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Charlotte Fowler
Contextualising Practice

The value of a celebrity is more than the labour of an individual, however talented they might be,
but also bound up with the meanings invested in them by audiences


Whoever controls the media, controls reality
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Everyday we, as an audience are faced with different products of the
media and indulge our ways into the lives of people who are generalized as the hierarchy of the planet; celebrities.
The products and faces of the media provide an ongoing instant source into a reality that we would cease to know
without, yet the faces behind this embellish and warp the truth purely for entertainment purposes. In relation to this we
are known to idolize celebrities and the major role in our lives that they play, we thrive on the thought to live the high
life like they do. Are we nave in believing in those who we obsess over and adore?
The aim of this assertion is to look in to the value of celebrities and the roles of importance that they play in our lives
as an audience. The exploration will be of varied topics about the importance of celebrities as role models, looking into
the psychological health of fandom, schadenfreude, escapism and the value of celebrities after they have deceased.
With this information, there will be a conclusion of an over all opinion from an audiences point of view on the given
question.
There is an ongoing battle about the importance of celebrities and the effect that they currently have on our
present young generation, the constant uproar has been provoked by celebrities and can been seen as harmful if a
child chooses to obsess over celebrities with less than stellar behaviour
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. First of all, the terminology of a celebrity is
defined as an individual who is wealthy, talented and owns a mass amount of charisma and popularity, so ideally a
famous person can be perceived as a shell of a perfect person, or everything we want to be.
It is human nature to want to better yourself socially, it can be narrowed down to simply one thing- Status.
Status is a critically important survival property in social animals, like humans and it can assure us in the pecking
order which determines a great deal in our lives. A major part of this is the desperate cry for popularity; we thrive off
positive attention and affection off someone who is hierarchy
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. We will often also strain ourselves to increase our
status, whether it is physically or mentally, to provide us with the latest technology or clothing range that has been
advertised and promoted by the hottest celebrity of the era.
Knowing that they play this major role, celebrities do influence us in many different ways, as they are role
models to all ages and especially the younger generation. To conclude whether celebrities are good or bad role
models cannot be resolved as a whole, as jumping to one extreme for a whole category of people would be irrational,
so it is purely down to the celebrity as an individual.

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A celebrity wields a huge amount of influence, which reflects on lifestyle a lot more than the given profession,
if a celebrity leads a destructive life style then that states the celebrity is a bad influence on society, even if the
celebrities persona is completely the opposite and promotes morally correct values and way of life.
A revealed personal life of a celebrity that exposes negative values always catches the eye of the public and irises a
concern.
Giving an example of the positive role model of a celebrity for the younger generation, they would be
portrayed as a healthy and be known to not give in to pressures of the size 0 and substance abuse of the Hollywood
life style, as well as being inspirational and motivational. A perfect portrayal of this would be A-list celebrity, and
internet adored Jennifer Lawrence. Given proof of this Lawrence said she wants to be a role model for younger
children by stating I dont want little girls to say, Oh, I want to look like Katniss (Hunger Games) so Im going to skip
dinner
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.
A celebrity that is said to be a negative role model has more of a shown impact on who the idolizer is. It is known that
teenagers would listen to the words and advice of their favourite celebrities, rather than the advice of their parents. A
role model who parades their social life and substance abuse may have an impact on the younger generation that it is
morally correct to do so with out consequences. This may also lead to self-esteem issues if a child may not be able to
fulfil the guidelines of the Hollywood glamour that they desire
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.
In the 1950s the word teenager was created and a small rebellion occurred, Elvis Presley arose and the
trend for Rock n Roll music sparked into the industry. Elvis music, dance moves, clothing and his attitude embodied
the culture of the 1950s. This famous figure was so obscene, teenagers started to rebel against their parents for one
of the first times known, they gained a form of authority and independence. Giving this information just shows what a
big effect one person can have on a whole genre in society, a more modern example would be the Cut for Bieber
scene were millions of fans arose over the internet self harming, to simply stop the teen heart throb Justin Bieber to
stop inflicting personal drug use
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.
In answering the question over whether celebrities can be good or bad role models can be hard to decipher.
The media frenzies celebrities by blowing things out of proportion and glamorizes bad behaviour. Even when a
celebrity attempts to stay out of the press the media always finds a way to publicize the negative aspects, and focuses
too much on the celebrities doing the wrong thing rather than them focusing on the right. The bible mentions that To
whom much is received, is much expected
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. There are many celebrities who are busy adhering to this principle, yet

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Luke (12:48)

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they always escape the press and the attention of the media, when in reality we should be concentrating on these
celebrities and their pristine lifestyle.
It is known that we can often can relate to celebrities easier than we can relate our own friends and family,
they have become the glue of our social fabric and have became a common topic of conversation. Deborah King wrote
that we use celebrities to frequently engage in conversation by stating, We no longer stop in the village square or at
the communal well to connect to each other. Instead, we use celebrities to feel connected. What would we talk about
around the water cooler at work if not about the latest antics of Steve Carrell in The Office?
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. Celebrities have indeed
become a brilliant way to connect and a way to discover common interests, but as well as inducing face-to-face
conversation, communities often form on Social Media networks. Popular social media network Facebook is a known
place to form different communities for people with common interests, as it is only a like and a few clicks of a button
worthy of a task to find these groups, subsequently you are then automatically surrounded with people who enthuse in
the same association field.
In addition to this Fandom is derived. Fandom is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans
characterised by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans spend a
significant proportion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as part of a social network.
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There are other words related to fandom such as obsession, which is a very powerful word. Fans have gone
as far as killing their animals for follow backs on twitter
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and even a Harry Potter fanatic stabbed someone in the eye
over seat at Comic Con
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. There are many harrowing stories of when fan fanatics have just got that one step too far,
is there something physiologically unhealthy regarding fandom? Yet, by definition it is a bit different from hobbies such
as learning to play an instrument, sport or cooking, Fandom is in the duty of somebody elses creativity, rather then a
persons own. Being a fan is hardly productive, or creative and all the time is invested in this one passion, is there
anything to really to gain from Fandom? Phoebe Reily of Vulture.com writes all the time invested in these pop-culture
passions: Who amongst us hasnt wondered what else we could be getting done with the time studying up on arguing
about them (Celebrities)
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Yet, she then states of author E.L James who turned a Twilight fan-fiction into a multi-
million best selling novel, but quickly dismisses the topic. Prior to this Henry Jenkins affirms that Fan Fiction can
benefit of children by improving writing skills, in these terms it makes the activity seem more valuable for parents and

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teachers who may be sceptical of the activity. Jenkins explains, the writing is valuable because of the ways it
expands their experience, and because of the social connection it facilitates with other fans
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.
In Fandom, it is down to escapism, and being wrapped up in something hierarchy even though it can some times get
out of hand, Fandom can be a wonderful thing. It is camaraderie and a social way to connect and bring people
together.
An addition to adjudge to topic is escapism, we fall in love with the role that an actor plays in a movie, or the
number one chart song in the radio, and during the time indulged in this product, it is easy to forget about problems,
and the outside world. Psychodynamic therapy plays a major role in escapism, GoodTherapy.org explains This
innovative and creative form of therapy involves exploration of various instruments, including guitars, drums, pianos,
and others. Music therapy is non-directive and the client does not need to have any musical inclination
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. Music is
seen as an effective container for emotional needs and it has sustained people with conditions such as Autism and
Dementia
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Music and films is something we all can relate to as human beings. Music brings the world together and
promotes, peace, happiness and it lifts up the soul by providing a release from the pressures of every day living.
What is it about celebrities that make them so alluring? It might be pursuant that they lead such extravagant
lives, or have a great deal of wealth in which gives them the ability to buy what ever they want. We each have different
reasons for wanting to glimpse into the lives of our favourite A-list celebrity, we also like to fantasise that our lives
could become as good as theres- and we too could become as desirable and dazzling. Thus far we still secretly want
to see them fall, because behind their antics and the persona of perfect they may show, they are still human. Seeing
the fall of a celebrity unburdens us of the permanent urge of being perfect, which has been given through our celebrity
focusing society. Negative banner headlines, like mentioned before can prevent the minority from doing bad things,
because the consequences of public accusations are apparent.
One of the more unsavoury aspects of human nature is the enjoyment we get from watching others behave
badly. We usually cant control it either. Were hardwired to be self-righteous social climbers
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. The celebrities we
love and care about bare hardly and interest to the general public unless there is a scandal involved, it is visible that
there is an emotion of pleasure-in-others-misfortune (Schadenfreude)
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.
Schadenfreude is from the German words Damage and Joy it means to take a malicious delight on the misfortune of
others, in which we hold a lot of this with celebrity culture. When we encounter someone who is more chosen, beloved
or esteemed than we are, our natural instinct is to want to tear him or her down to our level. If this illicit desire is

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fulfilled by happenstance, Schadenfreude ensues. Clive James wrote a poem about literary schadenfreude, which
takes its name from the first line, and pretty much explains its self.

The Book of my Enemy has been remaindered
The book of my enemy has been remaindered
And I am pleased.
Like a vanload of counterfeit that has been seized
And sits in piles in a police warehouse,
My enemys much-prized effort sits in piles
In the kind of bookshop where remaindering occurs.
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April 2009, Golfer Tiger Woods was exposed as a serial cheater
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he was having complete luck in his career,
and he had a seemingly perfect life- wife, family and a flawless reputation. This provided an intense effect on the
situation, even to the people who had no interest in Golf. Woods would be known to an inspiration to some people who
would have been disappointed by his actions, but his downfall diminished him as a celebrity, bringing him down thus
allowed his enviers to feel better about themselves.
Over all, schadenfreude is a passive emotion among people, who have no role in the targets misfortune, even
thought it is malice intended, it is the lack of participation that gives schadenfreude its gleefulness and makes its
acknowledgement permissible- your secret target has just fallen and you had nothing to do with it.
We are known to sometimes question the value of and whether celebrities deserve their fame, fortune and the
attention that they receive from the public. The press has recently arisen a discussion about if reality television stars,
like Kim Kardashian and do they deserve a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame
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. There has been prolonged
amount of controversy on the topic and it is apparent that reality television stars have had it easy on their ladder to
fame and it has became visible that talent is not a vital key of fame, but a mass amount of wealth, and beauty is
necessary.
A celebrities value can be measured in a verity of ways, this includes but not limits to areas such as talent,
relationships and social influence.
Can a celebrity me more valuable after death? Upon someones death they have a fixed image about themselves,
especially celebrities who can portray an iconic public image, and it is frozen in its last cultivated state. The celebrity is
no longer a matter of scandal and the risk of prolonging public embarrassment.

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Fame. +*:@,#MN E*@ +<,(<.# .
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Death is not the end for a celebrity either; it can present a mass amount of financial gain and publicity once a
celebrity has passed, for example Jensen proclaims Elvis was worth $7 Million when he died, he is now a $100
Million a year industry
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there are multiple cases were notable dead celebrities have earned far more money than they
had earned whilst they were alive.
Dead or alive, once a celebrities moment has passed in fame, the distinction between living and dead
becomes debatable, baring the expectation of Johnny Cash, in whom was rediscovered on his death bed, and he then
became cool with the current generation. In 2012 Jonny Cashs son, John Carter Cash, discovered an album called
amongst the stars which will be out for release in 2014, regaining Cashs fame.
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Aside from the Pop-culture and spoon-fed reality television stars the major celebrities that have the most
interest when theyre dead; are artists. Theiessens Law of Art
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believes that The overwhelming prerequisite for the
Greatness of an artist is that artist death. Once an artist has deceased, it is known that once a rumour of the artists
death will immediately cause said artists work to get the recognition that eluded thought all of the years.
In a brutal way to put it, in my opinion death is the ultimate career move, it distils a performers, or artists
essence to their best work, and turns them into an enduring symbol.
To summarise and conclude the question The of a celebrity is more than the labour of an individual, however
talented they might be, but also bound up with the meanings invested in them by audiences the topics have
thoroughly been explored to a cessation.
The Value of a celebrity is a lot more that just the labour, as the roles that they play are pursuant to much
more than their career. We are faced with celebrities every day, they are in our shops, on our television, in the paper,
and there is simply no escaping the fact that celebrities rule the world. After a hard days work, most of us come home
and put the television for a release. Celebrities provide us with entertainment, which helps us escape our problems
and relax. Although it has come apparent that there are a lot of celebrities that dont as such deserve their fame, there
are a mass amount of talented people in the industry who have worked extremely hard to get were they are; to
entertain us. The amount of talented people who have put their whole lifes effort into perusing a career so we can
simply escape our frantic existence for a couple of hours. Fame and fortune may be glamorous, but celebrities are
sacrificing their personal space and a lifetime of no privacy, which wealth can never buy you back. Certainly, they are
undoubtedly paid an excessive amount of money, but their contribution and the sacrifices that they have to make for
purely the benefit of the public should never go amiss. Celebrities are more important than we really think.



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