People in Hollywood are seen more often than people from any other place in the world. The verb can only be “seen,” because movies were seen long before they were heard. The place and its primary industry still obsess over the way people and things look.

Hollywood may not be the movie and television capital of the world anymore (that title, according to nationmaster.com, has been claimed by India’s Bollywood) but, though Bollywood may make more movies, Hollywood’s movies are seen by more people in more places.

Other forms of entertainment are less localized, because authors and musicians don’t have to live where they are published. Musicians and authors don’t have to be seen. In this world of multi-media, authors and musicians are increasingly seen, but they don’t have to be. In Los Angeles, particularly in Hollywood, and particularly among actors, being seen is a huge part of the job. That job is so tied up with life in LA that “seeing and being seen” is a part of life for everyone, not just actors.

While sitting at a café with my girlfriend on a recent trip to Hollywood, a stranger started a conversation with me (the entertainment industry is full of extroverts). “Had any sightings?” she asked. We were tourists and sights are naturally things we would be interested in. She wasn’t citing sights, but who we’d seen.

Actors aren’t the only people who live in this visual culture. Twice, I was asked how much I weighed. As a young man of unremarkable physique (aside from height) I can count on one hand how many times this question has come up… in my entire life. I wasn’t talking to an agent or a talent scout; I was ...