6/02/2007

Shameless, Drunken Hussy

I feel sorry for Lindsay Lohan. I realize that she's young, rich, pretty and talented and that there are plenty of people in the world who deserve my sympathy more than she does. But I have enough to go around and I think Lindsay needs it too.

She's back in rehab now, and I hope that helps. But to tell you the truth, I'm not sure if alcohol is really her problem. When I was 21 I went out six nights a week (ahh, how I miss college). No one thought I was weird or wild - I still went to class, volunteered with my theater group and baby-sat. But I also used my newfound independence to dress in a more revealing way, to see how many shots I could do in one sitting (11) and to try to figure out who the heck I really was. I am SO glad no one caught it on video.

I'm also glad that the tabloids missed the chance to use the headline, "Elementary School Teachers Perform "Baby Got Back" While Standing on Local Bar". And no one ever reported, "Teacher Steps on Broken Glass, Keeps Dancing - Seven Stitches and Antibiotics At ER Next Day". There were no flashbulbs popping the time an intoxicated gentleman I was dancing with dipped me - and dropped me, (Stockbroker Dumps Teacher in Public?) either. For which I am grateful.

If I had been a starlet, the tabloids would have LOVED me. But fortunately I am not famous and when I do something stupid I have only my friends and acquaintances to laugh at me. Lindsay is just a kid with lousy parents and a big bank account. I can only hope all those reporters and pundits making a living off of her have never tried drugs, been in a car accident, passed out from alcohol or partied a lot. Otherwise their hypocrisy would nauseate me.

2 comments:

Merry Jelinek said...

It sells papers... I think most of these tabloid people know they're blowing everything out of proportion, they just don't care. If someone was following me around at her age they wouldn't even have to fudge the story to make me look bad... I did a fairly good job of looking bad all on my own.

For her, though, it's part of the trade off - fame and fortune, and a society that really adores it when you fall on your ass... I don't feel sorry for her, but I don't demonize her, either. It's all about choices, really. We all have snide little comments about the movie stars who have plastic surgery to stay young looking and get over the body trauma of bearing children - but then, most of us didn't pick careers where our looks dictate our income (if we did, we'd all have surgeons on speed dial, let's be honest).

blackshear said...

I agree. Not to mention a talented actress.