Richard Dyer's Star Theory
Monday 7th September
Richard Dyer's theory suggests that stars are manufactured to become a high profit act, and act a certain way to generate a large following and make money. This theory has many different elements, which describe Richard Dyer's ideology on stars, their creation, and the way they act to become well-known and stay in the lime-light.
Dyer believes a star is constructed with seven common values:
1. Youthfulness
The youthfulness of One Direction is appealing to fans as they feel more in reach of them as they are a similar age to many of their fans. Furthermore, young children will enjoy their music more, as their target audience is generally younger girls. Their youthfulness may appeal to older women, as they 'enjoy a younger man' as it may boost their feeling of youth and make them feel younger than they are.
2. Rebellion
3. Disregard for Social Values
Miley Cyrus is a good example of both rebellion and disregard for social values.
Miley Cyrus is seen as rebellious, as her image changed drastically from innocent child star, to crazy and "drugged-up" teen. Her rebellious image draws a lot of media attention, and keeps her career in the lime light.
She also shows a disregard for social values, as she often posts unappropriate images online, wears revealing clothing, and, as shown in the picture below, glamourises drug-taking.
By doing these things, Miley Cyrus keeps herself in the media, and keeps people interested in what out-there thing she will do next. This benefits her career, as people are interested in what she's up to.
4. Sexual Magnetism
Nicki Minaj uses sexual magnetism to attract attention to her, from both males and females. Males like the fact that she often uses her body to present her work. Females also like this, as her body is something some women wish they could have. They therefore look up to her and idolise her image. By presenting herself in a sexual way, Nicki Minaj keeps interest on herself and boosts her appeal to a wide audience.
5. Anti-authoritarian Attitude
Justin Bieber shows an anti-authoritarian attitude, by getting into trouble with the police, and generally causing trouble around him. Often in the news, there are reports on his disruptive behavour, and is seen straying away from his original good-boy image. This keeps people interested in him, as it shows he isn't simply someone who sings love songs. People are interested in finding out the affairs within his life, and so as he continues to behave badly, he also continues to build his following of people that want to know about his life.
6. Creativity/Talent
Ed Sheeran has made himself extremely popular, by being a ordinary, down-to-earth person, but with an extraordinary talent. His passion for writing best-selling songs, and performing live with just a guitar makes him a huge success. In the time of auto-tune and lip syncing, Ed Sheeran is a breath of fresh air for many people as he shows of his raw talent, without the need for technology.
7. Consumption of Sex, Drugs and Material Goods
Despite the negative connotations surrouding these elements, they seem a common occurance for celebrities today. We are often shown sexualised images, drug-taking and the expensive goods that celebrities bask in. This tends to popularise a celebrity, as it shows a more "rock and roll" edge to their personality. These elements also seem to keep them in the media spotlight as they're controversially shown to ordinary people.
Also in this theory, a star is said to be constructed from a range of materials such as their songs, media coverage, and music videos.
Richard Dyer's Star Theory describes stars as a 'construction'. A star as a construction suggests they aren't 'real' people, but instead a construction or man-made version of themselves.
"A star is an image not a real person that is constructed out of a range of materials."
This construction is presented to audiences via music videos, posters and the way the star acts in public etc. Generally, a star is presented, and presents themselves in a way which will attract attention to them and gain them a following of fans. By doing this, the star is more likely to be successful as the fans will buy their products and merchandise. Furthermore, the star will usually posses a Unique Selling Point (USP). This makes it easier for fans to copy and act in a similar way to their idol.
Next, Dyer describes the star as a commodity. This is when they have been created simply to make a profit. One Direction for example could be described as a commodity, as they were created to look and act a certain way in order to make money. Record labels tend to identify trends in popularity, to create stars they know will make them money. This is why many acts are described as being too similar, such as One Direction and The Wanted. Programmes like The X Factor are scrutinised for creating manufactured acts that aren't 'real'.
Continuing with these theories, Dyer discusses a star as an ideology. This is when a star represents certain social groups. By doing this, fans will admire and copy them, therefore creating a bigger fanbase and making them more popular within that group. Beyonce for example is highly admired for supporting womens' rights and independence, therefore empowering women and making them support her.
Finally, Richard Dyer displays a "Paradox of the star". This is made up of two elements:
A star must be both ordinary and extraordinary
A star must be both present and absent
In order to be ordinary, the star must act/speak like a normal person in order to make them relatable and similar to their fans. Despite this, the star must possess a certain quality which makes them 'better' than everyone else, such as the ability to sing, dance or act. The presence of a quality like this makes ordinary people idolise the star and want to follow them and buy their products.
In order to be present, the star must be up to date on social media, which fans can use to 'contact' their idol and feel a connection to them, they must also produce merchandise which the fans can purchase in order to feel part of the star's life - fans feel responsible for the star's success and so therefore feel connected to them. Stars are not however in physical reaching distance to their fans, making them 'absent' from their lives. This makes them desirable to fans, as they strive to meet their idol. This means fans will pay for their merchandise and concerts and do as much as they can to see the star. This keeps the star desirable and keeps the fans interested.
