Introduction
Pick up a book or a newspaper, switch on a TV, visit your social media pages or just drive around in your city and what do you see? Celebrities! They are all over the place - on TV, Radio, billboards, posters, ads and so on. Since time immemorial, celebrity culture has existed and flourished in the world. Probably the type of celebrity, their relevance to prevalent culture and the ways of interacting with people and fans, may have changed over time.
Let’s be honest. People just love celebrities! People want to know who they are, what they do, where they live, how they live, what they said to whom and so on (Kristenand, n.d.). Contemporary media has played a big role in building this celebrity culture. Whether it was the magazines or TV shows, tabloids or the current deluge of information that people gobble up on social media, the culture is here to stay, fueled by our insatiable desire to ‘learn more’.
Celebrities can be known by the capacity to build attention capital (Rojek, 2015). For the better part of the twentieth century, celebrities served as beacons of the public world. Whether it was women’s hairstyles of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, which were determined by the goddesses of Hollywood or their products and brand endorsements, the industry made a huge impact on people of that generation. It also shaped language, debates and art in the United States. James Dean, playing his role in Rebel without a Cause (1955), “embodied a general fear of the angst in 1950s youth culture” (Marshall, 2010).
Celebrities command a lot of power and influence. In the 1980s, we witnessed how musical styles traversed far and wide and how channels like MTV emerged, entertaining and captivating a whole generation of youth.
Certain celebrities were able to capitalise on these changes and became famous and iconic. A good example is Madonna. She became an icon and a symbol of modernity and change for most women, for more than twenty years – powered by her unique style of music, dance, videos, fashion and the image of being a rebel and being free. In turn, her appropriation of sub cultural style percolated through popular culture and fashion (Marshall, 2010).
This essay will attempt to study the different types of celebrities, analysing two specific examples and delving into the reasons on how they achieved their celebrity status, the role they play in society, the way they interact with media and reflect popular culture and what the future holds for them.
Types of celebrities
Let’s now understand the various types of celebrities and where they fit in to our society.
The first thing to understand is that anyone can be a celebrity - actors, singers, dancers,
designers, the wealthy, DJs, models, athletes, journalists or ‘personalities’- they are just people
(Celebrity Culture, n.d.).
The pros and cons, however, of being a celebrity are many. Their celebrity status entitles them to many benefits, material and emotional - love, wealth, clout, influence, fame, recognition and much more. It also brings in its many negative aspects – close scrutiny, lack of privacy, frenzied fan mobs, quick fame and infamy, paparazzi and so on. It is important to note that people (we), make the celebrities. Celebrity culture and stardom are a global phenomenon. It varies across countries but some celebrities do achieve global fame and recognition. Global fame usually follows celebrity efforts that impact people politically or socially. We know of many celebrities who have successfully supported global humanitarian causes and enhanced their scope and influence in the world.
Celebrity culture usually means that people accord a certain status to people with some exceptional talent or skill and media plays a role in popularising them. This culture is here to stay and plays a very important role in how it is shaping our society. Celebrities become quick role models for teenagers to emulate. In their formative years, it is very easy for adolescents to latch on to a role model, who is probably a role model for their peer groups too. Celebrity sites make multi - billion dollars and have a keen following but many celebrities do get involved in controversial lifestyles like indulgence in drugs and alcohol, which could influence children, negatively in their formative years. That debate rages on (Celebrity Culture, n.d.).
Today, celebrities themselves have become products and brands. The evolution of mass marketing and an increasing propensity of consumers to follow celebrity trends, have made celebrity culture more ingrained in society and in to our ethos.
Being brands themselves, celebrities are now commodities of trade. Celebrity endorsements have become very popular and many global brands and organisations pay millions of dollars to associate themselves with celebrities, who reflect their brands’ persona. Consumers like what celebrities wear, eat and they buy those brands and live those dreams. This type of brand association however, is a double edged sword as we have seen many debacles, where brand image takes a beating because of wrong doing by a celebrity.
A closer look at two fine examples
Angelina Jolie is one celebrity who has not only been one of the most successful and glamorous Hollywood actresses; married to another actor Brad Pitt, but is also well known for her humanitarian efforts. She has done great service to many causes and has evolved as a fine example of the beneficial roles celebrities can play in our globalised world.
Her interest in social work and humanitarian affairs began when she was filming the adventure movie ‘Tomb Raider’ in the year 2000, in Cambodia. She met and was moved by people who were displaced and uprooted from their homes and she soon started working with UNHCR to highlight this cause and align herself with this humanitarian endeavour. She was named as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador in 2001 and also as a Special Envoy in 2012 (UNHCR, n.d.).
She not only conducted field missions for UNHCR but also made it her second calling by campaigning for refugees and displaced people across the world. She has been instrumental in
bringing such displacement issues to the fore, by cooperating with the UNHCR High Commissioner. She has been in the forefront of these issues and is a speaker at many global events, representing her cause and taking her message forward with the help of global media. She has become the voice of the underprivileged, in a sense.
She has proved to be not only a great actress, but an inspiring human being who encourages many people to play an active role in the rehabilitation of refugees from conflict zones. Her service to the world is not only in terms of her time, but also monetary donations. She has donated more than US $5 million of her personal wealth to UNHCR since 2001. The fund has helped build schools and launch other initiatives, in many countries such as Kenya and Afghanistan to help improve the life of refugees (UNHCR, n.d.).
Besides her work for refugees with UNHCR, she also supports other causes like disaster relief, disadvantaged children, environmental protection and other projects affecting our world. Notable among all the projects is the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation which she started in 2003. The project was initially focussed on conservation in Cambodia but is now involved in agriculture, health, vocational and skills training, education, infrastructure, rural planning and microcredit programmes (UNHCR). Angelina leads the way as a Hollywood celebrity, who has managed to carve a unique niche, by helping the underprivileged and making a difference in the world.
Another celebrity who earned the love and admiration of millions around the world is the Late Diana, Princess of Wales. Princess Di; as she was fondly addressed married Prince Charles
and became a part of the British royal family on July 29, 1981, in what's been called the "wedding of the century." She was the first British citizen to marry the heir to the British throne in almost 300 years (About, n.d.).
Princess Diana was engaged to the Prince of Wales in 1981 and from then till her death in 1997, she captured the hearts and minds of people around the world. Be it her fashion, lifestyle, motherhood or her Royal duties, she became one of the biggest icons in British history (Pettinger, 2006). She was someone who deserved her celebrity status, although she did not crave for it.
She was seen as a celebrity of her generation: a fashion icon, an image of feminine beauty, working for humanitarian causes, AIDS issues and her campaign against landmines. She was probably the most photographed person in the world in her lifetime (Biography). She helped in removing the stigma against AIDS in April 1987 by becoming the first high profile celebrity to touch a HIV infected person. With that one photograph, she managed to change people’s views and disgust towards AIDS patients worldwide.
The amazing thing about Princess Diana, was she had a life that anyone would dream of, but her heart was with the people, not only in UK but across the world. Small wonder then, that she was called the ‘People’s Princess’.
That brings us back to the question of what classical celebrity theorists talk about, i.e. what are the essential characteristics of a celebrity. Talent and entertainment value, intelligence (high IQ scientists like Einstein for example), being a people’s person, political leadership, corporate
captains, sports champions and others. There is a fine relationship between how celebrities are made; with the help of media and how they influence popular culture. Media is and will always remain a powerful tool that makes or breaks celebrities. There are many examples of celebrities who, having tread a dishonest path, have suffered brutal retribution at the hands of the media, plunging their reputation and image (and income) to hellish depths.
This synergistic relationship has existed for a long time and both celebrities and media personalities live for each other, while people consume tons of content that is fed to them every day, across the world, 24x7 (Neimark, 2010).
In the foregoing examples, we noticed that both Angelina Jolie and Princess Diana had everything that one could wish for (in the classical sense). They were famous, glamorous, wealthy, among the world’s who’s who list, but they were both driven towards a larger cause - a humanitarian one. By engaging themselves in such work globally, both Angelina Jolie and Princess Diana have endeared themselves to many disadvantaged people in the world and their fans. They have really demonstrated the value and power of being celebrities and have used that power to help humanity. It goes to prove that there’s more to being a celebrity than just wealth and fame.
Conclusion
In conclusion, one can say that celebrities, media and global culture are ever evolving. With the new digital age, geographical boundaries have vanished; people have begun to engage with their
favourite celebrities on social media like Facebook and Twitter. Celebrities, in turn, have increased their circle of influence, globally. Content is now continuously consumed, and spreads like wildfire across the world, in seconds. The consumption of content has dramatically changed in the recent past. Gen Y is glued to multiple digital screens and is comfortable interacting with their groups, celebrities and networks on social media. With the advent of smart phones and the ubiquitous opportunities for selfies, people have found more avenues to meet and greet celebrities, engage with them, make videos, and share it on their social networks. This is helping celebrities, build their image and enhance their influence quickly, compared to earlier years. Celebrities are now able to redefine social mores and culture, quickly and virally. News today is always ‘Breaking’. Traditional media still plays a crucial role in building or busting the reputations of celebrities but the new digital generation is riding the social media wave and is defining media and celebrity engagement trends in the future.
It is important to note that the role of celebrities in brand endorsements will probably change in future because of social media and its ability to influence consumers directly through the opinion of their friends and peers. Celebrities must realize that they have a very beneficial role to play in society and must seek to emerge as global ambassadors for humanitarian and social causes; helping them to stay relevant as a ‘celebrity brand’ in the generations to come.
References
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