Is Sarah Staudinger the New Queen of Los Angeles?
This is the second article in a three-part series looking at the local celebrity landscape and the top 10. In this second installment, we’ll look at Sarah Staudinger, the 21-year-old daughter of Robert Staudinger, co-founder and CEO of Vans.
Robert Staudinger
Sarah Staudinger might just be the newest Queen of Los Angeles. Robert Staudinger, co-founder and CEO of Vans, is one of the richest people in the world and one of the few people in L.A. to have ever been featured on a Forbes list (and one of only two people ever to be featured on that list twice). He’s also one of the most recognizable L.A. businesses, thanks to his work at his successful shoe company.
He’s also not your normal celebrity, though. Robert has struggled with addiction for more than 20 years, was hospitalized for drug and alcohol addiction in 2009, and has battled a string of health issues over the past few months. And while he certainly has his fair share of eccentricities and oddball behavior, he’s not an “oddball” the way Sarah Staudinger is. He’s a businessman with the drive to succeed, which many consider to be a rare quality in celebrity.
This is one of those cases where her being on the Forbes list isn’t all that surprising—after all, she has the same attributes. But being one of the only two people to appear on that list twice is downright amazing.
What Are Celebrities Anyway?
We tend to associate famous people with what we see on the news or in “The Tonight Show,” but that’s only part of the story, because most famous people aren’t just famous to us. In fact, celebrities are part of the entertainment industry. When a famous movie star, athlete, or musician comes to a theater to help sell the movie, they’re selling a product—not people. They are in fact celebrities selling a product.
While we