celebrity worship
IS OUR NEW RELIGION FAME, AND CELEBRITIES OUR ‘GODS’?
Are Hollywood news or gossip shows like Entertainment Tonight , Extra , The Insider , and Access Hollywood among the TV programs you regularly watch? Have you ever felt almost giddy with anticipation while standing in line for tickets to the newest movie featuring your favorite actor or actress? Do you enjoy the parade of A-Listers walking down the red carpet prior to the Oscar, Emmy, and Tony award ceremonies? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you share with most Americans an appreciation for (if not a fascination with) celebrities. We love our stars! Who can blame us? They’re talented, successful, famous, often beautiful/handsome, and on occasion, even inspirational. And the lives they lead are exciting, to say the least. When we focus on such individuals, it ‘makes a great getaway from the normal world known as everyday life.’ ( Abanes 10 ).
Celebrities have something about them that is so intriguing, natural and original. We will be drawn to them no matter what and we as a society are becoming overly preoccupied with celebrities. The media’s portrayal of celebrity life as that of glamour and success results in an infectious desire to achieve a position in the exclusive group of elites. We buy gym memberships and hire personal trainers in hopes of acquiring the celebrated abs of Brad Pitt, or the slim ‘figure eight’ of Beyonce. We strive to find affordable replicas of the ridiculously priced designer clothing celebrities flaunt, and drool over the mansions they call home when they’re not on exotic vacations or at movie premieres.
Celebrity-icons are objects of worship. Social observers and the lay public alike speak of the ‘real hunger’ they experience for
Are Hollywood news or gossip shows like Entertainment Tonight , Extra , The Insider , and Access Hollywood among the TV programs you regularly watch? Have you ever felt almost giddy with anticipation while standing in line for tickets to the newest movie featuring your favorite actor or actress? Do you enjoy the parade of A-Listers walking down the red carpet prior to the Oscar, Emmy, and Tony award ceremonies? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you share with most Americans an appreciation for (if not a fascination with) celebrities. We love our stars! Who can blame us? They’re talented, successful, famous, often beautiful/handsome, and on occasion, even inspirational. And the lives they lead are exciting, to say the least. When we focus on such individuals, it ‘makes a great getaway from the normal world known as everyday life.’ ( Abanes 10 ).
Celebrities have something about them that is so intriguing, natural and original. We will be drawn to them no matter what and we as a society are becoming overly preoccupied with celebrities. The media’s portrayal of celebrity life as that of glamour and success results in an infectious desire to achieve a position in the exclusive group of elites. We buy gym memberships and hire personal trainers in hopes of acquiring the celebrated abs of Brad Pitt, or the slim ‘figure eight’ of Beyonce. We strive to find affordable replicas of the ridiculously priced designer clothing celebrities flaunt, and drool over the mansions they call home when they’re not on exotic vacations or at movie premieres.
Celebrity-icons are objects of worship. Social observers and the lay public alike speak of the ‘real hunger’ they experience for
Cited: Alexander, Jeffrey C. "The Celebrity-Icon." Cultural Sociology 4.3 (2010): 323-336. SocINDEX with Full Text Downing, Alexandrea. "Calista Flockheart And Britney Spears: Celebrity Culture And Its Role In Shaping Adolescent Identity." Conference Papers -- American Sociological Association (2004): 1-12 Hollander, Paul. "Michael Jackson,tghe The Celebrity Cult, And Popular Culture." Society 47.2 (2010): 147-152.SocINDEX with Full Text North, Adrian C., and Lorraine P. Sheridan. "Death, Attractiveness, Moral Conduct, And Attitudes To Public Figures." Omega: Journal Of Death & Dying 60.4 (2009): 351-363 29 Oct. 2013. Parkins, Wendy Of Media & Cultural Studies 15.2 (n.d.): 145-157. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.