eat out at expensive restaurants, they sit VIP in the city's most exclusive clubs. These are all things that money can buy. All you need in Los Angeles to be a celebrity is money and a film crew. And, judging from the popularity of "The Hills," that's all most Americans want.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I've always been interested by this as well. And of all the "celebrities" that have bought their fame, how do you guys feel about those Real Housewvies of the OC? I found myself watching this in shock last December. In contrast, I recently saw an episode of Real Housewives of New York. WHAT a difference! I mean, you still sit there and think...why am I watching this and why do these families spend so much money on their image?? But here is what is interesting...the images that the women on the west coast buy are completely different than those on the east. I can't decide which is more offensive, but based on their values, when put in the same room - the women from the west and the east would despise each other.
The different social images you must buy in order to be a celebrity (the non-talented kind, of course) vary across the country...but we like to gawk at all of them.
Oh and to clarify a little on the differences between the coasts, here is an example: The housewives of the OC are excited to get their mail in the morning to see if they got an invitation to one of Hugh Hefner's parties because of all their plastic surgery and Rodeo Dr brands. The housewives of NY are excited to get their mail in the morning to see if they got in the society page of the NY Times because they went to the opera in an elegant dress and donated big money the night before.
Post a Comment