VIPs [Delaney chapter 9 pg 422]

LA or New York City
I chose LA or New York City because they have both been places that I have always felt were important. I feel that LA is the center of the entertainment business which I used to want to be a part of. New York City has always been portrayed as this classy city where the best of the best live. I also went through a Sex in the City faze and really wanted to live there. These places represent large cultural trends and meanings. If I look at New York City as a cultural place I think it represents fame and class. It has so many monuments and when the September 11th attack happened everyone was focused on New York. LA has a cultural meaning because it seems as though everyone is focused on what is going on in LA. The fashions and events that go on in LA are important to people that don’t even live in LA. This is all due to media and fame from celebrities, but I know if I go out of town and I say I am from California they ask how close I am to LA or to the beach.
Kobe Bryant
I picked Kobe Bryant because I love basketball and he is one of the biggest basketball stars at the moment. He is important culturally because he uses his basketball fame to endorse products. The products that he endorses are generally the most famous products such as Nike. By looking at Kobe Bryant’s career I am able to see what most Americans consume and the importance of fame on marketing.
Britney Spears
Britney Spears is known as the princess of pop. She is one of the largest celebrities in the music industry of my generation and when I was younger I loved her. Culturally I feel that she shows how much we love to watch people fail. Ever since she had children and had an emotional breakdown everyone has to know exactly what she is doing. This also shows how much we value perfection. The second that someone slips up we have to judge them instantly. Our society views perfection both physically and mentally. When she gained a few pounds everyone criticized her, America views perfection as thin. America also views perfection as someone who is always happy and always doing the right thing. Someone with no emotions or downfalls in their lives. I picked Britney because she is a good example of all of these cultural implications.
Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton is not an important figure in my life, in fact she disgusts me but I feel that she holds a lot of cultural meanings. Most of all she represents our cultural motto “money is power.” This woman does not do anything with her life but go out and party and she has many fans. She has so much money that she can go to jail and get out in 4 days just because she has money. She also shows that in a society based on education and social mobility through education; if you have money brains aren’t important. It’s a horrible cultural analysis but it is true. This woman made money off of making stupid comments. Paris Hilton shows a bad side of our cultural values.
Twin Towers
The twin towers are important because it was an event that changed our culture. It inspired fear into most of the members in society, and being very young at the time I was scared as well. September 11th changed everyone’s lives whether it was directly or indirectly. The twin towers are a constant reminder of terrorism and fear in our culture.