It is well-known that there is a class of celebrities who are really only known for being famous. Some, like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian, skyrocket to fame after a sex tape "leaks" to the public. Others, like Nicole Richie or Brody Jenner, are the children of semi-famous celebrities. Whatever the case, it is important to ask why these people manage to maintain their celebrity status. Because they typically are not talented performers, one could assume that they have that indescribable star quality, simply without an outlet for it. However, this doesn't seem to typically be the case. Most of these celebrities thrive off of constructing a very specific and somewhat eccentric persona, like Paris Hilton did. She crafted everything from her voice, to her dress, to her pet, and from that, she created an empire.
While most would agree that this class of celebrity is largely disappointing, I think it is important to recognize that these people, perhaps more than other stars, put a great deal of effort into how their image is constructed, and they seem to be some of the greatest scholars of celebrity culture.
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Alexis Neiers and the Bling Ring:
In response to Famous for Fame I would have to agree that there is a certain class of celebrities that are only known for being famous. They don’t possess a star persona nor are they viewed as an icon. Yet, there are many people who are in such awe of these personalities; they want to surround themselves with the famous. They want to look like them, dress like them, party with them, and move in the same social circles. They want to walk in their shoes – literally.
Last summer there was a string of burglaries of celebrity homes. The culprits remained unknown for quite some time and were simply referred to as the “Hollywood Burglary Bunch” and “The Bling Ring”. Rachel Lee and a group of affluent high school students from the Valley were recently arrested for the crimes after being caught on surveillance cameras. But it wasn’t just the thrill of stealing the items that was attractive. According to Rachel Lee, the ringleader of the group it became an obsession. They went on to web sites and blogs to determine where their prey would be. They mingled with the celebrities and had them in their confidences. There was a thrill in taking designer dresses, expensive lingerie, artwork, and jewelry from Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Orlando Bloom. Lee wanted to be so close to the celebrities that she could feel what they felt. It became so personal that in a sense she was akin to stalking them.
This obsession with celebrity became even more apparent with the premiere of E!’s reality series “Pretty Wild” The show follows three sisters (who seem to be famous for the sake of being famous). It’s revealed in the pilot that Alexis Neiers (the middle sister) is one of the members of the Bling Ring. She was a friend of Lee and she faces up to six years in prison for her connection - her trial is currently ongoing.
It’s interesting that society has gotten to the point where it actually makes sense to steal upwards of three million dollars worth of property from people just because of their “celebrity status”. Even more frightening is that these kids seem to have gotten exactly what they wanted – their very own status as “celebrity”. Alexis has her own reality program (can’t get much better than that), and all of the members of the bunch were featured in an in-depth article in Vanity Fair. A bad reputation is still a reputation in Hollywood.
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