Celebrity Culture

<p>Haven’t we all seen a Black Panther movie and listened to at least a few Harry Styles tunes? Who hasn’t seen a Taylor Swift video? Or can’t name an incident or two involving the Kardashians? Popular fascination with the rich and famous is an inescapable part of contemporary consumer culture. <i>Celebrity Culture </i>is a comprehensive yet accessible survey of the pervasive phenomenon. This new edition of the textbook is fully revised and updated, incorporating up-to-date examples, case studies and additional features, including a timeline and retrospections at the end of chapters.</p><p>Whilst recognizing that celebrities have existed for centuries, Cashmore argues that celebrity culture in the 21st century is a novel and unique phenomenon driven by rampant consumerism, advertising and the media. He describes the evolution of a new kind of fame, the growth of consumerism, the rise of the paparazzi, the fluctuating value of sex scandals, the transmutation of blackness, the metamorphosis of the British royal family, the emergence of influencers, the appeal of celebrity couples, the increased visibility of queer culture, the transformation of politics, the reconstruction of talent and the attempts of theories to grasp celebrity culture’s magnetism.</p><p><i>Celebrity Culture </i>will appeal to a wide undergraduate audience throughout the social sciences and humanities. </p> <p><strong>1 Introduction: Celebrity Culture Timeline, 18th Century–Today</strong>; 2 Fame; 3 History. Retrospection: Jack the Ripper, 1888; <b>4 Imagination. Retrospection: the afterlife of Marilyn Monroe, 1962–present; 5 Consumers. </b>Retrospection: Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears enter rehab, January/February 2007; <b>6 Paparazzi. </b>Retrospection: Madonna’s "Like a Pr ayer," 1989; <b>7 Sex. Retrospection: </b>ye cancelled, October 2022; <strong>8 Blackness. </strong>Retrospection: Lizzo critiques body positivity, October 2020; <b>9 Royalty. </b>Retrospection: Disney severs ties with Pewdiepie, February 2017; <b>10 Influence. </b>Retrospection: Wagatha Christie, 2019–22; <b>11 Couples. </b>Retrospection: Harry Styles at the Met Gala, May 2019; <b>12 Queer. </b>Retrospection: JFK, Sinatra and the Mafia, 1960; <b>13 Politics. </b>Retrospection: R. Kelly Cleared of child pornography charges, June 2008; <b>14 Talent.</b> Retrospection: China’s Cultural Revolution 2.0 , 2021; <b>15 Theories. </b>Retrospection: Taylor Swift breaks Ticketmaster, November 2022; <b>16 Conclusion</b></p>