Assignment 1-3: Journal Article Analysis

“Can You Handle My Truth?” Authenticity and the Celebrity Star Image



In the article, the author uses the celebrity image of Brittany Spears to educate her audience about how the public perception of the “true celebrity” can be manipulated by the celebrity and also by the fans that follow her.


The author states that the information technology age has had a dramatic effect on the history of and the making of the celebrity, but after doing research, finds that the opposite occurs. She finds that the celebrity is actually a symbol or figure of a larger idea of public wants and needs. Myers writes that the celebrity image “constructs meaning in the modern western capitalist system”. In her observation, the author states that “Celebrities are highly visible, easily accessed, and not confined to performances”. She further states that “the celebrity image is a potent form of ideological symbol”, (Myers, 2009).


The author points out that cited social critics argue that the culture of celebrity is a “coercive force” that moulds our society into a love affair with the rich and powerful creating a “false sense of reality and questionable values”, (Myers, 2009).


The author conveys a different belief that celebrities help the average person make sense of the world around them by having the ability to “accept or to reject the social values” displayed by the celebrity (Myers, 2009).


The author of the article cleverly uses celebrity Brittney Spears to examine how celebrities generate and identify for themselves that which has “social meaning and significance” using the power of the media as a tool. For example, Brittney chooses only to publish articles in People Magazine, rather than to publish articles in the lesser rated gossip magazines like Star and Globe. Brittany makes this choice because People has a better reputation than tabloid magazines and the information contained about the her will be more regarded as the “truth”.


Richard Dyer is quoted in the article saying “Stardom is an image of the way stars live…it combines the spectacular with the everyday, the special with the ordinary”, (Myers, 2009).Using this knowledge, the icon has constructed an image of her celebrity by making herself available in two personas; the spectacular singer/actor and the ordinary “real life” person. This angle works because the public thrives on the “possibility and impossibility” of knowing the “truth” about the “real life” of Brittney Spears (Myers, 2009).


Because she was able to make use of the idea that the “truth” lies just out of view and just under the surface of her publicized image, she was able to manipulate the public into wanting more of the “truth”. The celebrity positioned herself to give more information about the “real” Brittney. This created the illusion of having a more “intimate relationship” with her fans.


After some negative publicity marking her as “trashy” and “too sexy for her fan base”, Brittany set about changing her public persona. To change her image, Brittany used the reality television show, Brittney and Kevin: Chaotic to re-define her “hypersexual” party girl image to a more grown up, more socially acceptable “good girl” image. The tabloids used this opportunity to tell the real truth, by revealing information that Kevin Federline had dumped his pregnant girlfriend and first child born of the relationship for Brittany. She was branded a home wrecker. Once again Brittany skillfully used this opportunity to tell the “real truth” and dispute the lies that were told about her.


Although the public is presented with conflicting images of Brittany, it is ultimately up to the audience to negotiate the waters of authenticity and to decide what images resonate with them. According to the author, fulfilling the need to peer into the life of a celebrity, fans ultimately begin to understand their own lives.


I enjoyed the author’s perspective on the celebrity world. I had no idea that the celebrity image is built on a two-sided formula which intentionally presents the celebrity in two ways to entice the public to want more information, increasing the strength of the public’s curiosity and need for more information about the celebrity.


The author made good use of research and cited seventeen sources in the bibliography to back up the information in her article.


The author began her article by stating one viewpoint about the increase in internet technology having a huge impact in the making of the celebrity, but disputed it by citing the works of many social experts and the actions of Brittney Spears.
The article was interesting because it gives a different view point about how celebrities market themselves in our capitalistic society. It is not necessarily the media that creates the celebrity, but the celebrities themselves, with the help of their fans.


References
Myers, E., (2009). Can you handle my truth?: authenticity and the celebrity star image. The journal of popular culture, Vol. 42, No. 5, 2009 pp 890-907.