Celebrity Culture

Celebrity Culture

Arguably, celebrity culture can be dated back to much earlier than the obvious contemporary limelight. In Ancient Egyptian times, Pharaohs would try to seize their legacy by having massive monuments and structures built in their honour. Civilians would believe they were gods. Rameses II reigned for just over 66 years and lived ‘til his 90s; it shocked the Egyptians when he eventually died – it was believed he was indestructible.

In a way, celebrity culture hasn’t changed – in fact, it seems far more like a cult in the 21^st century than it ever did in past. This is probably because of social medias such as Facebook and Twitter. It’s a minute link between said celebrity and the whole fan base that makes the fans feel appreciated and respected.

A good example of a cult like fan base is that of Justin Bieber. Firstly, his fans have a collective term for their love of him – they are called Bielebers. Having a group name unifies the fans to almost an army like status. They verbally assault anyone who tries to say anything negative about him and refuse to see his actual persona. In reality, Bieber is seemingly egotistical – he even decided to spit on fans. But how twisted are the fans? They liked it. There are actual videos on the internet of young girls saying they enjoyed someone spitting on them. If that isn’t a cult, I don’t know what is.

Celebrity culture is fueled by different mediums. Predominantly, gossip magazines such as Heat magazine and chat shows. This is because the stars appear like themselves. That can either be very appealing or a complete turn off. In some cases, these mediums can make and/or break careers. They have instigated a whole range of controversy as many people believe that celebrity culture is pro-anorexia. Kate Moss once said “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” This messages is very poisonous as it can spark something in some young minds and cause them to stop being healthy.

However, there are more reserved and eloquent people within celebrity culture including posthumously famous people. They can leave a long legacy, much longer than their actual life.  

Anne Frank was a milestone in celebrity culture and posthumous fame because she documented her life until being sent to a concentration camp. She wasn’t famous for “wearing it best” or being a party animal. She was simply famous for being an intelligent young girl who unfortunately died days from liberation – a tragic story.

James Dean is another posthumous figure in celebrity culture. He had the main part in only three movies and was Oscar nominated for two of them. These films were East of Eden; Rebel Without A Cause and Giant. He was described as cultural icon of teenage disillusionment. He also had a huge gay following because of his character’s care for the secondary character in Rebel Without A Cause.

In conclusion, celebrity culture is both negative and positive and caused by peoples fascination with how the other half lives.