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While reading these chapters I kept in mind the section title, "Seeing". Obviously these 2 chapters are both about Hollywood, something that can only truly be appreciated by seeing. Within chapter 10 Smith highlights Katharine Hepburn and Greta Garbo by contrasting ideas of what it means to be loved as a Hollywood starlet (always wanted to use that word, "starlet"...). I started thinking about what it means to see something; to see something means it must be outside of yourself, happening out there in the world. But part of seeing is also perceiving, how you interpet what's going on out there based on your own experiences (can you tell I'm a psych major? Haha). So how are these chapters "seeing"?
In chapter 10 Smith affirms her love of Hepburn by explaining "My teenage bedroom, a shrine to the Golden Age of Hollywood, reserved a whole half wall for her alone." (p.151) One would assume this gave Smith more than plenty of opportunities to see Hepburn, to idolize her. If her bedroom wall was a shrine, Hepburn was the deity for which half of one "whole half wall was reserved" (p.151); talk about a VIP. Shrines are made to look at, to be a visual representation of what you believe in, what you care about, what you worship. Smith refers to Hepburn's photograph as being "like a Madonna looking over lesser saints." (p.151), the one your eyes would be drawn to. Smith also reflects on how the public sees Hepburn, essentially as being an unconventional sort of beautiful, and certainly not sexy. But Smith refutes these ideas quickly by choosing to include a piece of biography about Hepburn being turned down from the lead of gone with wind, "..she [Hepburn] told him snootily that "some people's idea of sex appeal is different from yours" and stormed out of his office. It was never a question of Hepburn changing to suit Hollywood; Hollywood had to change to suit Hepburn." (p.152). Smith perceives Hepburn as being not only sexy, but as being controversial, fiesty and strong-willed. Perhaps these are things that Smith feel are under-appreciated, or unseen, about herself? Was she worshiping the traits Hepburn had and wanted to also possess? When Smith introduces Garbo to the chapter she starts by saying that you would "...have to make a case..." (p.159) to celebrate the century anniversary of her birth, because she's "different" (p.159). While Smith made the argued Hepburn's differences from mainstream Hollywood by pointing out her strengths, her unseen beauty and her own idolization of this actress; Smith introduces Garbo with a sense of hiddenness. She speaks of memories of Garbo being "...not of a women, they are of face. Garbo's body was an irrelevance." (p.159) Next to shrines of photos that take up half a wall, a women with no body is not as easily seen. Hepburn was in your face, making sure she was seen, wether you liked her or not. Garbo, on the other hand was "...an idea.."(p.160), not a personality. "Garbo has no quirks..."(p.160) Smith writes, she was not a presence; she was looked at as just a face. Where Smith sees positive encouragement to make a change to the establishment in Hepburn's sassyness; Smith sees "existential depression" (p.162) in Garbo. Garbo hides from the world, not allowing herself to see what is making her so unhappy. As an actress, Garbo "seems to respond to something deep inside herself, not to the actor she plays opposite. It was a world of her own she was in, and it was wonderful to watch." (p.163), this again leads me to think that maybe this also something Smith either values in herself even if it goes unseen, or perhaps something Smith wishes she could tap into. Garbo seems to represent seeing life from an internal point of view and (trying to be) being unmoved by what you see; while Hepburn might represent being able to clearly see what's going on around you, and having the perceived ability to change what you don't like.
Alright, that's enough about seeing.