appropriated by the majority of the earth’s inhabitants in the age of globalization. Additionally,
the philosopher muses that the only way to understand contemporary American culture is to enter
into this enticing fantasy world.
In his often misunderstood essay Amérique, Baudrillard also asserts that celebrities are an
important cog in a larger, hegemonic framework that is on the brink of abolishing all meaning
through the proliferation of symbolic paradises. As the philosopher explains, “C’est pourquoi le
culte des stars […] les idoles de l’écran sont immanentes au déroulement de la vie en images.
Elles sont un système de préfabrication luxueuse […] Elles n’incarnent qu’une seule passion:
celle de l’image […] Elles ne font pas rêver, elles sont le rêve” ‘This is why the cult of the stars
[…] the idols of the screen are an inherent part of the rolling out of life in images. They are a
system of prefabricated luxury […] They only embody one passion: that of the image […] They
don’t make people dream, they are the dream’ (Amérique 57). According to Baudrillard, stars
and divas are the ultimate incarnation of a dream that indoctrinates consumer citizens.
Intoxicated by the force of an artificial spectacle, the masses endeavor to imitate airbrushed
images that have been manufactured and retouched in a studio before being released to a public
with an insatiable appetite for consuming these signs of a good life.
Several scenes from “The Hobbit” mirror the anxiety articulated by Baudrillard in Amérique
concerning the hostile takeover of reality through the conduit of American culture and its
celebrities. First, it is not by chance that Butters identifies Kim Kardashian as the stunning
embodiment of female beauty. Although the footage of so-called “reality television” is
contrived, edited, and scripted, millions of faithful viewers have been duped into caring about the
lives of personas that they know nothing about. Some viewers might question the authenticity of
certain scenes, but they still become emotionally invested in these hyper-real fictions. In fashion
magazines and shows that glorify stars, these images, regardless of how far-fetched they are, take
on a life of their own. 2
It is evident that Butters does not critically examine the image of Kim Kardashian that
flashes across the screen in “Keeping up with the Kardashians.” When Wendy originally tries to
convince him to date Lisa before her digital makeover, Butters states, “I have a different standard
when it comes to my women. I want a woman who has perfect skin […] and perfect
Christopher Wright explores the hegemonic function of reality TV through the lens of Baudrillard’s
philosophy. See “Welcome to the Jungle of the Real: Simulation, Commoditization, and Survivor.” Journal of
American Culture 29 (2): 170-82.
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