Page 179 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 6

Ironically, it is often the celebrities’ children on these show who be-
come so accustomed to the “high life” that when they do not get what
they want, they throw fits, yell at their parents, and pout until they get
their way.
To illustrate, on The Osbournes, Kelly (the seventeen-year-old daugh-
ter) took her parents’ credit card out at night and lost it. Later, it turned
up, but when she wanted to use it again and Ozzy said “no,” she threw a
fit until he finally agreed—basically as a way to shut her up.
On Run’s House, when Angela (the seventeen-year-old daughter) was
graduating from high school she wanted her father to throw her a party.
However, she did not want just any party; she wanted one that tallied up to
over $15,000. In this case Run (a former member of rap group Run DMC)
did not give into his daughter’s pleas, but he still threw her a party that was
more in his price range—$8,000. As if an $8,000 party was not enough
to show he was proud of her for graduating with honors, he opted to buy
her a Mercedes, just to make sure she knew. Here, how much money you
spend on someone is in relation to how much you love them.
Also the world depicted by reality celebrity children is one where the
children have the authority and parents answer to them. For example,
in The Osbournes, Jack (sixteen years old at the time) was constantly
out drinking and drugging with his friends until the wee hours of the
morning. When he would get caught sneaking in, Sharon would usually
try to enforce some sort of discipline, but this never went far. Jack did
not take the threats from his parents seriously and would be at it again
the next night.
In one episode, Sharon and Ozzy tried to sit Kelly and Jack down to
discuss their behavior problems and lack of respect for parental author-
ity. The kids however yelled and screamed that they were being unfair,
and ultimately had the last word. Their behavior never really changed,
and Kelly and Jack still did as they pleased. Ironically, months later Jack
ended up in rehab (and luckily, has cleaned up since then). The message
conveyed here is that parents are not to be taken seriously, and it is the
kids who have the power in this world.

Wealth and Status: If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It. As mentioned else-
where in this book, when celebrities take on everyday tasks, they are
portrayed as being “better off” than to do the things we would have
to do. For example, on Rich Girls (MTV) Allie Hilfiger (daughter of
fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger) realizes one day that she should try

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