Defamiliarizing Young Female Actresses

There is a certain sense of truth that science provides the world. Of course, this is not the only truth that exists. There is another kind of truth, found in art. “Art provides access to a different kind of truth than is available to science, a truth that is immune to scientific investigation because it is accessible only through connotative language (allusion, metaphor, symbolism, etc.) and cannot be rendered in the direct, denotative, fact-naming language of the sciences” (3). Defamiliarization, or thinking outside the box of generally or commonly known knowledge is a form of art.

In the case of celebrities, such as Lindsay Lohan, society is used to accepting that her archetype, the young actress making films, is simply there and not effecting pop culture or culture in a negative way. Although, she is in fact creating fame for herself by acting as an inappropriate role model, especially to young girls. It is not until we step back and take a closer look by defamiliarizing ourselves from the situation that we see the harmful causes of young actresses setting poor examples in the media.

Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff and Mylie Cyrus are just a few young actresses that have been in and out of rehabilitation centers, have publically gone through eating disorder ordeals and barely wear enough clothes to amply cover themselves when they leave their homes. But, what does the average person notice about these girls? They notice that they are pretty, famous, and in the movies that our children are growing up watching. It is important to defamiliarize ourselves with these young actresses and celebrities on the greater scale so that we can fully understand how they are effecting our lives.

Work Cited
Ryan, Michael. Literary Theory: An Anthology. Ed. Julie Rivkin. Grand Rapids: Blackwell Limited, 2008.