Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Ms. Lohan and Escapism

I was watching television the other night, and I believe it was VH1's hilarious 'Best Week Ever' program. One of the comedians brought up Lindsay Lohan's admittance to rehab. He then went on to point out US Weekly's angle on the story-- not the issue of rehab itself but rather- What was Lindsay wearing?! Yes, this apparently serves as breaking news in today's society.

Personally, I don't believe this issue is ever important enough to devote an article to, especially when it overshadows a more important topic, you know, as in entering rehab for drug/alcohol abuse [especially at such a young age]. As if discussing Lindsay's apparel of choice wasn't embarrassing enough for US Weekly, the article went on to criticize Lindsay's outfit.

I guess I can't speak from experience, but I suppose if I was making my way into rehab, concern for whether my Versace handbag matched my D&G sunglasses would be a source of minimal distress.

Once again, this prompts me to question society today and what its values are. Though I can't really blame US Weekly for its angle. The magazine is only devoting time to topics it believes the population will eat up, and yes, this is a proven formula. Superficial topics sell. I think this is a form of escapism for many individuals. Rather than face issues that are complicated or frightening, people give into topics that have little to no impact on their lives. They live through celebrities-- the excitement, the fame, the riches, and inevitably-- the drama.

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