Issue 64: Remembering SOPHIE

Page 15

Celebrity

Designer: Vanessa Peng (Business Administration and Design)

Concept of

The concept of celebrity, to some, may appear to be a structural institution. It is one that rewards and deifies those who have already held more access to wealth and power than most are able to even imagine. Yet, the boundaries of celebrity are not definite. Even the word itself calls to mind vague ideations of the A-listers and megastars that dominate the media we consume. But what does it really even mean to be a celebrity in an age of apathy, and how does the general malaise of our time affect how we perceive those who seek to entertain us? The quintessential pop star has always seemed to be someone both bigger and bolder than life itself with a uniquely-gifted voice, or supreme choreography, or transformations that revolutionized the fashion and pop culture of their times. Putting it quite plainly, celebrity was held to the standard of the Michael Jacksons, Madonnas, and Beyoncés of the industry, and with this nearly divine right to rule came a very one-sided consumerist worship of these industry titans. Celebrities weren’t expected to convey any less than perfection to the public, and the few glimpses into their private lives that slipped into the mainstream were caught between glances through closing windows. Whether it was the paparazzi swarming Britney

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