Guest Writer Patrick King: The Majesty(?) of The Hills

I might be the only male, or maybe person, at Hampshire College who obsessively watches The Hills. It has been mocked mercilessly from all angles since it premiered, except by teenage girls, who regard it as seriously as males do the fucking NFL playoffs (the “after shows” consist of giddy bitties deconstructing each episode-evidently it inspires their Derridean side). But why do I love it so much? Obviously, it seems pretty shallow at first glance. The show basically deals with beautiful women, dressed mostly in bikinis or cocktail dresses, handsome and chiseled dudes, all with fucking impeccable teeth, who spend their nights eating at chic restaurants and then hit up the hottest club spots, after breezing through their dream jobs (fashion stylists, nightclub promoter, etc.) during the day. It has been criticized for being fake, an illusory fabrication of Lauren Conrad’s (LC) glamorous life in Los Angeles, with all the storylines scripted and any conflicts completely set-up and intentional. But I don’t think one can brush it off as easily as that. As LC remembers from one of her appearances on Letterman, “one of the writers said that they believe The Hills is the most important show made in the last 10 years.” Continue Reading...