I will be the first to admit that she was a far cry from Haley Mills in the adored Disney classic, but Lindsay Lohan did steal a few hearts in the remake of “The Parent Trap” movie a few years ago. Those freckles were oh-too-cute, and just like that, she became America”s sweetheart.
From that reprised role the actress went on to do several Hollywood movies, a musical CD and guest cameos on popular sitcoms. One might think while starring alongside such seasoned veterans in the world of fame as Meryl Streep, Jane Fonda and Jamie Lee Curtis, she might have learned a thing or two. The rumors of showing up late to movie sets, tabloid photos of late-night clubbing with the girls, Paris and Nicole, and never-ending stories in the media such as “Lindsay Busted with Cocaine” or “Lindsay Booked for DUI” became all too familiar, like one recurring bad script.
I have always been intrigued by Lindsay Lohan. I can”t explain it. The glamour of sitting front row at fashion shows not only in NYC, but Milan and Paris also, canoodling on million-dollar yachts with P Diddy and Valentino, swank parties with Hollywood”s A-listers and covers of fashion magazines season after season drew me in like a Chanel bag that never goes out of style.
Matt Lauer, Barbara Walters, David Letterman, Oprah and Jay Leno cannot get enough, and she has sold more issues of Us Weekly than anyone I know. Great fashion editors have noted that this former Disney princess is an international style setter, and young girls across all time zones are influenced so much by Lindsay that she is a fashion trend barometer.
So what went wrong?
Too much fame and fortune too early in life, some say, or maybe the wrong red carpet crowds? In and out of rehabs more times than I can count, DUIs, arrests, probation violations, more rehabs, cocaine possession, dangerous high speed car chases, wrecked Mercedes — and we have all had a front row seat thanks to paparazzi. Remember the famous photos sent around the world of a bikini-clad Lindsay complete with house arrest anklet? I blame the media”s barbaric, savage invasion of privacy and also the world”s insane obsession with the rise and fall of the rich and famous. The uglier and messier the better, or so it seems.
I cannot begin to imagine the feeling of being in a fishbowl every second of every hour of every day. I don”t hold her parents responsible like some do. Lindsay Lohan is a commodity and someone has an insatiable appetite for it all — good and bad, pretty and ugly. If not, the media would not keep the stories coming. Now, she will apparently spend 90 days in jail. I will probably be watching with the volume turned up to see what shoes she wears and how her bangs are holding up under the pressure! Will you be joining me?
David Creel of Columbus has owned two successful salons and written for newspapers and magazines, including VIP Jackson. He is a former style columnist for the Clarion-Ledger. E-mail him at [email protected].
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