Celebrity And Pop Culture In The Society Research Paper

Celebrity and pop culture in the society
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Introduction
Many will admit passing by the magazine stores and glancing at the cover of the People Magazine, or even flipping through the television channels at home and admiring, even for a little bit, the lives of the celebrities. There is glamour associated with the celebrity life in a pop culture that glorifies an individual at the local and international levels. Admiring the way they talk, dress, walk, sing and even aspects such as their private lives. It is now common ground for most of the people to follow the lives of the celebrities and most interestingly, there are entire industries that have made a fortune and careers out following the lives of the celebrities. For most of the people in the society, they look up to the celebrities and aspire to live like them. As such, the celebrities have become an icon of the pop culture, where they influence a great number of the areas of life, from health, body image, business, sports, religion, science, parenting, morality and many others. It is easy to see that the celebrity culture has affected almost all areas of life in the current society. More importantly, is the impact that the culture has on the younger generations who aspire to be like the celebrities. As such, this paper looks deeper at the aspects of the developments that the celebrity culture has had on the society and the elemental backbone of the culture.
Celebrity Culture Development
The celebrity culture has become the staple of thousands of television shows across the globe (How the meaning of Celebrity has developed, n.d.). Showing insights and highpoints of the lives of the people that are considered to have made in the society against all odds to rise to their current status. There is an almost sense of worship in the star culture, where the famous are adored and considered a class above the rest of the society as if to hold deity positions in the lives of the people (How the meaning of Celebrity has developed, n.d.). It is not just the magazines, tv shows or the cyberspace were the celebrity have sparked great interest, they have also influenced the research quotas as most of the researchers delve into the topic for professional or scholarly objectives (How the meaning of Celebrity has developed, n.d.).
Most interestingly is the fact that, this level of interest in the celebrity culture did not start with the current society. This is relative to the fact that, celebrity culture can be traced back to the Roman Empire where exhibitionism was a huge theme of the era. However, it is crucial to note that much of the earlier versions of the celebrity culture did not involve wearing skimpy dresses to a concert or cultural event to get the attention of the people in the society (BBC, 2003). Titles and deeds were some of the more a common approach to the celebrity status and recognition. Ironically there are also some element of similarities to the celebrity culture then and today, such as being immortalized, praises and most importantly being treated exceptionally for their actions (BBC, 2003).
One of the best examples of the ancient development of the culture is in 44BC, when Julius Caesar, a roman emperor appeared in coins. In the same era, there came the Roman comic Quintus Roscius Gallus who had been born in slavery and then rose to the ranks of an equestrian citizen after the emperor rewarded him for his theatrical skills (BBC, 2003). These enjoyed the celebrity status as the gladiators who would fit in the pits for the honor of being the best in the fights. There were schools where the gladiators would train and risk their lives for the glamor that came with being the gladiator. These were people that were held in high esteem and even had the pleasure of women coming to lay with them for the sheer affiliation with someone in their class. Other than the much older accounts, Britain is associated with the development of the celebrity culture especially with the rule of the Queen Elizabeth I, who brought glamour to the entertainment industry (BBC, 2003). Much like today, most of the religious leaders disapproved of the progression into pop culture that came with the Elizabethan era. This is an era that gave rise to talents such as William Shakespeare. The Victorian era also added to the flames with the rise of the pop culture, published through the magazines and the theaters with likes of Dickens rising through the ranks. As such, celebrity has grown over the years into a culture than most of the people are accustomed to. More importantly, it is an aspect that happens to have roots in the culture, from the historical backgrounds. Today, the celebrity culture is one that is integral to the daily activities and has influence that is so subtle it affects the entire global economy (BBC, 2003).
Basis for Celebrity Culture Growth
The American Dream
The American dream is one that is laced with liberties and the opportunities for every other American to rise above their status that they find themselves and become anything that they put their mind to. This has been a positive aspect of the American culture, where the citizens and even people that come to the country have hope for. Persons that have found themselves at the bottom of the social ladder have used the American dream analogy to rise to the best of the abilities in a society that is highly competitive (Botton, 2014). It is this spirit and the element of reward that have been part of the driving force for the celebrity culture. Some of the celebrities in the society today have had some very humble backgrounds. Some having come from slave families, fighting disease, immigrants in search of a better life and even persons that did not have a background in what they have excelled at (Celebrification and Celebritization of Society and Culture, n.d.). This is a quite a motivating element and one that has led to most of the people in the society identifying the celebrities. Before the celebrities achieved their status, they were normal people struggling with life challenges much like the rest of the society. Having made it against the odds in a society that is highly competitive and industries that are considered tough, this is an inspiration to many in the society and beyond (Botton, 2014). Most of the people feel and believe that they too can make in their own right. As such, for most of the people in the society, following the lives of their favorite celebrities is an act of motivation and inspiration for better days to come despite the challenges they. The ce...