Fashion and the 'Cult of Celebrity'

Fame is not a new phenomenon. Characters of renown were admired in Ancient Greek and early Christian cultures. Military, political and romantic heroes were worshipped similarly in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Tales of their achievements formed the basis of the pedestal on which they were raised. However, the 'Graphic Revolution' of the twentieth century heralded profound changes in the nature of stardom. Developments in photographic and cinematic technologies allowed images to be mechanically reproduced for mass dispersal in the media. The celebrity now became 'someone who is well-known for his well-knownness', a name renowned more for charismatic beauty than for heroic achievement. In this 'Cult of Celebrity', superficial images began to replace ideals of virtue in a growing passion for celebrity itself.

It is unsurprising therefore to find the 'Cult of Celebrity' implicated in aspects of fashion in contemporary culture. Since the glamour of Hollywood celebrities in the 1920s and 30s, images of the female body in the media have become increasingly distanced from the bodies of real women. However, these representations of hyper-reality are compelling ideas of perfection. They convey the promise that such beauty is not only attainable for the minority but possible for the majority 'if only we knew how they did it'. Interest in celebrity lifestyles therefore extends to the make-up and clothes they wear, the hair products they use and the perfumes they favour. Consequently, the development of such celebrity styles can be related to the marketing and consumption of star-endorsed beauty products. The 'Cult of Celebrity' encourages the female body to be viewed as a commodity in the construction of beauty, power and desire.

Why do these images of celebrities hold such power over us? As the feminist philosopher Susan Bordo writes, 'we all know that Cher and virtually every other female star over the age of twenty-five is the plastic product of numerous cosmetic surgeries on face and body.' Daniel Boorstin, a social critic writing in 1961, similarly identified false appearances in contemporary culture. He argued that celebrities are counterfeit people whose identities are staged and scripted to create an illusion of reality. And yet, studies show that the sale of diet foods in America rose by 10 per cent per annum between 1960 and 1980 and that 37 million women worldwide attend classes run by Weightwatchers. In other words, we aspire to resemble images of celebrities despite awareness of their unreality.

The sociologist Jean Baudrillard suggests that the 'Cult of Celebrity' is part of a larger trend towards living in the 'ecstasy of communication'. We are bombarded by a succession of surface images in the media that do not connect with reality. As a result, the distinction between what is real and what is imaginary disintegrates.

Fonte: Fashion and the 'Cult of Celebrity', consultado a 25 de Setembro de 2007