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Celebrity Culture Date: 2018 From: Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection Publisher: Gale, a Cengage Company Document Type: Topic overview Length: 1,795 words Content Level: (Level 5) Lexile Measure: 1480L

Full Text: Celebrity is a popular culture phenomenon surrounding a well-known person. Though many celebrities became famous as a result of their achievements or experiences, a person who obtains celebrity status does not necessarily need to have accomplished anything significant beyond being widely recognized by the public. Some celebrities use their fame to reach the upper levels of social status. Popular celebrities can wield significant influence over their fans and followers. Cultural historian and film critic Neal Gabler has described the phenomenon of celebrity as a process similar to performance art in which the celebrity builds intrigue and allure by presenting a manufactured image to the public. This image is reinforced through advertising endorsements, appearances at high- profile events, tabloid gossip, and social media presence.

In previous decades, celebrity status was mainly reserved for film stars, television personalities, entertainers, politicians, and athletes. Contemporary celebrities come from diverse fields ranging from astrophysics to auto mechanics, or they may simply be famous for their lifestyle or Internet antics. Social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram provide the means for previously unknown individuals to cultivate a significant following. Celebrification is the process by which someone or something previously considered ordinary obtains stardom. Previously commonplace activities, such as practicing vegetarianism or wearing white t-shirts, can undergo celebrification when associated with a famous person or major event.

Celebrity culture exists when stardom becomes a pervasive part of the social order, commodified as a commercial brand. Celebrities’ personal lives are recast as products for consumption, with a dedicated fan base demanding information and unlimited access to the celebrity’s thoughts and activities. A niche community such as a fan base can be monetized through effective marketing that links brand loyalty to the consumer’s identity. Fans may be more likely to purchase a product or attend an event if they feel that doing so strengthens their relationship with a celebrity. Additionally, fans may worry that they will disappoint their idol if they do not own a specific item or support a specific cause. A person may feel that they need to support a celebrity if that support reinforces their membership in a specific group or demographic.

The Rise of Celebrity Culture

Technological developments in mass media have contributed to a rise in celebrity culture. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, newspapers and radio broadcasts brought widespread fame to authors Mark Twain and Louisa May Alcott, baseball legend Babe Ruth, sharpshooter Annie Oakley, and aviation pioneers Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh. From the 1930s through the 1950s, journalist and radio personality Walter Winchell gained nationwide recognition as a sensationalizing gossip columnist.

At its inception, Hollywood and the film industry kept actors anonymous and out of the spotlight in order to suppress wages. Florence Lawrence, known as the first professional movie star, circumvented the industry with the help of executive Carl Laemmle by manipulating the print media into outing her identity and by promoting her upcoming movies with public appearances. By the mid- twentieth century, during Hollywood’s Golden Age, the major studios signed popular actors, such as Rock Hudson and Marilyn Monroe, to exclusive contracts. These arrangements allowed the studios to advertise them as the studio’s unique property, and control the trajectory of the stars’ career.

Starting in the 1950s, television increased the public’s exposure to celebrities. Stars who had previously been seen on screen during the occasional trip to the cinema began to appear daily in television broadcasts. Comedians like Lucille Ball and Robert Young became households by starring in sitcoms while Edward R. Murrow and David Brinkley gained prominence on newly established network news programs. The first televised presidential debate in 1960 boosted John F. Kennedy’s status over his opponent Richard Nixon, leading to what is considered by some as the first celebrity presidency. By the 1970s, many athletes gained as much attention for their public comments as their sports achievements. Such athletes included heavyweight boxing champion Muhammed Ali, basketball center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, football running back O.J. Simpson, and tennis star Billie Jean King.

The 1980s and 1990s gave way to the rise of the global megastar as a cultural export, providing celebrities with the autonomy to design and market their image by hiring agents, publicists, and stylists. Interactions with the paparazzi, tabloid speculations, and attendance at high-profile events increasingly became common ways for celebrities to garner media attention, serving as unspoken requirements for maintaining A-list celebrity status.

Expanding Definitions of Celebrity

The popularity of reality television in the 1990s challenged traditional notions of what constituted a celebrity. Seemingly unscripted video footage portraying dramatic “real life” characters behaving as themselves attracted large audiences and gained loyal followings. MTV’s 1992 debut of The Real World marked the beginning of the modern phenomenon of the ordinary person turned celebrity, reinforced by the primetime airing of shows such as Big Brother and Survivor in 2000.

Widespread adoption of the Internet in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries also changed society’s relationship with fame. Digital technologies, such as smartphones and easy-to-use social media networks, enabled ordinary people to achieve prominence as micro-celebrities or influencers. Early YouTube stars started out by uploading homemade videos to the site that were quirky and relatable to millennials, amassing millions of fans within a decade. A 2014 survey by celebrity brand strategist Jeetendr Sehdev discovered that among teenagers, several YouTube personalities weighed as more influential than the highest-ranked mainstream icons. Younger millennials, those born between 1994 and 2000, compose the most active and largest user group of social media and, according to a 2016 YouGov survey, are more likely than any other age demographic in the United States to desire brief online fame.

Social media has changed the way mainstream celebrities interact with the public, introducing opportunities for celebrities to both improve or damage their relationships with their fans. Many celebrities provide expectant fans access to their daily lives by sharing candid photographs on Facebook and Instagram, and thoughts and opinions on Twitter. Content that appears spontaneous and unplanned may be meticulously crafted by the celebrity or his or her staff to invoke an emotional and immediate connection from fans. Increasing the public’s access to a celebrity can have adverse effects when the celebrity engages in actions that the public finds disappointing or controversial.

Endorsements and Brand Representation

Celebrity alliances with corporations through endorsements of commercial products such as athletic gear, perfume, or watches can serve as effective advertising tactics when aligned with the celebrity’s personal brand. Major retailers have been accused of social bias and exclusion when offering lucrative contracts. In 2016 champion diver and multiple Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis was belatedly offered a Wheaties cereal endorsement to resolve discrimination against him in the 1980s as a gay man diagnosed with HIV. Edwin Moses, a Guinness and world record–breaking track star and African American, was also honored on the special edition Wheaties “Legends boxes” along with female distance swimmer Janet Evans. In the 2010s, corporations have increasingly addressed the diversity of society as well as their customer base. Nike and Cover Girl have showcased celebrity Muslim women wearing hijabs, including figure skater Zahra Lari and YouTube makeup artist Nura Afia, respectively.

When celebrities attract negative attention, companies may view their endorsement contracts as liabilities and choose to end their relationship with the celebrity. Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ryan Lochte lost endorsements with Speedo, Ralph Lauren, and others after vandalizing a gas station bathroom and inventing a lie about a robbery to cover up his actions during the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sometimes serious problems arise when celebrities advertise products promising health or safety benefits without scientific backing for their claims. Actress and healthy lifestyle promoter Gwyneth Paltrow faced backlash forclaiming that expensive stickers sold on her company’s website contained the same balancing material used to line astronaut space suits—a claim dismissed by NASA as a complete fabrication—as well as for promoting other products with dubious health claims.

Celebrities can also draw attention to diplomatic and charitable causes ranging from disaster relief and cures for cancer to social movements such as the Movement for Black Lives. Supporters of celebrity involvement in humanitarian causes claim celebrities raise critical awareness while bringing in significant fundraising dollars. Critics protest that these activities amount to self-promotion; the celebrity overshadows the critical social or political issue, and the celebrity’s inexpert involvement can compromise an appropriate response. Celebrity activism can have a swift and major impact. In 2017, during the intensifying #MeToo hashtag campaign denouncing sexual assault and harassment, the accusations of celebrity survivors went viral. The fallout for prominent stars, politicians, and powerful businessmen, which included termination of contracts, involuntary resignations, civil lawsuits, and public shaming, was immediate and damaging. Consequently, over three hundred women from the film industry, including actresses and directors, created the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund to aid legal challenges faced by victims of sexual assault in the workplace.

Celebrity Politics and Politicians

Among the general populace, politicians are frequently viewed with suspicion as bureaucrats and ideologues, whereas celebrities are considered outsiders and disrupters. As a Hollywood actor who eventually became US president (1981–1989), Ronald Reagan was one of the most prominent celebrity politicians of the modern era. Reagan’s election to California’s governorship in 1967 paved the way for singer-songwriter and California congressman Sonny Bono, professional wrestler and Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, and action star and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to pursue their political ambitions. In the 2016 presidential election, the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, and the Republican nominee and ultimate victor, Donald Trump, had both reached celebrity status prior to their campaigns. Donald Trump, a real estate mogul and reality TV star, leveraged his fame and personality to animate a following through boisterous rallies and combative Twitter activity. Hillary Clinton, a traditional politician, had been in the national

limelight for decades, starting with her marriage to former president Bill Clinton and through previous roles as senator and secretary of state.

The election featured popular entertainers campaigning for their favored candidate. Clinton was successful in this endeavor, gaining in-person support from current A-list stars. However, unlike merchandise sales, celebrity social media posts and appearances at rallies do not translate into an increase in political engagement or actual voters. The candidates’ star power arguably reduced the effectiveness of any celebrity’s endorsement because voters had already formed strong opinions about both politicians. Trump’s supporters and critics have both noted that he has adopted a similar approach to his presidency as he did to his campaign.

Public disputes, antagonistic rhetoric, and a revolving door of famous civilians and international figures have garnered significant attention from the public and the media, both positive and negative. Rather than rebuking celebrity politicians, Americans may see the continuation of an enduring trend. Following media mogul Oprah Winfrey’s rousing speech for women’s empowerment at the 2018 Golden Globes, both social and mainstream media were awash with speculation of a 2020 presidential run.

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2021 Gale, a Cengage Company Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition) "Celebrity Culture." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2018. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/PC3010999095/OVIC?u=txshracd2512&sid=OVIC&xid=eccf1572. Accessed 4 May 2021. Gale Document Number: GALE|PC3010999095