On the cover is a picture of Angelina Jolie looking sultry in a swimming pool. Inside you will find pictures of Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jude Law, Christina Aguilera, Christina Ricci, No Doubt, Ricky Martin, Lauryn Hill, Fiona Apple, Katie Holmes, Blink-182, Mariah Carey, Matt Damon, Kirsten Dunst, Jennifer Lopez, Kid Rock, Jewel, Natalie Imbruglia, Sisqo, Fiona, Leonardo DiCarpio, Britney Spears, Eminem, and a number of other pop stars, Hollywood actors, and supermodels. The pictures are sexy and vibrant – it’s all about image, hype, and airbrushing. The introduction talks about the “new breed” of stars, and suggests that this crop represents a return to a lack of irony, non-political, capitalist, and hedonistic approach. Maybe there was a day when popular culture

I was never very impressed with Rolling Stone magazine even in the years when it had a more credible reputation. It always struck me as fundamentally conservative and uncritical. But this collection of images makes me sick. I don’t have any problem with good looking and beautiful stars taking advantage of their looks, and I’m not against people having fun, so long as they don’t do it in front of me. But if this collection of photographs has a meaning, over and above being a collection of pretty pictures, then it says that popular culture has been lobotomized. There’s no questioning, no intelligence, and no depth here. What offends me is not just that looks, money, and fame are taken to be worthy ideals, or that the rebellion of rock and roll has been packaged to make money. Those are old criticisms. It’s that these young stars, mostly in their twenties, are put in the position of being role models, products for fans to emulate. These stars are collaborating in a celebration of stylish stupidity, the idea that life is a party.

I don’t actually think that youth culture is any shallower than it has been in the past, and it still contains its share of healthy rebellion, creativity, and stupid excess. Often the songs of today’s pop musicians are about self-worth or the pain of love and living; the movies of young actors are sometimes provocative and innovative. The artists pictured in this book probably do have some interesting ideas, and they have talent. But in a world where big business has such control over the options presented to young people, and the entertainment industry is one of the most influential forces in modern society, I’d like to see more rebellion against the hegemony of mainstream culture, especially in youth culture. HotHouse as a packaged product is fun, but nobody with any sense should be able to look at these photographs without laughing and wanting to spit.

Categories: General, Artandphotography