Fame, Greed, and Everything in between

  

    The above image depicts a scene from Selling Sunset, a reality tv show that revolves around the Oppenheim group, a high-end real estate brokerage in Los Angeles, California. The show is not only about selling expensive houses in LA, but about the drama intertwined with the lives of the brokers. This image contains four of the brokers, as they are enjoying themselves at the opening party of their newly designed office, just down the street from their last. This image portrays the inaugural ringing of their new bell, which is rung when a broker closes on a property. This image signifies the continuing on of the business and bell ringing tradition. The shine and size of the bell create a focal point for the images, and then viewers' eyes follow the arms of the women to then reveal their faces. The facial expressions are an important aspect of this image as the two on the right seem ecstatic while the two on the left seem confused or potentially caught off guard. As the women are ringing the bell, the viewers are also made aware of the outfits of the subjects. Their flamboyant outfits also draw in the attention of the viewer as they feature many different colors and materials. The subject’s position seems rather candid, though one cannot be certain as it comes from a tv show. 

    In The Civil Sphere, Jeffrey Alexander argues for multiple spheres, and that civil discourse creates a world in which some deserve to be included while others do not (Alexander 2006:55). Within the civil sphere comes specific cultural norms and codes that dictate behavior, and are further reinforced and spread through communication outlets (Alexander 2006). Though there lies contradictions between the economic and civil spheres, and their logic (Alexander 2006). The civil sphere is bound by other spheres, including that of the economic sphere, that can limit worthiness (Alexander 2006). The civil sphere also produces solidarity, the sense that individuals are connected to those and an obligation to them, and leads people to act in certain ways (Alexander 2006:56). There is space for the changing of who is being described, when the language of the binary stays the same (Alexander 2006). 

    Worthiness is an important aspect of Selling Sunset. The real estate world is harsh and cut-throat, and within the Oppenheim group, brokers (usually) know their place. The original Oppenheim office didn’t have enough desks for all of the brokers to have their own, in one scene one of the brokers says “she can sit on the floor until she proves herself” after someone new joins the brokerage (DiVello 2020). This quote gives insight into how the women in the brokerage judge each other and determine whether or not they are worthy of being a part of the group and brokerage. The show reveals a language of solidarity and the judgment of people for moral worth based on their ability to sell houses, and further their ability to fit in with each other, and success is bound to whether or not they are making money by selling houses. Money creates a contradiction as it gets in the way of who is worthy, though within the civil sphere the rational goal is to make money. The binary of civil and anti civil motives, calm and hysterical are often presented in the show as it quickly becomes an unrealistic and dramatized performance.

References

Adam DiVello Warner Bros. [Producer]. 2020. Selling Sunset. Alexander, Jeffrey. 2006. The Civil Sphere. New York: Oxford Academic. Mally, Sarah. 2023. “Mary Fitzgerald, Nicole Young, Chrishell Stause, Chelsea Lazkani” From radiotimes.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024 (https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/reality-tv/selling-sunset-office-oppenheim-group-location/)