Initial Thoughts

Growing up in a suburb of Los Angeles, California, I’ve come to accept the culture of young Hollywood as a fly trapped in a bedroom: annoying yet harmless. My parents taught me to work hard and be dedicated in order to receive what you want from life, which makes the typical “young Hollywood” lifestyle meaningless to me. However, across the nation their lifestyle is seen as ideal. Celebrities like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Kim Kardashianand, and the cast of “The Hills” go to clubs nearly every night of the week and still manage to make enough money to support their lavish lifestyles - shopping on Robertson Boulevard, eating at The Ivy, and driving the newest model Mercedes. Their feuds with their conveyor belt of best friends and boyfriends make front-page news when there are more pressing issues in today’s world. And yet, their lifestyle holds a certain allure. When these young starlets do work, they make enough money to be independent. However, if they run into any kind of trouble, whether it is from spending too much money, getting in trouble with the authorities, or doing too many drugs, their parents will usually bail them out both literally and figuratively.

When you look superficially, it's easy to see why their lifestyle is seen as ideal. But I have to wonder...are they happy with who they are and what they've become? It would be hard to be constantly followed, photographed, and written about. However, there are plenty of celebrities that stay out of the party circut that could be considered members of the “Young Hollywood” crowd; Vanessa Hudgens and Emma Roberts immediately come to mind.

This makes me wonder, what causes certain celebrities to bask in the limelight while others immediately recoil from it? And why is the general public so fixated on the exploits of Young Hollywood?

That is why, for my cross-cultural encounter, I am choosing to examine celebrity culture, its origins, and it's affect on today's society.