Case Study Lindsay Lohan

Arman Jahangiri Sociology 001 Term Paper: Lindsay Lohan If there is one individual in the celebrity world that is known for his or her troubled thoughts or misbehavior, there isn’t anyone better to recognize other than Lindsay Lohan. An American star, model, and singer, Lohan was recognized in all different aspects of Hollywood because of her talents as a young actress. However, as her stardom continued to progress, so did the instability in her mental health. The mass media and people alike had an influence on Lohan’s behavior by distorting how she was portrayed on and off the screen. Lohan’s family life also had a huge impact on her turnout because she was constantly around the instability of her family members, thus affecting her mental

She had a reputation known for her carelessness and her excessive “all night partying”. Her alcohol and smoking abuse forced her into joining Alcohol Anonymous meetings and rehabilitation centers in 2006. However even after her experiences with rehab, her mental state continued to dwindle. She was arrested once for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), and she was arrested a second time for possession of cocaine, driving under the influence, and driving with a suspended license. From 2010-2012, Lohan was charged with various accounts of theft, grand theft auto, assault, and hit-and-runs while still given small amounts of jail time. Lindsay did not get along with the media, having a bitter attitude towards much of the paparazzi. Hollywood executives and industry insiders commented that it would be difficult for Lohan to find employment until she could prove that she was sober and reliable, citing possible issues with securing insurance. Lindsay even had issues within her family, specifically her parents. They themselves had issues with drugs and alcohol, and this reflected on the growth of Lindsay’s mentality from her childhood to adulthood. Towards the end of 2012, Lohan became more accepted by the film industry because of her recovering mentality; however, the general public still had opposing views of

Stints as a child model and commercial actress brought Lohan into the spotlight at the age of three. As she transitioned from childhood to adulthood, it was becoming much more difficult to make such an appearance in the media that she had as a child. “The mass-media sets the public agenda; they are the ones who, as a result of their social event selection and focusing system, assign the priority of the discussion topics on the agenda” (Pachef, 2010). Thus, everything she had done in her personal life the media had documented, making sure the public masses were aware of Lohan. From her drug abuse to her nightlife stories, the media had it. When she even knew she had enough, the media couldn’t let go because they had absorbed so much popularity and power from the public masses from all the stories behind Lohan. Instead of focusing on her recovery, she wanted to feed the media through her actions because it was her only choice to steal the spotlight. The media as well had distorted the image of Lohan on and off the screen, whether it was shooting a new film to having lunch with her parents, by making her look like this “Scarlet A” individual whom society dislikes. The mass media establishes the topics that are worth being acknowledged, and the public is interested in the topics that circulate in the mass media. Not only did