Hollywoodization
The buffoonery of life, the unstoppable feast of lush and pleasure. The rhythm of Hollywood is bustling far beyond a movie screen or alley of fame. Its heartbeat is fast and steady, pumping gallons of attraction and seduction every second. The core of life itself, an American Dream at its peak. However, the question remains: Is this land of neon sights and luxurious prospects just a mere cultural phenomenon, or rather a vast presence, a grey eminence existing under pop culture’s skin? The popcorn-ish tales come alive to sell the scenic plots like life-mattering narratives. The philosophy of Hollywood is much older than you may think.
Fashion Photoset I AM GIA/Photographed by Soap California. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Hollywood’s journey to the Golden Top began in the early 20th century when filmmakers suddenly redirected their navigation to Los Angeles—a prosperous land with a mildly warm climate and diverse landscapes. The ideal setting for year-round filmmaking, isn’t it? By the 1910s, Hollywood had become synonymous with prosperity and the bourgeoisie—the American Dream finally came true. Indeed, one can easily see Hollywood as the American Dream in its prime form—a vivid garden of multi-billion-dollar companies like Paramount, Warner Bros., and Universal, whose dominance is cemented within the postmodern world.
The early films of Hollywood played a pivotal role in creating and popularizing the American Dream, a concept revolving around freedom, opportunity, and unlimited possibilities. Through the primitive first-sight medium of silent movies, Hollywood began its path to becoming the most powerful storyteller in the world. The stories of love, success, and fame did a great job of reflecting the optimism and entrepreneurial spirit that the U.S. wanted to project to the world.
Glamor is one of those rare words that can undoubtedly be universally applied to Hollywood. Being the provider of idealized on-screen life, the carefully crafted images and narratives were always there to spark the empty yet beautiful—in its tragedy and innocence—dream. A dream to always, yet never, come true.
The early philosophy of Hollywood was rooted in the well-known concept of escapism—an ultimate desire to transport the audience to new realms far beyond the ordinary, where everything is possible. Musicals, comedies, and romances were extremely popular among audiences, and it’s no surprise why. The lush and bittersweet allure of pleasure and dream-seeking is a golden ticket to the cinematic world. Playing dirty among our deepest desires, being roughly surreal yet extremely tangible on the screen.
Hollywood's role as an unstoppable trend machine is undeniable. The so-called “Hollywood lifestyle” is one of the vivid images easily recalled in one’s memory. Since the Golden Age of cinema, Hollywood has been the main stage for fashion icons. From Audrey Hepburn’s timeless elegance in Breakfast at Tiffany’s to James Dean’s rebellious cool in Rebel Without a Cause, Hollywood's apparel choices have become blueprints for both style and being stylish.
James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Corey Allen in Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Official Poster. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Have you ever heard of “happily-ever-after”? Undoubtedly, this classic romantic comedy trope is one of the earliest signs shaping our understanding of how an authentic relationship should work. Disney’s stories of Prince Charming are all lost echoes of the Hollywood lifestyle brought into the relationship scene. Because how can one live a life without a prince in it?
Hollywood also gives birth to cultural symbols that transcend the screen and break free from the imaginative shackles. The suaveness of James Bond or the resilience of Sarah Connor from Terminator are more than just characters—they are archetypes that, after a few metamorphoses, become real-life emulations. Hollywood’s stories often intertwine with personal identity and the collective cultural consciousness.
The mirror of our deep cravings is another title given to sweet Hollywood. Tapping straight into the desire for fame, excess, escape, and lush—the pursuit of the extraordinary and the immaculately beautiful. We often refer to something beautiful as cinematic, as though it’s straight from a movie-like scene. Fetishizing items, places, and people, and celebrating the feast of life, Hollywood arouses such a firm mixture of feelings that one can’t miss the temptation to touch it, even if only on primitive visual and auditory levels.
Get ready to set yourself on the eternal quest for a happy ending, and maybe, once in a lifetime, each of us will finally reach our desired destination. Popcorn-ish Hollywoodization is omnipresent, hiding behind screens and movie posters, and is always ready to strike. Both unattainable and endlessly seductive, its future shows bright prospects, as the Brave New Era of Hollywood hasn’t stopped for over a decade, and its oblivion has not yet come. A never-ending feast, the buffoonery of life. Hollywood dishes out glamor and fame, selling life in a golden wrapper, feeding an insatiable hunger for eternal excess.
