I fought the urge for as long as possible, but I finally relented this past week. "Lindsay" debuted on the OWN network earlier this year; it is a relatively short reality series about Lindsay Lohan. For those of you who don't know who Lindsay Lohan is...she is basically her generation's example of Elizabeth Taylor and Drew Barrymore. She started her professional acting career as a child and, IMHO, is a very talented actor. However, once she moved to Los Angeles from New York as an eighteen year old, things went downhill for Lindsay pretty quickly. Caught up in all sorts of inappropriate behaviors involving "whatever" and "whomever", Lindsay has served as tabloid fodder for the last nine or ten years. Then Oprah came along and gave her a chance to redeem herself through this new series. As I just mentioned, I resisted the temptation to watch the series for months. My initial feeling was that Lindsay and Oprah were exploiting the he** out of each other in the name of Linday's own "recovery". Then I watched the series.
Now that I've watched every episode, I have been sorely reminded of how objectification and mutual exploitation IS the name of the game in all things celebrity. I felt especially bad for Lindsay when she was asked to introduce Miley Cyrus at the sold-out 15,000 seat Jingle Ball (held at Madison Square Garden). Claiming it was an unpaid gig for Lindsay, she spent all kinds of time getting ready for the event (hair, makeup, wardrobe). She chose a glittered-up oversized tee shirt that had printed on the front of it "Same Old Chic". It was obvious the fans who came to see Miley were, in fact, teenagers. Lindsay had requested that Miley speak to her on camera about Lindsay's introduction (of Miley) before the show. Miley didn't respond to Lindsay's tweets or texts. I don't know why, but I thought this introduction must be something pretty "big" if Lindsay required an on-camera confab before she or Miley did their thing. In the end, Lindsay's introduction was short, extremely self-depreciating, and glorified Miley's own "bad girl" behavior. In case you didn't know...Miley has been on tour in recent months. A friend of a friend allowed her pre-teen daughter to go to the concert when it was here in Detroit. As part of Miley's "act", she simulates performing fellatio on male characters dressed as Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton. Yeah, just what I'd want my own pre-teen daughter to witness. For those who are seriously dense enough to believe that Miley is still "Hanna Montana", get over it now puleeze! She's her generation's example of what objectification and mutual exploitation can do to a kid raised in the entertainment industry. (I just had a deja vu moment there! No wonder Lindsay was asked to introduce her! ;-)) As soon as Lindsay finished her introduction, she left the premises. There were so many moments of hoped for and actual mutual exploitation just as part of this "one" incident...I no longer wondered why Lindsay has struggled with addictions for however many years she has.
How can I make such a statement? For one thing, Linday's former "sober coach" said it best while discussing addiction on camera. To paraphrase, he described how active addicts are constantly concerned with "How am I feeling? How am I doing? Am I comfortable right now? What do I need to feel good right now? Am I o.k.?" blah blah blah. No wonder Lindsay has struggled as she has! I don't know about you, but being treated like a commodity/object/thang day in and day out since childhood would mess with anyone's thinking about everything. Yet I wonder how long it will take for Lindsay to realize that her profession is just her "job"...and NOT her entire life. Trying to be and remain sober in light of friends who drink and do drugs in front of her during her "private time"---but yet firing a new assistant for having a glass of wine in front of her during her "career time" (???!?!?!?!). The series presented many unfortunate additional examples of Lindsay using and being used by others besides those just mentioned here. Objectification of oneself and others on top of this constant exchange of "What can you do for me...and this is what I'll do for you!" is no doubt a mind-numbing experience. Remember all those times I have discussed codependency on this blog? HELLO! This is what it looks like among celebrities and their "peeps" among their "fans" among their "handlers" and anyone else associated with them. It is clear to me that many would believe that the only way to "feel good quick" in light of all this chaos would be artificially induced. It was mentioned at some point that back when Lindsay was nineteen years old, she was earning $7M per film. Last time I checked, there was never a U-Haul attached to the back of anyone's hearse in the history of mankind....
I don't know what the future holds for Lindsay. What I do know is that the successful and long-term practice of sobriety cannot involve any on-again and off-again flirts with disaster in whatever forms they take. People are not objects. People have not been designed to use and be used by one another all day every day. We are called to love people and use things...not the other way around. And when who we surround ourselves with others who don't understand this truth, it's time to change both our playmates and our playgrounds; it's that simple.
Have a great week!
Now that I've watched every episode, I have been sorely reminded of how objectification and mutual exploitation IS the name of the game in all things celebrity. I felt especially bad for Lindsay when she was asked to introduce Miley Cyrus at the sold-out 15,000 seat Jingle Ball (held at Madison Square Garden). Claiming it was an unpaid gig for Lindsay, she spent all kinds of time getting ready for the event (hair, makeup, wardrobe). She chose a glittered-up oversized tee shirt that had printed on the front of it "Same Old Chic". It was obvious the fans who came to see Miley were, in fact, teenagers. Lindsay had requested that Miley speak to her on camera about Lindsay's introduction (of Miley) before the show. Miley didn't respond to Lindsay's tweets or texts. I don't know why, but I thought this introduction must be something pretty "big" if Lindsay required an on-camera confab before she or Miley did their thing. In the end, Lindsay's introduction was short, extremely self-depreciating, and glorified Miley's own "bad girl" behavior. In case you didn't know...Miley has been on tour in recent months. A friend of a friend allowed her pre-teen daughter to go to the concert when it was here in Detroit. As part of Miley's "act", she simulates performing fellatio on male characters dressed as Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton. Yeah, just what I'd want my own pre-teen daughter to witness. For those who are seriously dense enough to believe that Miley is still "Hanna Montana", get over it now puleeze! She's her generation's example of what objectification and mutual exploitation can do to a kid raised in the entertainment industry. (I just had a deja vu moment there! No wonder Lindsay was asked to introduce her! ;-)) As soon as Lindsay finished her introduction, she left the premises. There were so many moments of hoped for and actual mutual exploitation just as part of this "one" incident...I no longer wondered why Lindsay has struggled with addictions for however many years she has.
How can I make such a statement? For one thing, Linday's former "sober coach" said it best while discussing addiction on camera. To paraphrase, he described how active addicts are constantly concerned with "How am I feeling? How am I doing? Am I comfortable right now? What do I need to feel good right now? Am I o.k.?" blah blah blah. No wonder Lindsay has struggled as she has! I don't know about you, but being treated like a commodity/object/thang day in and day out since childhood would mess with anyone's thinking about everything. Yet I wonder how long it will take for Lindsay to realize that her profession is just her "job"...and NOT her entire life. Trying to be and remain sober in light of friends who drink and do drugs in front of her during her "private time"---but yet firing a new assistant for having a glass of wine in front of her during her "career time" (???!?!?!?!). The series presented many unfortunate additional examples of Lindsay using and being used by others besides those just mentioned here. Objectification of oneself and others on top of this constant exchange of "What can you do for me...and this is what I'll do for you!" is no doubt a mind-numbing experience. Remember all those times I have discussed codependency on this blog? HELLO! This is what it looks like among celebrities and their "peeps" among their "fans" among their "handlers" and anyone else associated with them. It is clear to me that many would believe that the only way to "feel good quick" in light of all this chaos would be artificially induced. It was mentioned at some point that back when Lindsay was nineteen years old, she was earning $7M per film. Last time I checked, there was never a U-Haul attached to the back of anyone's hearse in the history of mankind....
I don't know what the future holds for Lindsay. What I do know is that the successful and long-term practice of sobriety cannot involve any on-again and off-again flirts with disaster in whatever forms they take. People are not objects. People have not been designed to use and be used by one another all day every day. We are called to love people and use things...not the other way around. And when who we surround ourselves with others who don't understand this truth, it's time to change both our playmates and our playgrounds; it's that simple.
Have a great week!