Lindsay Lohan: 21st Century Gothic

Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Britney Spears: all of them are overcoming a tragic existence rife with turmoil. In terms of literature, they may not be Jane Eyre, but writer Carina Chocano believes they are the modern day Gothic heroines:

The girl, meanwhile, has taken up residence in a gloomy and most certainly haunted chateau perched atop a hill overlooking a somewhat frenetic village. There, she experiences a series of mysterious afflictions and is repeatedly institutionalized by patriarchal figures amid struggles to gain control over her estate and mental health… After a valuable necklace mysteriously appears in her possession, the girl, now escaped from the haunted castle, finds herself imprisoned once again, this time in her home… And thus we recount the tragic tale of Lindsay Lohan, modern gothic heroine.

To us, the unfamous people of the world, these women are pure entertainment. Hearing about Lindsay’s latest stint in rehab or jail is more interesting that her films. We want to see Britney shave her hair off and hit rock bottom. Even if you feel for her, there will always be a perverse obsession with the drama. The dark realities is that what these women face is interesting — much more interesting than most of our own drama, anyway.

We have been bred to see celebrities in their darkest hours as entertainment, Gothic heroines of the 21st Century, struggling with their demons the darkness. Chocano writes: “And it’s tempting to see our obsession with their stories as yet further proof of our (at best) inability or (at worst) unwillingness to confront the true horrors of our modern age: war, recession, mass layoffs and endless financial panic.” If everything was sunshine and daisies in Hollywood: (1) It would lose a bit of its appeal, and (2) It wouldn’t match the upsetting realities of our world’s state right now.

Gothic heroines? Eh, it is possible. Of course, the difference is that this entertainment is not a work of fiction (well, not entirely). Is it ultimately worth the rehab and hospital stays, depression, and Gothic literature-esque realities? Who the hell knows.

Contact the author here: crazycolleen@morningquickie.com