The Bling Ring: Consumerism is a Killing of the Self
4 Comments
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Beilstein says:
Very agreeable. I would ad these people are not as typical as you may think. To contradict that, they may just be extreme.
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reagan@yourfilmprofessor.com says:
First, I have to say that your point here is thoroughly thought provoking; I had to give this some consideration before responding! Ostensibly, I think you’re right, the average person is not anything like the bling ringers or the celebrities they want to emulate. However, I would make two other points. First, while most people aren’t the “extreme” of these characters, I think most people still suffer from some degree of what I’m calling a consumerist identity formation. For example, many (most?) people fixate on status and image, and, if they can, buy the designer material possessions that they think will give them the desired status and image they crave. (Or, more disturbingly, people will actually change their bodies in dangerous ways to get a desired image, e.g., think about eating disorders for young girls/women and taking testosterone injections or steroids for young males/men.) Indeed, I think if most people were wealthy they would indulge their consumerist appetites to a significant degree, especially in terms of the many consumerist stimulation fixes (shopping, video game playing, etc.) available to them. Moreover, I think most people would do something out of their moral zone if they thought it would bring them fame. YouTube and other outlets are full of people doing morally questionable things just to try and be famous. Second, films often give us extreme examples to make a problem glaringly clear. In my view, the other two most important anti-consumerist fiction films are American Psycho and Reality, both of which give us extreme examples of characters who wholly succumb to a consumerist identity formation, but I would argue that they are made extreme to get us to see the deeper implication of the real dangers of consumerism, something we might not fully grasp with a more “realistic” version of a typical individual. By the way, if you haven’t seen those two films, I highly recommend you check them out and then read my blog post on Reality and my essay on American Psycho, both of which I think fill in some gaps of the dangers of consumerism. Thanks so much for the great comment!
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Seen AP. The Bling Ring did happen for real though. To underline your point, Celebes sell cloths to people with money. Ms Markles outfits sell out now, and way back when LiLos perp walk outfit sold out also to wealthy people. So highly effective well compensated consumers are very likely to be sucked in. Poor people may only lack funds to participate. That envy created is by design if you are conspiracy minded. Should we all where Mao jackets? Maybe. Saw the Blingers as celeb trainees. There drug use really is to blame for much of their doings though. Their discovery of prescribed meds in many homes should’ve told them something I thought. Idols at the apex still need what they were already given. Status didn’t change much. Fame is fleeting, but their hidden problems will remain. As for the film, it has many tricks to enjoy and give clues to a possible hidden story. Not quite worked it out.
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Yes on all counts! Your example of Meghan Markle is especially telling, a perfect illustration of how a celebrity can be consumed, e.g., her herself but also anything associated with her. And, yes, the drug use issue is also especially telling, in terms of being in itself a stimulation fix as well as a self-medicating thing, not to mention that in the case of some drugs, it actually helps them maintain a perceived unnatural (skinny) body image.
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