In an effort to bring more tourists into LA, ads by Discover Los Angeles feature icons such as Kobe Bryant and the Hollywood Sign with the tagline "That's So LA." This leads me to ask two questions: What is "so LA" and how do these people and places represent Los Angeles?
After visiting discoverlosangeles.com I discovered that Los Angeles can only be marketed as Utopic. In reality the Hollywood Sign is one of the only acts in Hollywood that has had a long shelf life and our shining knight, Mr. Bryant, though a sports star, has endured some drama of his own.
One particular ad that caught my eye was of Lauren Conrad, reality TV star of MTV's The Hills. I can't say that I hate the show, but I feel like the LA that is portrayed in The Hills is far from our reality. Most 20-something year olds can't live in high-end apartments or buy their own homes; they can't afford to eat out at top restaurants everyday; and they don't land competitive internships/jobs without extensive experience.
I guess the point of these ads are to attract the young dreamers who want to "make it big" in LA, however, trying to follow the footsteps of Ms. Conrad can only offer big debt.
If I could paint my own picture of Los Angeles I'd have show visitors Silver Lake and the Sunset Junction. I'd take them to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for movie screenings hosted by Cinespia. For dining, I'd show tourists the beauty of our taco truck industry and have pastries from some bakery in one of our ethnic communities.
Not so attractive is what truly is so LA, at least in its broad definition. Traffic, a spread out city with little social space and minimal public transit. All things considered, L.A. may have a lot to offer our tourists but should be able to deliver more to its residents.
This post has been updated.
I completely agree with your post. While I can't blame reality TV stars for taking advantage of opportunities that are presented to them, I don't consider them accomplished people, just lucky. Somehow they managed to be in the right place in the right time, agreed to let a camera follow them around for awhile, and now have "made it big." While L..A. may have a lot to offer tourists, none of it is real, and many of them get caught up in all the glitter and glitz that this star-studded city offers. It's fun for awhile, but until L.A. improves the areas you mentioned such as public transportation, families and long-term residents may start to migrate away.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post as well. So many people keep here in pursuit of exactly what "The Hills" lifestyle portrays and so many people, myself included, are let down by the reality of LA life.
ReplyDeleteTaking a trip (or living) near South Central really reminds you that not everything is glitz and glam. What really surprises me about this city is that you drive from a lush and really nice area to a decaying and broken down area in 10 minutes.
I don't really blame LA's new tourist strategy because Lauren Conrad is almost like a symbol for what they want people to think LA is - it will keep them coming. In other words it was a good business move.
Not to mention that we have an amazingly high homeless population, many of which have found themselves on the streets after chasing Hollywood dreams. They should make a skid row, "That's so LA" ad.
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