What I have learned

Through creating this blog about Ashley Olsen I have learned various things about our society and celebrities. First of all it has made me more of a cynic. When searching for information about Ms. Olsen it got me thinking about all the different elements of the machine that has helped her sell herself as a commodity. I read into each of her actions as part of selling a product, both herself and her clothing line, books, and movies. Blogging has also taught me how pathetic our society is, when there are so many important issues we can care about, but how much time and energy is spent on celebrity gossip. Overall, this process has been beneficial, it has made me more aware of the problem of celebrity gossip and hopefully I (as well as others) have educated ourselves and others about what being a celebrity really means and all the factors that go into making one.

Media Culture

The culture of our media has changed drastically in the past ten years. With the internet at our finger tips and the amount of time we spend online, there is no information we can't find or provide. Blogs have become a current way of gaining information and other points of view that do not come from conventional media sources. I think with the advent of blogging, celebrity gossip has become even more popular. With sites like Perez Hilton people can constantly get up to date information about the celebrity of their choice. Although blogging might be beneficial in the realm of politics and having the ability to see other people's opinions on issues... it has been detrimental in feeding into and creating more of an obscene fascination with celebrities and gossip.

Don't get me wrong

In my last post I described how my view of Ashley Olsen is now somewhat tainted by my knowledge of the machinery that goes into making her a celebrity. But don't get me wrong, I still am a fan. I never was a die hard fan, but that's just not in my personality, but I still buy the magazines when I see she is in them. I wonder if this says something about our culture. Even though I know there is a lot of calculation and planning that goes behind Ashley and what she does, wears, appears... I mean as much as she is a style icon, she probably has her own stylist... I still fall into the trap of wanting to see pictures of her. Are we that deprived of substantial entertainment to stoop to the low level of celebrity entertainment? Maybe instead of caring what Ashley Olsen is wearing or on a grander scale, what celebrities are doing, we should focus on being proactive and achieving something for ourselves... instead of vicariously living through what celebrities have accomplished or done.

What else to say...

Even though Ashley Olsen is one pretty cool girl, I am running out of things to talk about in relation to her. I'm actually running out of things to talk about celebrities in general. As much as it is fun to gossip about celebrities, my deeper understanding of the machine and everything that goes on behind the making and continuation of a celebrity takes some of simple pleasure out of picking up a tabloid magazine. My once naive adoration of Ashley Olsen is now tainted by the fact that everything I know about her and all her actions are strategically planned and possibly fake.

Ashley for President

It often seems that celebrities (actors, singers, personalities) feel the need to cross over into the political realm. Arnold Schwarzenegger is governor of California, and Jesse Ventura, pro wrestler, also turned governor. We had an actor running in this presidential campaign as well. What is happening to politics in the US? It seems that politics is becoming more celebrity focused. As Croteau and Hoynes wrote about in Media Society, image has become the most important factor in political candidates. Maybe Ashley Olsen should run for president...she has a pretty good image.

A good role model?

As I was thinking about my last post of the nice normal image Ashley Olsen portrays and the lack of gossip about her in tabloids, it got me to thinking about celebrities as role models. People harp on young women celebrities (example Mylie Cyrus) about being good role models for young girls, but is it really their job to be our role models? Who really is Ashley Olsen? We don't know her, her values, what she really does in her spare time, but young girls look up to her. She owns a multi million dollar company, has her own fashion line, wrote a book, and she is only 21 years old. But should these celebrities really feel they need to keep a clean slate so they can be a good role model for a bunch of tweens? Now that Ashley's target audience isn't 12 year old girls, but perhaps a more mature crowd, do you think she will keep her good girl image?

Where's Ashley?

As I am a fan of Ashley Olsen and her style sense, I do enjoy seeing her pop up in celebrity news. However, as I was searching for updates on her where-abouts or any new gossip, I could not find anything brand new. Is Ashley Olsen balancing her real life and celebrity life too well? How am I supposed to get my Ashley fix when she is keeping her personal life to her self and not flaunting herself in front of the camera? Even though I personally want to see more photographs of what she wears when going food shopping, I do have new found respect for her. She is a celebrity with her head on her shoulders. She isn't craving the attention of the tabloids like some stars (example Paris Hilton). But this could all be part of the machine, part of the image she wants... a nice, normal, young lady trying to lead a balance life.

Sports vs. Hollywood Celebrities

As I was reading about Ashley Olsen, one of my guy friends started to make fun of me. I started to wondered why it was okay for him to read about his favorite sports star, but stupid of me to look at pictures of Ashley Olsen. What exactly is the difference? I feel like it is more socially acceptable to be fans of athletes than of Hollywood celebrities...as if it is more valid or not as trashy.

In a previous blog I questioned the fact that celebrities are taking over the news and/or replacing the news for many people, but now I also question news about athletes taking over headlines. Is this any different? All the scandal of athletes taking steroids I feel didn't get any heat about being trivial gossip, but when Brittaney Spears makes the news more people question the integrity of the media outlet. I think that the war in Iraq or the presidential campaigns still trump these two topics, but it is more acceptable to have athletic gossip make headlines...people tend not to question it as much.

Taking over the news

I want to continue my thoughts on celebrities taking over the news. My concern is not only celebrities making CNN headlines, but just the focus on celebrities in our culture. I chose to blog about Ashley Olsen, not because I'm her biggest fan, but because I enjoy reading about her, seeing what she is wearing, and that she is my age. I can't really relate to her, but I like her clothes. But there is an important line that should not be crossed when reading gossip magazines. I know I have friends that literally talk about celebrity news in place of political or world news...they pick up US Weekly or sit at their computer reading Perez Hilton instead of the New York Times or the Wallstreet Journal. A balance needs to be made. I enjoy reading the occasional gossip magazine just to zone out and maybe look at some pictures of celebs new babies, but it doesn't consume my life. Sometimes I almost feel I need that occasional brush up on celebrity gossip just so I can partake in some of the conversations with my friends. I even heard my friends boyfriend ask the painful question of, "when did Paris and Benji start dating?" What is the world coming to?

Lance and Ashley

The coverage of Ashley Olsen and Lance Armstrong being linked as a couple is a great example of our society's craving for insider gossip of celebrities. These two make quite the headline because of their unlikely pairing and age difference. People are intrigued and it makes a great topic of discussion. As Gammson theorized, it is safer and easier to gossip about celebrities than people you actually know. You won't hurt anyones feelings by gossiping about celebrities, but will fill the human need to gossip. But when Lance and Ashley are making headlines, there is less focus on worldly news. I think our society needs to be careful with balancing gossip and gaining critical information about the world around us.

PETA Anti-Fur Campaign

Ashley and her sister have been attacked by animal rights group PETA, in a campaign that launched last December. PETA claims the twins have "ignored pleas to stop wearing fur and using it in their fashion collection." PETA has dubbed the pair "the Trollson Twins" and "Hairy Kate and Trashly" in a stinging campaign. A poster, with the tag line "fur is worn by beautiful animals and ugly people," was unveiled at their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.

Will PETA's attack hurt Ashley's nice girl image? Millions of people wear fur and leather, why are the Olsen twins expected to stop wearing them? Does PETA have the right to target Ashley and MK directly, just because they are famous? PETA is trying to use the twins celebrity status to make a point, but do you really think this tactic will actually help their cause? PETA is framing Ashley Olsen as inhumane and a bad influence on society by flaunting her fur clothes in public, but is it her duty as a celebrity to set the example to not wear fur?

Playboy?

It has been reported that Hugh Hefner is trying to convince Ashley and her sister to pose for Playboy magazine in June for their 22nd birthday. He has been trying to woo them since their 18th birthdays. A source told Star magazine that Hugh thinks the twins are every young man's fantasy. While this may be true, the young moguls have yet to accept the invitation. This is a strategic move on Ashley's and MK's part. They want to be seen as classy lady's and I think there would be much disapproval by women fans if they decided to pose for Playboy. Since they are launching a clothing line and trying to appeal to high fashion women they need their fame and name to be in tact and for women to support them.

Do you think there is anyway that posing for Playboy could be beneficial? Maybe it could break their young girl image and prove to the world that they are mature and grown up. Could that maybe help their career and targeting and older audience for their clothing line and book?

Separate Twins

An interesting point has been brought up, Ashley and Mary-Kate finding their own identity and being seen as separate. They grew up playing the same role on Full House, staring in the same movies, wearing the same clothes, and moving to New York and attending NYU. But as for recently we have not seen much of them together. They no longer share their massive NYC pad and have distinctly different fashion taste. Ashley is focusing more on fashion, while MK has focused more on acting (taking on a supporting role in the TV show Weeds). It has been made clear that they want to be seen as having their own identity. Last year they did a Teen Vogue shoot and were interviewed separately, had separate photo shoots and were put in different parts of the magazine. I think this was a strategic action in marketing themselves. It is a good example of the machine at work. For their careers to keep on going and moving in different directions they needed to show the world that they are different people with different goals and aspirations. It is important for the public to see them as individuals, relatable to different audiences. Ultimately this could make their empire even stronger and more successful. They will be able to reach a larger audience, yet still have the power and force as the dynamic duo.

The Fashionista

Ashley and her sister Mary-Kate have launched a new, upscale clothing line called Row. Ashley has been well documented on TV and in magazines about her style sense. You might even call her a fashion icon. But can someone who once sold her clothing line at Wal-Mart really make the leap to expensive, high fashion?

The answer I think is yes.

Ashely is banking on her celebrity status and fame to kick start this clothing line. The past several years have probably been leading up to the launch of Row. She has been transformed from a tween, straight to VCR movie star, to someone who is now noticed for her fashion sense. Her publicist, marketer, and manager have probably been working their tails off to get her noticed for what she wears. The machinery has been hard at work to get the world to see Ashley Olsen as someone with style. We don't hear about her drunken escapades at posh bars and clubs, but rather see her photographed in Vogue and walking down the red carpet looking perfectly put together. I know I would want to raid her entire closet... and now we will be able to buy our own.

Check out more about the Row here.

Can she really be it all?

Ashley Olsen may very well be one of the most successful, famous, and sought after 21 year olds out there. Before the age of 10, Ashely Olsen was a millionaire starting her career as Michelle Tanner with her twin sister Mary-Kate. By the age of 18, Ashley and her sister were deemed legal and finally older men felt acceptable to lust after the beauties. But is Ashley's fame a little too strategically calculated? Creating series upon series of straight to video movies, establishing clothings lines, and now ultimately writing a book, titled "Influence" with her sister Mary-Kate... is Ashely really passionate about all her endeavors or is she spreading herself a little too thin? Is she an actor a designer or a writer? Can she really be it all?