Perez Hilton: The Vision Regime

Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr., better known as Perez Hilton, has become the “Queen” of Hollywood gossip with his daily blog and website http://www.perezhilton.com/. His posts include pictures, videos, stories, and descriptions covering all the details of the lives of celebrities. Most of his posts crack fun of celebrities, and he does not hold back on his personal opinions. Many of his pictures are “scribbled” on, mocking and pointing out critically, but humorously at stars. For example, a few months ago during the Kanye West/Taylor Swift controversy, Hilton posted a picture of Kanye West with “douche bag” written across Kanye’s face. Although he tends to attract bad publicity from the media, his bold and blunt opinions and derogatory comments seem to spark his fame among his blog followers.

Not too long ago, we discussed Sean Redmond’s concept of the “vision regime.” According to Redmond, the vision regime refers to the relationship and intimacy that is established between celebrities and their fans. He suggests that in order for the celebrities to create or maintain their fame, they must find a way to connect to their fans. In doing so, the fans will become more drawn to them through relatable situations.
Perez Hilton’s website is exactly this for the fans. Although Hilton himself has become widely renowned, he creates even more of a fan base for celebrities. Many celebrities have criticized Hilton’s website, however as long as you remain on Hilton’s good side, he does nothing but support your popularity. Damage will only be done (if any at all) if you become one of Hilton’s enemies. According to Hilton, his blog can traffic nearly nine million views within only twenty-four hours. The validity of this fact is debated but there is certainly no argument that Hilton is both liked and disliked by a large population of society and his website still remains as one of the top viewed websites in the nation. The reason for this is the material that is presented. Although you may not agree with his opinions and criticisms, his website still presents a large amount of celebrity gossip that produces this intimacy that viewers desire to have with celebrities. With constant gossip updates throughout the day, Hilton’s blog provides that connection that Sean Redmond defined as the vision regime.