Just a few winters past, the pathway to fame was paved with years of hard work and dedication to a dream. While fame was elusive, those who managed to achieve it did so by acquiring a skill that set them apart from the crowd. It used to be that famous people could actually do something worth commanding attention. However, as we close out the beginning of the twenty-first century, the American Empire awakes to a morning where fame no longer has the scarcity it once did. Alarming as it may be, the traditional mechanisms that served as a vetting process to claim one of those coveted spots on Hollywood Squares have broken down. Technology has transformed fame into a commodity as readily available as a pack of Tic Tacs. Anyone with the ability to speak into a cell phone can command the eyes of millions. It would appear that as the polar ice caps melt, so to do the restrictions required to earn the title of celebrity.
On demand attention creates a problem. If notoriety is as cheap and readily available as it has come to be, how will the people of these United States make a distinction between those who are merely well known and those who are real, honest to god celebrities? If the ability to be recognized by strangers on the street becomes available to everybody, how will our super stars set themselves apart? As our great civilization stumbles into the immediate future, it is entirely possible that the one last status symbols will be frozen in wax at Madame Tussauds.
Madame Tussauds is an institution that has been immortalizing the revered since the time of Marie Antionette. The Hollywood location sits in the heart of Tinseltown, right next to Sid Grauman’s Chinese Theater. Inside are actors and directors from the golden area of film along with a scattering of pop stars. Built for the people, the museum provides plebs with an opportunity from a thrill and a picture with the stars. As one of the last temples of celebrity in the modern world, Madame Tussauds is filled with replicas of entertainers who achieved the title in the old fashioned sense.
In celebration of their storied achievements, each wax figure requires four months worth of work from a team of twenty artisans. The process begins with a series of careful measurements of the star and then progresses through casting. From there, it’s off to hair, makeup, and costuming. Finally, the celebrity’s doppelgänger is ready to go out on display and be worshiped by legions of adoring fans. The fact that so much goes into the production of one of these figures makes it seem unlikely that in the short term, the same resources involved would be devoted to celebrating an Instagram model or some twenty-year old dude who produces prank videos on YouTube.
However, do not think for an instant that the huns will forever be held at bay. Posted just outside the entrance stands Kylie Jenner, a young lady who earned her ticket to fame by being a supporting member of a basic cable ensemble. She’s gathered enough likes to get the star treatment at Madame Tussauds, but is technically not inside yet. She stands vigilant near the entrance, ready to jam a Jimmy Chu in the door and open the place up for the inevitable wave of YouTubers and Instagrammers who will follow. She waits patiently for her moment when she can crack the gate for her mob and displace the collection of Hollywood icons interred inside.
This post is based on a visit to Madame Tussauds Hollywood on June 26, 2019.
6933 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
323 798-1670
Interested in the cult of celebrity? Don’t miss a visit to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
