Jeff and I decided to take Rachael to see the new “family” film, Barnyard at her request. She saw the commercials for the funny cows and wanted to see them, so despite our suspicions that she would run around bored in the theater, play musical chairs and demand way too much popcorn, because the movie plot would be a little over her head, we took her anyways.
It was during the previews that I happened upon the culmination of a disturbing trend that has been targeting young, American women for the past few years. Hilary Duff and her sister are starring in a movie called Material Girls where they play young, rich, vacuous women who own a family cosmetics business that suddenly finds itself in bankruptcy. Of course, the entire plot of the film was revealed in the preview, which makes me wonder why anyone in their right mind would pay to see it, but this film is targeting ‘tweens, and they’ve made Miss Hilary a buttload of money, so her new flick is probably safe. Anyways, they save their company in the end by stepping up and running a business, but the synopsis of the film appears to be that a young girl should want nothing more than to be a hapless fashion addict who spends their day obsessed with celebrities and spouting off useless conversation with other vacuous fashion addicts. Oh, they also have to be rich. They don’t tell girls how they are to come into this money, but they should have a lot of it.
With the rise in popularity of Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie, Prince William, Kimberly Stewart and other young and rich kids, it seems that popular culture is cool with selling young men and mainly young women the idea that the perfect lifestyle includes expensive clothing, cars, parties, pampering, and optional plastic surgery. In this world of money, young people are told that they should also have only one long-term goal: to be famous for being rich and attractive. The only problem with this pop culture future is that they don’t bother to tell kids ways to go about making the money or achieving fame. They also don’t happen to mention the real cost of designer fashions and accessories, or what happens when the credit card bills come in the mail.
This kind of trend has existed before in American society around the turn of the previous century when the lifestyles of the Rockerfellers and Vanderbilts were splashed all over mainstream newspapers. However, their lives were portrayed more as fantasies that were completely unreachable by working class people, whereas today’s batch of young, wealthy celebrities are seen as contemporaries. Reality television and constant media attention gives regular kids the idea that if Paris was hanging out at Starbucks, they might actually have a chance to sip lattes with her. Those of us who are older and wiser see a far different scenario, where Paris’ ultra-buffed bodyguards clear the entire Starbucks out before Miss Hilton enters. Then they order her coffee drink for her and stand in close proximity as she text messages her latest Greek fling. The closest an average person will ever get to Paris Hilton is maybe two yards, if they happen to wait overnight at a premier and get a good, front seat spot at the velvet rope. As for conversation, I don’t think so, unless of course you are waiting on the table at the nouveaux cuisine restaurant she hits while shopping on Rodeo Drive.
My point is that there is a strong disconnect taking place between fantasy and reality that has never existed prior to this generation, and my concern is for the future of these kids who think that the only thing in life that makes you successful is the ability to consume high-priced goods and achieve fame. What happens when these young people, particularly girls, find themselves declaring bankruptcy at 21 years old, because they have tried to keep up with their so-called “contemporary’s” lifestyle? How is that young dude going to feel when he hits 23 and hasn’t been the star of a reality TV show, and doesn’t have paparazzi following his every move?
Thankfully, I’m a parent and I can give my child a better perspective on things. I’ll tell Rachael that achieving wealth and success is possible, but it takes a tremendous amount of hard work. I’ll also tell her that fame and money isn’t everything and that she should take the words of the Dali Lama into consideration by telling her to judge her success by what she has “to give up in order to get it.”
As for the rest of the upcoming generation, let’s hope that the government develops a stronger college student loan program, so that when fame and fortune don’t magically hit them by the time they are 22, they can get educated and make an honest contribution to society. Maybe we will all luck out and once they enter college they will develop a healthy distain for the bourgeoisie lifestyle, and finally the glorious day will come when we don’t have to see anymore previews for stupid Hilary Duff films while waiting for our animated family flick.
8 comments:
Its the curse of the 21st Centuary, massive consumerism, a lack of real opportunity and the rise of a new aristocracy.
How was the film after all that?
I realised at 16 I was born to be rich and bone idle. I achieved bone idle almost immediately but the rich bit's not quite happened yet. Where did I go wrong?
I loved barnyard...and I also saw that preview I was like WTF??
So...I finally realized, at 27, that I will never be rich and famous :(
Just kidding!!!
Barnyard was a funny film, and the scene where the farmer gets kicked in the head a few times by the mule was Rachael's favorite. I guess she got her mommy's morbid sense of humor.
I'm thinking it's time for a middle class uprising. If middle class consumers quit trying to look like the idle elite, then the market would regulate the luxury goods industry and I believe we would see prices on regular items drop as well. I also think lending institutions should be more stringent in their guidelines, but that's another topic :).
Of course, I could just be talking out my butt...
My daughter has friends whose parents perpetuate the myth. I mean really...a 12 year old with a Coach bag and Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses? Hubs and I joke/fear that she will be bankrupt and swimming in credit card debt by her first year of college. When the time comes, I hope her mother can take solace in the fact that her daughter, although destitute and out of touch with financial reality, looks fabulous.
I'm SO glad Blaine is more of a Snakes On A Plane! kinda kid.
M - The whole purpose of the girls running the business in the movie was not done from the perspective of, 'instead of being vacuous, they began running their own business and really realized what life was about'. It was more of a means to an end; the girls had to learn to run the business, so they could get back to being vacuous consumers. Not a good message to send. Critics have even panned the movie, because of its message.
Also, Planned Parenthood provides products and services based on a sliding income scale, so that women of a lower income range can still get their yearly check up for cervical and uterine cancers, as well as reproductive health. Most of the women who utilize Planned Parenthood's services are over the age of 25, and contrary to the stuff you seem to be reading, aren't all whores.
Excellent post melanie. I am a middle school teacher and the mindset of some of my students amazes me. "I wanna be rich and famous," "I wanna live in a big house," "I wanna be just like Paris Hilton." I love these kids, but they are so young and impressionable and spend way too much time watching TV (not all of them by any means, but many,) wanting to be just like Paris Hilton is a scary goal and few people explain to them that wealth is not something that "just happens."
I do my best to explain to these kids that #1, being rich and famous is not all that glamorous (of course I know as I am rich and famous lol!) and #2, working hard for something is rewarding even if wealth and fame do not follow.
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