Learning objective:
Explore the representation of celebrity in Media. I will research texts dealing with the issue of celebrity and describe the different ways that famous people have been represented in the media.
Key terms:
Hegemonic - is the political, economic, or military predominance or control of one state over others.
Celebrity representation in the media.
A celebrity is a person that is well known in the public eye.
Because of their status and fame, celebrities are the people that are most often represented in the media. The representation of celebrities suggests that we should aspire to be like them and live the same 'elaborate lifestyle' that they do.
This representation is demonstrated in media texts such as magazines, television and advertising.
How celebrities are represented in magazines.
Celebrities have fame, similar to that of royalty which is why they gain so much attention in the media, especially in mainstream media such as tabloid magazines.
The attention they get is controversial as much of the interest in celebrities surrounds their private life. In some cases the public are informed of much personal detail.
Celebrities become so widely known that editors will include an image on the cover of a magazine to appeal to readers who would be more inclined to purchase a magazine with 'shocking photos' or 'exclusive stories' of the famous person.
The image on the left shows Angelina Jolie as the central image on this cover. She wears what appears to be an expensive dress and what look like expensive earrings in order to convey her lifestyle. The main cover line reads "100 Most Beautiful" which indicates to the audience that they aren't as beautiful as these celebrities because we live in a society that values physical beauty above individuality and uniqueness.
The readers might aspire to be like the woman shown but generally this is unachievable.
Fans of Angelina are likely to purchase this magazine because of the attraction of possibly gaining some insight into her lifestyle. The community will believe that if they know more about the lifestyle of an A-list celebrity, such as Angelina Jolie, that they can relate to them and obtain knowledge of how celebrities behave.
This cover of 'Vogue' shows Emma Watson in what appears to be a fancy dress and unique jewellery with the the main sub-heading reading "must-have Fall looks". Emma Watson is well known for her role in 'Harry Potter' and because she is so recognizable, people are more likely to pay for this kind of magazine with a celebrity on the cover than if they were to have an anonymous model on the cover. Because this image shows her as a fashionable celebrity, the public is more inclined to believe that she has a lifestyle of following fashion trends.
This particular image portrays Emma as a sexy film star as it places emphasis on her 'life after Harry Potter' as an adult which greatly contrasts with how we've seen her in the past as your typical 'girl next door'. Because she has been living as 'Hermione Granger' for so long perhaps this is an expression of wanting to change to be a different person and have a different lifestyle. The mode of address is invitational (Marjorie Ferguson).
The 'Must-Have Fall Looks' sub heading conveys to the audience that this is how they should look, like fashionable, sexy celebrities in order to conform to expectations of being physically beautiful. The magazine offers a quick fix problem solution with 'the only bag you'll need this season.'
Key terms:
Hegemonic - is the political, economic, or military predominance or control of one state over others.
Celebrity representation in the media.
A celebrity is a person that is well known in the public eye.
Because of their status and fame, celebrities are the people that are most often represented in the media. The representation of celebrities suggests that we should aspire to be like them and live the same 'elaborate lifestyle' that they do.
This representation is demonstrated in media texts such as magazines, television and advertising.
How celebrities are represented in magazines.
The attention they get is controversial as much of the interest in celebrities surrounds their private life. In some cases the public are informed of much personal detail.
Celebrities become so widely known that editors will include an image on the cover of a magazine to appeal to readers who would be more inclined to purchase a magazine with 'shocking photos' or 'exclusive stories' of the famous person.
The image on the left shows Angelina Jolie as the central image on this cover. She wears what appears to be an expensive dress and what look like expensive earrings in order to convey her lifestyle. The main cover line reads "100 Most Beautiful" which indicates to the audience that they aren't as beautiful as these celebrities because we live in a society that values physical beauty above individuality and uniqueness.
The readers might aspire to be like the woman shown but generally this is unachievable.
Fans of Angelina are likely to purchase this magazine because of the attraction of possibly gaining some insight into her lifestyle. The community will believe that if they know more about the lifestyle of an A-list celebrity, such as Angelina Jolie, that they can relate to them and obtain knowledge of how celebrities behave.
This cover of 'Vogue' shows Emma Watson in what appears to be a fancy dress and unique jewellery with the the main sub-heading reading "must-have Fall looks". Emma Watson is well known for her role in 'Harry Potter' and because she is so recognizable, people are more likely to pay for this kind of magazine with a celebrity on the cover than if they were to have an anonymous model on the cover. Because this image shows her as a fashionable celebrity, the public is more inclined to believe that she has a lifestyle of following fashion trends.
This particular image portrays Emma as a sexy film star as it places emphasis on her 'life after Harry Potter' as an adult which greatly contrasts with how we've seen her in the past as your typical 'girl next door'. Because she has been living as 'Hermione Granger' for so long perhaps this is an expression of wanting to change to be a different person and have a different lifestyle. The mode of address is invitational (Marjorie Ferguson).
The 'Must-Have Fall Looks' sub heading conveys to the audience that this is how they should look, like fashionable, sexy celebrities in order to conform to expectations of being physically beautiful. The magazine offers a quick fix problem solution with 'the only bag you'll need this season.'
Celebrity from Media Studies
The representation of ‘celebrity’
Looking at a large number of texts dealing with the same subject – celebrity – enables us to detect common themes and narratives (stories), to the extent that, with enough repetition we become able to talk about the representation of that subject.
Working through a large number of texts about celebrities, we become aware of common themes.
The stress is overwhelmingly on relationships, consumption and leisure, and work is quite minor. This is a form of social intimacy that the audience builds with the celebrity.
We learn about the kinds of things we would otherwise know only about people who really were our friends. Celebrity is depicted most consistently as a matter of enhanced opportunities for sex, romance and conspicuous display.
This indicates little change from the 1920s and 1930s, the time generally seen as that in which celebrity, then called stardom, was most thoroughly developed. Drawing on popular US film magazines, Richard deCordova (1990, p. 108) argues that stars were important vehicles for promoting the new consumer ideals at this time:
‘In conspicuously displaying … success through material possessions, the star vividly demonstrated the idea that satisfaction was not to be found in work but in one's activities away from work – in consumption and leisure.’
As far as sex, romance and relationships are concerned, he traces a change from the 1910s to the 1920s in a shift from the earlier emphasis on marriages and happy families to a greater focus on scandals, especially sexual ones.
Celebrities were and are used in media texts to promote a set of social values that see consumption, relationships and leisure as more meaningful and satisfying than work or education.
Task 1:
Find two magazine covers that back up this quote from deCordova.
Consider how lifestyle magazines promote values (ideology) and state these values.
Working through a large number of texts about celebrities, we become aware of common themes.
The stress is overwhelmingly on relationships, consumption and leisure, and work is quite minor. This is a form of social intimacy that the audience builds with the celebrity.
We learn about the kinds of things we would otherwise know only about people who really were our friends. Celebrity is depicted most consistently as a matter of enhanced opportunities for sex, romance and conspicuous display.
This indicates little change from the 1920s and 1930s, the time generally seen as that in which celebrity, then called stardom, was most thoroughly developed. Drawing on popular US film magazines, Richard deCordova (1990, p. 108) argues that stars were important vehicles for promoting the new consumer ideals at this time:
‘In conspicuously displaying … success through material possessions, the star vividly demonstrated the idea that satisfaction was not to be found in work but in one's activities away from work – in consumption and leisure.’
As far as sex, romance and relationships are concerned, he traces a change from the 1910s to the 1920s in a shift from the earlier emphasis on marriages and happy families to a greater focus on scandals, especially sexual ones.
Celebrities were and are used in media texts to promote a set of social values that see consumption, relationships and leisure as more meaningful and satisfying than work or education.
Task 1:
Find two magazine covers that back up this quote from deCordova.
Consider how lifestyle magazines promote values (ideology) and state these values.
Now that we know so much about the construction of individual celebrities, it is hard to sustain a belief that celebrities are prominent because their talent just ‘naturally’ made them outstanding.
The exception here is with sports stars, where the sports industry is structured to ensure that there are bases for saying that a particular performer is ‘best’ and for ranking the others accordingly.
Sport provides more exceptions – the frequent coverage of training (at least for those few sports that are regarded as major ones) as well as the frequency of competitions, means that we do hear about the (non-celebrity) work involved and its significance. The stress on relationships and consumption remains though.
The exception here is with sports stars, where the sports industry is structured to ensure that there are bases for saying that a particular performer is ‘best’ and for ranking the others accordingly.
Sport provides more exceptions – the frequent coverage of training (at least for those few sports that are regarded as major ones) as well as the frequency of competitions, means that we do hear about the (non-celebrity) work involved and its significance. The stress on relationships and consumption remains though.
The majority of celebrity coverage is the result of highly managed media occasions – red carpet appearances such as Kidman's at Cannes, interviews and photo-shoots such as those in Hello! magazine, and the staged appearance on selected chat-shows. These are known as pseudo events, there to keep celebrities in the public eye.
Very famous celebrities may wield considerable control over their publicity, even demanding final approval of both stories and photographs under pain of blacklisting the non-compliant outlet. However, there is a body of texts that is not authorised by the celebrity and her or his management. These include gossip items, unflattering photographs from public events and photographs taken by paparazzi.
Alan Sekula (1984, p. 29) has commented on ‘the higher truth of the stolen image’, noting how the unauthorised photograph ‘is thought to manifest more of the “inner being” of the subject’. To maintain this aspect, editors may retain elements of unauthorised photographs such as bad framing, or may choose shots that are not well focused, to emphasise their ‘stolen’ nature.
They can be regarded as debunking the ‘mystique’ of the celebrity, and though there are few signs that such coverage acts to disqualify a person from celebrity status, it may impact on their image somewhat. Police reports and pictures about the illegal activities of Hugh Grant or Robert Downey Jr have not been detrimental to their popularity or earning power, indeed they may even have benefited Grant.
Task 2:
Research the 'private life' of Hugh Grant. Source images from mainstream media and state how they have been mediated. Consider; selection, omission, anchorage.
Very famous celebrities may wield considerable control over their publicity, even demanding final approval of both stories and photographs under pain of blacklisting the non-compliant outlet. However, there is a body of texts that is not authorised by the celebrity and her or his management. These include gossip items, unflattering photographs from public events and photographs taken by paparazzi.
Alan Sekula (1984, p. 29) has commented on ‘the higher truth of the stolen image’, noting how the unauthorised photograph ‘is thought to manifest more of the “inner being” of the subject’. To maintain this aspect, editors may retain elements of unauthorised photographs such as bad framing, or may choose shots that are not well focused, to emphasise their ‘stolen’ nature.
They can be regarded as debunking the ‘mystique’ of the celebrity, and though there are few signs that such coverage acts to disqualify a person from celebrity status, it may impact on their image somewhat. Police reports and pictures about the illegal activities of Hugh Grant or Robert Downey Jr have not been detrimental to their popularity or earning power, indeed they may even have benefited Grant.
Task 2:
Research the 'private life' of Hugh Grant. Source images from mainstream media and state how they have been mediated. Consider; selection, omission, anchorage.
Task 3:
Look at the photograph of Goldie Hawn and its accompanying caption below.
This is from a regular section in the gossip magazine Heat entitled ‘Scandal’, where unflattering photographs, not all of them paparazzi ones, are printed with negative comments.
The magazine obviously thinks Hawn has done something wrong. What set of social values do you think Hawn is said to have transgressed? Which values or ideology has she challenged?
This is from a regular section in the gossip magazine Heat entitled ‘Scandal’, where unflattering photographs, not all of them paparazzi ones, are printed with negative comments.
The magazine obviously thinks Hawn has done something wrong. What set of social values do you think Hawn is said to have transgressed? Which values or ideology has she challenged?
