Unchecked Glamour

Well, Paris Hilton is going to jail and many people all across the country seem to be unanimously wagging a finger and pursing a lip while they roll their eyes and say, "It's about time."

What are the events that led up to this outcome?

Event 1. Hilton's crime spree includes a no contest plea in January related to a previous arrest in September. Her intoxication level was an illegal .08% and she failed a sobriety test. For this she received 36 months probation and a fine of $1500.

Event 2. Following this she had 2 more traffic stops and she never enrolled in her required alcohol education program. This landed her back in court.

Event 3. In January she was again stopped by CA Highway Patrol. She had been driving on a suspended license and was asked to sign a legal document that was filed with the Superior Court as well stating that she was not allowed to drive and that she was required to enroll in her alcohol education program by Feb 12th.

Event 4. She was then stopped in February and charged with probation violation. She was stopped after police found her speeding at night with her headlights off. Hilton maintains that she didn't know her license was suspended though a copy of the signed document from the previous month was found in her glove compartment. By April 17th, 2007; she still hadn't enrolled in her alcohol education program.

I agree with the general population that the chain of intoxicated automobile incidents and her disregard for legal mandates are not something I feel she should be commended on or excused for. And I understand that she has to take responsibility for this behavior. I also feel that any regular person that is not famous or wealthy would have gone to jail after event one or two.

So with all this evidence against Paris' character, why did I write this article at all?

First off I think jail seems like an awful place to be. It's somewhere I would never want to go. So I do feel that someone having to be sent there is not something that would make me want to laugh or sing about their misfortune.

What I do think is funny is that the American public is so quick to shake a finger at Paris Hilton

I have to admit. When Paris first appeared in pop culture a few years back, it was refreshing for me as a young woman. Here was a young woman cool and confident and almost manlike in her conquests and behaviors. For the average young woman, who had been lied to or hurt by men in one form or another throughout life, Paris held a fascination because she seemed empowered and untouchable with her wealth, beauty and poise. She was so wealthy and led a glamorous life. It suddenly became attractive to be an independent women. Now of course women sang about it before Paris and a lot of people tried to exhibit it, but one of the first women in recent history to my recollection that did it well and who demonstrated truly feminine independence and glamour was Paris. And she was irreverent and publicly sexually liberated as well. I'd never seen anything like that; and apparently I wasn't the only one.

So began America's fascination with Paris. The UPN has a parade of television shows centered around juicy glamour and they even have a show called "American Heiress." We've seen heiress characters on "CSI" and "Law and Order." Makeover shows have gotten all sorts of women talking about colors that will make them "pop." We've got songs like Fergie's "Glamorous." Women of all nationalities are constantly experimenting with hair extensions. Women that would've called the "Pussycat Dolls," trash are now listening to their lyrics of independent femininity. "Tyra's," show continues to climb to the top. Vegas has a lure like never before and I guess people think that Paris had nothing to do with this. Or that she was just a product of it.

But, in my opinion, this sway wasn't nearly as strong until after she was a fixture in pop culture. I mean we loved the ladies of "Sex and the City," and their glamorous lives, but it did not necessarily change the way we lived our own. Not until after Paris did you see such a large change in a lot of people's behavior.

America is now so fascinated with glamour and being glamorous that the reality of unchecked glamour having consequences, seems to have eluded them. Suddenly, it's just her foolishness with none of our encouragement? Shouldn't we wag even a pinky finger at ourselves; maybe even all 3 that aren't pointing at her?

For so many people to act high and mighty like they weren't and aren't addicted to it. I just find it funny. And we can wag our fingers at her and roll our eyes. But, if we weren't eating it up; her behavior at these party activities may not have been so glamorous to her. She would get no reward from it. But, we encourage it. We watch it and we can't get enough. So I just think it's funny when people wag their finger in judgment of someone who so strongly influenced the past few years of our pop culture when pop culture is based on the popular choice. I guess the best lesson to learn from this is that of fair weather friends.