Stephanie Murico
English 111 Section GC
December 4th, 2008
Writers Memo: For our fourth writing assignment, I wanted to pick something that interests me and get me excited about the project. With all the different routes we could take, I decided to write another paper because I felt the most comfortable doing our last project this way. As I began to think of topics, I thought of places that I was drawn to and also the effects of culture on our society. I kept coming up with the idea of Hollywood and how the society of Hollywood affects millions of people across America. Hollywood has changed so many famous people because of the insane demands of fitting in with this society. I decided to write my paper on how the society of Hollywood influences our self-image for teenage girls and also those already in Hollywood. I just found it fascinating that teenage girls compare their bodies to what they see in magazines and on the television. I wanted to find out how a society has such a strong influence on millions of girls to take drastic changes so that they can have the body of someone in Hollywood. As I started to write my paper, I really had trouble starting off and figuring out which angle to take my paper. I quickly found out that there was more than just self-image that I wanted to address in my paper, and that was why I was having so much trouble starting my paper. I started to think about what are major issues that I have read about recently going on in Hollywood. I decided to pick specific people in Hollywood to prove how Hollywood and being famous has changed their lives in a negative way. I choose three areas that seem to be impacting many lives in Hollywood. I decided to talk about eating disorders, drug abuse, and the high divorce rates. I began looking at online articles from magazines to learn more about what happened within each individual to give me a greater insight to their lives. I really like how my paper has turned out so far, but I definitely think I will need to do more revision before I submit my paper in my portfolio.
The A-List of Hollywood
Seeing your face on the cover of Vogue, having the number one hit song, or being in the top selling movie at the box office can give a person such an exciting life style. After their first big break in the Hollywood industry, their lives are never the same. The society of Hollywood has a strong affect on the people belonging to this exclusive group of people. There is no doubt that being a part of Hollywood definitely has positive aspects; however, belonging to the Hollywood scene has changed many famous people over the years in deconstructive ways. Being a part of the A-list group in Hollywood has lead people to have eating disorders, drug abuse, and high divorce rates.
So many times have I heard someone say, “I wish I were famous” and I sometimes even think this as well. Being famous definitely has advantages because you will be extremely wealthy, having the best necessities, and being known across America. However, having all these wonderful things can lead those in Hollywood to lose their mind and get wrapped up in the Hollywood scene. They are constantly in the newest issue of a magazine, on E news, or getting attacked by millions of cameras when they are simply walking to their car. Having this continuous pressure from the media everywhere you go can really affect a person’s mental state. One way to control this constant pressure is by controlling their weight, which is easily taken to unhealthy weights for women in Hollywood.
Mary-Kate Olsen is a great example of this because she drastically lost weight due to the high pressure of being in the Hollywood circle. Mary-Kate has been in the movie industry ever since she was a baby playing the role of Michelle Tanner on the hit television show Full House. Also, both Mary-Kate and her sister Ashley have their own line of straight-to-video films, books, dolls, video games, fragrances and a Wal-Mart clothing label. The Olsen twins have had a very successful career but being a part of Hollywood was very difficult for Mary-Kate. An article from People magazine talked about how western society has placed such high demands on women to stay thin and the pressure is even more intense in Hollywood. Also, Mary-Kate once told a reporter that sometimes her lifestyle was too overwhelming and hard for her to handle, which lead to her eating disorder. Mary-Kate was on the cover of every popular magazine and was labeled as having an eating disorder. This only made it harder for her to seek treatment. Mary-Kate finally entered a clinic to treat her eating disorder shortly after her eighteenth birthday and has gained some of her weight back. Growing up in the public eye since she was nine months old really affected Mary-Kate’s self-image, as she grew older and lead her to have a very serious eating disorder to meet the desires of Hollywood fame.
Another person in Hollywood who was greatly affected by the high demands of being in the public eye was Lindsay Lohan. Lindsay had her big role, playing Haley and Annie in the remake of The Parent Trap. After this movie, she was in one movie after the next and was becoming very successful. All this success and being in the public eye more often lead Lindsay to having an eating disorder and drug abuse. In a Vanity Fair interview, Lindsay admitted that her abrupt change in her body weight was due to bulimia. Also, seeing herself in Star magazine was a real wake-up for Lindsay because she saw how disgusting her arms looked and how tiny she was. This eating disorder was also a result of her abusive father being in and out of jail and it was very hard for Lindsay to handle. On top of her eating disorder, she also experimented with very dangerous drugs that were harmful to her body. She began using cocaine, oxycontin, and alcohol to the extreme. Also, according to an MTV article, Lindsay was arrested for driving under the influence and also having cocaine in her pocket. Being in Hollywood has completely changed Lindsay and now she is just one more person in Hollywood who has gone to rehab for eating disorders and drug abuse. Lindsay to this day is still struggling with dealing with the high demands of being in the public eye.
More importantly, Elvis Presley and Health Ledger have both passed away due to drug abuse. Elvis was dissatisfied with his life and wanted to stop performing but this was not possible for him because he needed the money for his family. Due to this reason, Elvis turned to drugs that overpowered his life and lead to his death. In addition to Elvis, Health Ledger overdosed on sleeping pills because the role he was playing in the movie Batman was causing stress on his personal life. Taking drugs for those in Hollywood is beginning to rise because more women are using drugs to keep a slim figure and both sexes find this the easiest way to escape from their crazy schedules from being in Hollywood.
Having your life displayed in the public eye can be very difficult for a person to find a true soul mate and to have a successful marriage. Magazine after magazine you read articles about a celebrity couple who just split after only one year or less of marriage. Being famous gives a couple many obstacles to overcome than a couple that is not in the spotlight. A couple can be very busy with their own work and may find it hard to spend time with their spouse. Also, having cameras being snapped at a couple makes it that much harder for them to be able to go to a local restaurant or park to spend time together, alone. One couple whose marriage did not last due to being exposed to the public eye was Britney Spears and Kevin Federline. The couple was married for only two years and Britney filed for a divorce only two months after their second child Jaydan was born. A CNN article reported that Kevin was not playing the role of a father and left Britney home numerous times with the children so that he can go out partying. Kevin and Britney were always talked about in magazines since they tied the knot about how there were already problems surfacing in the marriage. Seeing a marriage displayed in the public eye was too hard for the couple to make their marriage work and it quickly withered away.
One other couple that could not survive living in the public eye was Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe. The couple was actually married for seven years, which is very long for relationships in Hollywood. The couple had two children over the course of their marriage named Eva and Deacon. A reason was given in a People article that said it is very hard for acting couples to exist especially when the woman was making more than the man. Reese was such a well-known actress who many people loved, really added extra stress to the relationship because their marriage was always publicized. Having a Hollywood marriage may seem perfect in pictures; however, is becoming a complete nightmare for those who choose to marry into the wild lifestyle.
Living in Hollywood and being famous portrays an almost perfect lifestyle from what the media and magazines release to the public. After looking deep inside some of the most famous people in Hollywood made me think twice about having this lifestyle. Having a life in the public eye can easily lead to many complications in a person’s life because of the constant pressure of being successful in Hollywood. Being a part of this exclusive group in Hollywood can lead to eating disorders, drug abuse, and high divorce rates.
