Postmodern & Feminist Anaylsis

“It’s the combination of narcissism and nihilism that really defines postmodernism."
-Al Gore

I don’t really think that Al Gore is the expert on postmodern philosophy but I did like this quote and thought it appropriate for the 2 media texts I’m looking at. I picked the movie Clueless because I just really like that movie and then a clip from the TV show, The Hills, a show I have never watched. I thought the 2 texts would be interesting to look at together since they are supposedly portraying the same population. In the trailer for Clueless, the main characters are represented as vapid, self-obsessed, rich and beautiful. It appears that their lives revolve around shopping, going to parties and talking their way out of doing whatever it is they don’t want to do. Narcissism and apathy at its best. In the montage of The Hills, the main “characters” lay by the pool, shop and have cell phones permanently connected to their faces. There also seems to be an awful lot of crying, because I’m sure the shopping and the IMing gets to be a little much. The girls don’t seem to have much depth. There are many differences between the 2 texts; Clueless is clearly a satire of that culture, where The Hills seems to be celebrating it. Or marketing it to teenagers. Clueless, which is loosely adapted from Jane Austen’s novel Emma, finally redeems the characters in the end when Cher helps out with the Pismo Beach Relief Drive and begins to watch CNN instead of Ren and Stimpy. I’m not sure how The Hill’s girls turn out. I know from the tabloids that the 2 main girls Lauren and Heidi are no longer friends.

I thought I would examine these texts through the feminist lens as well. In both examples, the girls are very interested in physical appearances. Cher has a computer program that perfectly matches pieces from her giant wardrobe, so she can have the ultimate outfit. When she invites her crush over she sets a lighting scheme so she is constantly bathed in good lighting. When the girls are upset they go to the mall and shop. With The Hills, the main character works in the fashion industry. She and her friends worry about what to wear to the big events. They make sure to lay out and get a good tan and to hit the gym to stay in shape. This portrayal feeds into the idea that girls are only interested in looking pretty. In both examples friendships with other girls is also portrayed in stereotypical fashion. In Clueless, Cher’s nemesis is Amber, who is always trying to copy her. In The Hills, the feud between Lauren and Heidi is what counts for entertainment news these days. Both conflicts seem to stem from competition between the girls. Whether it is over guys, clothes or status, the girls show that women can’t be friends because the other is a threat to one’s identity or relationship with a guy.