Post #1

I will admit that from time to time I will buy a magazine off the racks simply because it has one of my favorite celebrities, such as Taylor Swift, on the cover. I, embarrassingly enough, enjoy reading information about the interesting and glamourous lives stars lead. "Seeing by Starlight: Celebrity Obsession" explains how we believe that stars live in a parallel universe, one we can only admire and gossip about. The article states that we begin to believe that celebs are our friends and emotional motivators. Stars can be inspiring because we believe that if they can survive cancer for example, we can too. I agree with the article in that we enjoy gossiping about stars because it gives us something in common with people around us and also makes celebs seem more like our friends. I have at times had conversations with people simply about a famous person. We are also fascinated in seeing stars make mistakes because it makes them more relatable- more like us. 

One star who has had her fair share of mistakes lately is Lindsay Lohan. The Vanity Fair article "Adrift..." depicts Lindsay as an all-American young actress turned crazy party girl who is now paying for her mistakes, while making many excuses along the way. The article constantly provides scandalous information on Lindsay's past troubles, putting her in a negative light. The author, Nancy Jo Sales, reveals a great amount of information about her past that I was not even aware of. Sales questions if it is too late for Lindsay's recovery and admits that she "looked a little raw." Lindsay says things such as "I have morals" and "I'm not making excuses", but Sales sounds doubtful admitting that she "wanted to believe her." Overall, the author sounds skeptical of Lindsay's sincerity to emerge from her party girl antics. The photographs of Lindsay appear to be flattering and show her as a classic icon-someone that she is striving to become again. Overall, the article seems to blame adolescent fame/media, money and parental irresponsibility for Lindsay's rough history.