Twilight: New Moon, the movie franchise du jour, opens today in theaters. Much of the pre-film buzz hasn't focused on the movie's plot, but rather the presumed romantic relationship between the two leading stars, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. They have been stubbornly silent on the matter, though a quick perusal of the gossip magazines tells another story. The gossip mags reflect an entire pop culture structure that feeds us an exorbitant amount of information concerning the trivial activities of celebrities. This incessant coverage pervades every facet of media, most notably Internet sites like Perez Hilton and television networks like E! and shows such as Access Hollywood. Minor occurrences involving pseudo-stars with no discernible talent (Paris Hilton) become fodder for this relentless media vomit.
With the public so eager for this meaningless information, an entire market has developed with the sole purpose of uncovering the indiscreet. No star can evade such persistent attacks from paparazzi and their mainstream enablers. Unfortunately, 24-hour coverage and the transparency of modern celebrity has potentially undermined a traditional aspect of our culture: America's sweetheart.
The most recent and well-known incarnation of this phenomenon was early Britney Spears, from her debut in 1998 at age 17 to around 2001. Britney, or more appropriately her handlers, aptly straddled the line between overt sexuality and demure teasing. The former endeared her to young girls yearning for a grown up sensibility and adolescent boys yearning for her. The latter entrenched her in the larger cultural scene, a product sold on sexuality, but packaged in a sweet, not-quite girl next door image. She played the coy, naive Southern virgin in interviews, a far cry from the girl we later came to know. But Britney managed to subdue her more libertine personality for many years, fooling America into loving her.
Perhaps, Britney's career progression is a testament to the death of America's sweetheart, a celebrity undone by constant media attention, unable to hide her more lascivious and debased urges. Yet, one wonders if in another age, one without instant access to information provided by the Internet and cable news, Britney could have escaped such scrutiny if she so tried.
The existence of an American sweetheart relies on public ignorance. It's highly likely that these egotistical, narcissistic individuals harbor many traits that would preclude them from widespread appeal. In the Internet age, fleeting comments persist in Youtube infamy and private photos become the stuff of public consumption. The sweetheart needs to exist as a blank slate, an inoffensive (and always attractive) representation of nothing much. She smiles and waves and puts out a catchy song and people just love her. She's just so darn nice, isn't she? But such a visage is undermined by private moments turned public. A Rock Hudson or Mr. Brady would likely be exposed by the vultures of pop culture media.
What the public craves is the stuff of scandal, malice, and drama. So the potential starlets who have that in abundance (Lindsay Lohan) stick around and those that lack it (Hilary Duff) wither away into oblivion. As a result, the starlets most in the public eye are inevitably those that have the least chance of creating a manufactured image concurrent with being America's sweetheart. For example, Disney tried selling Miley Cyrus as a country twinged proto-Britney, but her sexually provocative self portraits, catfights with fellow Disney stars, and generally churlish behavior has made that goal unattainable.
I admit I somewhat regret such a situation. The public needs innocence and scores of these adolescent figures have provided it for many years. I doubt we'll see many figures like Britney, Debbie Gibson, or Annette Funicello. Though, out of the current crop, Taylor Swift has a shot. She's gorgeous, young-ish, blond, and has a string of hit songs. Though, she's only borderline mainstream, so I don't know if her more limited appeal would register her as a bona fide American sweetheart.
9 comments:
The 1950s... ahh.. a time of innocence, wealth and when darkies knew their place.
The reality was different, but who cares about reality when the delusion is more pleasing.
Isn't it funny that it's the trolls who always have to inject race into conversations completely orthogonal to the subject?
onestdv,
Isn't the concept of "america's sweetheart" linked to certain a certain zeitgeist? Are you willing to say that race was not a major factor in that zeitgeist?
Fine, but this post has nothing to do with race and even less to do with pre-60's conservatism.
Is America's sweetheart almost always a white girl? Yes, but this post isn't dealing with the race of America's sweetheart, rather how the phenomenon has been undermined by the Internet.
It's unfortunate, but the vast majority of women today are whores by pre-Second World War standards. In fact, by Victorian standards I'm not sure that any woman out there wouldn't be considered a slut. Women have much lower dignity now than at any point in human history.
The reasons for this: liberalism, feminism, great wealth, technology, television, the internet, popular culture.
Another reason I forgot: the reduction in the influence of Christianity.
There is still a lot of coin in the good girl image. Hilary Duff is one of the highest paid celebrities, and it's from her fan base built on her good girl image. Lindsay Lohan may get more tabloid time, but she doesn't cash as many checks. Mary Kate, Ashley Olsen, and Miley Cyrus became mega big based on good girl appeal.
"Fine, but this post has nothing to do with race and even less to do with pre-60's conservatism."
Sorry 1SDTV,in this instance I'm with DA, although I despise him and his ilk. He's right: this decline has to do with race, and not the Internet. Of course the whole idea of "America's Sweetheart" is a racial one. The difference between DA and me is that I think this is right and proper, he thinks it's an outrage.
The decline of "America's Sweetheart" has to do with the decline of America as a white country.
Regarding Taylor Swift, I really don't know what world you are living in. She's as mainstream as it gets. She's wildly popular amongst white teens, esp. girls. Her concerts sell out in literally minutes. Her SNL performance was the highest rates in the show's history.
Of course, the MSM makes more of Beyonce, but that's because we live in a black supremacist society.
Duff did well early on, but is now scrapping for roles as a twenty-something. She was part of the "threesome" in Gossip Girl, and while personally free of scandal has been trying "adult/sexy" roles for some time. Because she's basically "done" by age 35 and has only about ten years to make it.
This is not about race, America is still about 76-80% White according the Census Bureau (not sure how it breaks down to younger groups though). There is a market for a nice, wholesome girl next door but the Hollywood crowd is unable to produce it.
Beyond the teen queens, the various twenty-thirtysomething actresses have generally played "nice gals" mostly on TV: Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia, Sisterhood of Traveling Pants, the Unusuals), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy/Suburban Girl/Grudge), Michelle Trachtenberg (Buffy/Eurotrip/Ice Princess/Mercy), Amanda Bynes. They generally stay out of the tabloids.
The real problem is as noted, by Anonymous, that few women/girls particularly in Hollywood are "clean-cut." Even worse, writers/producers seem unable to make "wholesome" projects for young women and girls.
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