For my hack, I created a remix video to explore the traumas of childhood fame through the lives of Amanda Bynes, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and Paris Hilton. I largely focused on Virginia Kuhn’s questions about how remix can function as discourse, “What does it mean to read video remix as a speech act, and how does this view provide a more nuanced account of digital artifacts of all stripes while still respecting the discrete communities from which these texts arise? What is to be gained by viewing remix as discursive, as an argument that is assembled by units of meaning that, when stitched together, become a larger statement? Moreover, whose interests might be served by this endeavor? At a basic level, viewing remix as a digital speech act would rid us of terms like appropriation and recycling, which suggest the primacy of an original author or text.” My project engages with this framing on multiple levels. In the most obvious sense, I took a range of media from across the internet, primarily from TikTok, and compiled it in a way that spoke a new meaning—one removed and detached from its originators, reframed within a different context. In a less obvious sense, these sources themselves, are already remixed and reframed, most often to flatter their subjects without accounting for their deeper traumas.

My remix relied heavily on specific audio and visual design choices to build its larger argument. In terms of music, I chose “Girls on Film” by Duran Duran and a humming version of “City of Stars (Humming)” by Justin Hurwitz and Emma Stone from La La Land. “Girls on Film” was originally a commentary on the modeling industry, but I wanted to extend its meaning to celebrity culture in the early 2000s, particularly how society failed so many vulnerable young women in the limelight. For the ending audio, I selected the “City of Stars” because it transitions the mood from fast-paced and visually aggressive to something softer and more endearing. This mirrors the emotional trajectory of the visuals. The film La La Land itself speaks to the highs and lows of Hollywood and the personal sacrifices made for professional success, and like “Girls on Film,” I wanted to extend this message to Y2K child stars, pointing to the emotional and psychological toll Hollywood has taken on them.

For visuals, I sourced all my clips from TikTok, both for practical reasons and because TikTok itself is rooted in remix and repurposing. The platform invites creators to not only push original endeavors but also encourages users to share, remix, and add to others’ work. This fit naturally with the message of my project. The introduction clip is designed to situate the audience in “my” shoes—a young woman dealing with adult responsibilities who finds occasional escapism through her social feeds. Personally, I am a huge fan of these “Y2K Divas” and enjoy many of these clips, even being able to quote some of these infamous lines. While I do not actually want to be like Paris Hilton in the introduction clip, I wanted to express the sense of escapism social media often provides—the confrontation with alternate versions of our lives and identities. The abrupt static cut after the introduction is meant to pull the audience deeper into the story.

In the process of collecting these clips, I began to reflect on how unsettling it was that such videos exist in the first place. It broke my heart to revisit how these women’s lives unfolded, especially when viewing moments like Britney Spears’ breakdown through the exploitative lens of the paparazzi. As we discussed in class, I felt a growing discomfort with my own viewing experience in this creative process. Many creators today push this kind of media out as flattery or nostalgia for the celebrities, often without deeper thought into the implications of resharing certain clips—or even how these clips were originally captured.

To marry the visuals with the music, I built up imagery of these women thriving during the verses of “Girls on Film,” only to sharply cut to images of their downfalls—often their mugshots—during the hard-hitting choruses. This fast switch between glamour and collapse created a natural parallel with how society reduces many of these women to simple tabloid narratives, forgetting the systemic factors behind their struggles. For example, Amanda Bynes is often remembered solely for her fall from fame or her addiction issues, rather than the toxic environments she faced under figures like Dan Schneider.

I aimed for this portion of the video to feel like a TikTok edit itself, replicating many of the editing styles I found while researching. To mirror how surface-level many of these edits often are—overlooking the deeper traumas behind the celebrities’ public images—I intentionally pushed a “lighter” mood, including some of my favorite audio clips. I also selected notable quotes that hinted at the internal struggles beneath the surface. For instance, clips of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan speaking negatively about each other showed the real hostility and pressures that characterized their lives in Hollywood.

The last few clips are meant to return the audience to better times in these women’s lives. I ended the main video reel with a clip of a young Lindsay Lohan describing herself as just a “normal kid,” a moment that struck me especially hard after reflecting on her later traumas. Before the credits, I included a famous quote attributed to Marilyn Monroe: “Hollywood’s a place where they’ll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul.” Although I could not fully verify the accuracy of this quote, I added a subtle “(allegedly)” for caution. Regardless, the quote captured the experience of the women I portrayed fittingly, and its attribution to Monroe—who herself faced deep exploitation in an earlier era—emphasized how little has changed over time. I wanted this moment to act as a kind of call to action, a reminder of the urgent need for change in the rights and politics of the film industry.

Finally, as the mood darkens with the credits, I included one final clip after the credits: Paris Hilton speaking to an audience and reminding them that they are all loved. I felt this was a lighthearted way to imply hope—that some, like Paris Hilton, are able to rise above their hardships and even work to expose the mistreatment they faced. While this may seem “cheeky,” I thought it was an important emotional reminder that resilience, healing, and productivity can come from suffering.

I hope my remix shows the juxtaposition between the highs and lows of child stardom, forcing us to reflect on “what we see” versus “what actually is.” Furthermore, I hoped to push viewers to consider their own complicity in the ongoing exploitation of celebrities, both in obvious and in everyday, minute ways. Through this remix, I aim to provoke deeper critical reflection on the costs of fame, the ethics of media consumption, and the urgent need for change within celebrity culture.

Works Cited

Daros, Otávio. “Deconstructing Britney Spears: Stardom, meltdown and conservatorship.” Journal for Cultural Research, vol. 25, no. 4, 2 Oct. 2021, pp. 377–392, https://doi.org/10.1080/14797585.2021.2018663. 

“Duran Duran – Girls On Film (Official Music Video).” Youtube, uploaded by Duran Duran, 16 Nov. 2010, youtu.be/KCjMZMxNr-0?si=XHNkaRMHRdTMcunm.

“‘Hollywood Is a Place Where They’ll Pay You a Thousand Dollars for A…’” AM, www.amdigital.co.uk/insights/blog/hollywood-is-a-place-where-they-ll-pay-you-a-thousand-dollars-for-a-kiss-and-fifty-cents-for-your-soul-marilyn-monroe. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025. 

Hurwitz, Justin, and Emma Stone. “City of Stars (Humming).” La La Land: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Interscope Records, 2016, Spotify.

Kuhn, Virginia. “The Rhetoric of Remix.” Transformative Works and Cultures, doi.org/10.3983/twc.2012.0358. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025. 

O’Shea, Lizzie. Future Histories: What Ada Lovelace, Tom Paine, and the Paris Commune Can Teach Us About Digital Technology. Verso, 2019.

[@2000lindsay]. “i dont like this but i think it looks cool with this song.” TikTok, 21 June 2022, https://www.tiktok.com/@2000lindsay/video/7111739234901429509.

[@calabasaswings]. “There will no other Britney.” TikTok, 11 Nov. 2024, https://www.tiktok.com/@calabasaswings/video/7436177889487244576.

[@calabasaswings]. “[No title]” TikTok, 6 Sept. 2023, https://www.tiktok.com/@calabasaswings/video/7275807970322173217.

[@cherryforeveromg]. “[No title]” TikTok, 23 Mar. 2024, https://www.tiktok.com/@cherryforeveromg/video/7349653482770648352.

[@chromehearts.com]. “prime.” TikTok, 21 Mar. 2025, https://www.tiktok.com/@chromehearts.com/video/7484363465532935426.

[@editsyoulovetosee]. “amanda bynes dressed as cher on the show ‘what i like about you’.” TikTok, 31 Oct. 2024, https://www.tiktok.com/@editsyoulovetosee/video/7431838412426038571.

[@justedits321]. “Paris and Nicole in a club early 2000,s💋.” TikTok, 28 Feb. 2023, https://www.tiktok.com/@justedits321/video/7205408658115628293.

[@keshavids]. “Paparazzi time 📸.” TikTok, 16 Nov. 2020, https://www.tiktok.com/@keshavids/video/6895679881347091713.

[@lindsayicon]. “Before we ruined her🥺.” TikTok, 4 Jan. 2025, https://www.tiktok.com/@lindsayicon/video/7456072562515266858.

[@lovebrit_spears]. “Young Britney :).” TikTok, 7 Sept. 2024, https://www.tiktok.com/@lovebrit_spears/video/7411963519694064942.

[@misshiltons]. “iconic😭.” TikTok, 26 Nov. 2022, https://www.tiktok.com/@misshiltons/video/7170510354550738219.

[@modeling.vibe]. “these figthing paparazzi😭😭😭.” TikTok, 24 June 2024, https://www.tiktok.com/@modeling.vibe/video/7384204981798276384.

[@narrativesaint]. “The Dark Side of Nickelodeon: Surviving Dan Schneider.” TikTok, 4 May 2023, https://www.tiktok.com/@narrativesaint/video/7229467204008512814.

[@ogspaceheygirls]. “Britney Stealing In Front Of Paparazzi.” TikTok, 2 Nov. 2022, https://www.tiktok.com/@ogspaceheygirls/video/7161264632760454446.

[@popculturey2k]. “her hair looks so good in this interview.” TikTok, 17 Mar. 2025, https://www.tiktok.com/@popculturey2k/video/7482924414070230302.

[@popflopculture]. “blonde baddie 🤭💋 | follow for all things pop culture!” TikTok, 21 Oct. 2023, https://www.tiktok.com/@popflopculture/video/7292262036174769454.

[@primevideouk]. “Got this 2000s throwback on repeat 🙌.” TikTok, 27 Dec. 2023, https://www.tiktok.com/@primevideouk/video/7317227932152270112.

[@redditbelieveitornot]. “To the comments!” TikTok, 18 Aug. 2023, https://www.tiktok.com/@redditbelieveitornot/video/7268860088151035179.

[@screenshothq]. “@ParisHilton delighted her fans by carrying on her and @Nicole Richie musical tradition from The Simple Life 🎤.” TikTok, 16 Apr. 2024, https://www.tiktok.com/@screenshothq/video/7449019790557023521.

[@tanaslaughter]. “Celebrities Mugshots.” TikTok, 12 June 2022, https://www.tiktok.com/@tanaslaughter/video/7108443385480137989.

[@tanaslaughter]. “Lindsay Lohan calls Paris Hilton a c*nt, November 2006.” TikTok, 2 July 2023, https://www.tiktok.com/@tanaslaughter/video/7251317063254363418.

[@thatbritneypage]. “A 19 year old Britney Spears being by the paparazzi at the beach, 2001 🤬.” TikTok, 16 June 2024, https://www.tiktok.com/@thatbritneypage/video/7381178722730151173.

[@the90sguyzz]. “She was so freaking talented.” TikTok, 20 Oct. 2024, https://www.tiktok.com/@the90sguyzz/video/7427730819743010078.

[@thejessicafoxx]. “Paparazzi moments from the 2000s.” TikTok, 17 Apr. 2021, https://www.tiktok.com/@thejessicafoxx/video/6952311949212339461.

[@themissiconik]. “Aww a young Lindsay Lohan 😻🫶.” TikTok, 2 Nov. 2022, https://www.tiktok.com/@themissiconik/video/7448018561290816773.

[@y2ktokk]. “her show would’ve been so entertaining especially during this era😭.” TikTok, 23 Nov. 2024, https://www.tiktok.com/@y2ktokk/video/7440337347658681646.

LF