From Barnum To Bling Analysis

Improved Essays
In her article “From Barnum to “Bling”,” Amy Henderson describes the transition in the definition of celebrity. Thanks to TV, cable, and 24/7 coverage, celebrities are frequently in the spotlight of American entertainment, news, and life. When the idea of a celebrity began, the earlier celebrities focussed on encompassing all people and encouraging peace and agreements. The contemporary celebrity, on the other hand, focuses more on using their fame to promote politics and does not appeal to a wide range of people. Contemporary culture is dominated by an image which represents something or someone and causes disillusionment between reality and illusion. Yet, how did we reach this culture wide obsession with celebrities? Walt Disney and

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    One of Collin Palmer’s strongest claim is of the innocuous of the obsession over celebrity. In his quote, “We teenagers are passionate - maybe…

    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    David Cox (2015), in his article "Celebrity Culture is Natural and Can Be Beneficial,” observes celebrity culture and the modern day obsession with the seemingly witless entertainment stars. It is quite a regular theme, even perhaps ironically, for movies to criticize the intellectual drain amidst society. There exists a notion that society needs to shift its focus of attention more towards intellectually gifted people than entertainment figures. The critical view taken by most still hasn’t abated obsession for celebrities found abundantly in society.…

    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Bobos Bamiy Analysis

    • 67 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Others perspective can negatively impact an individual's identity if they chose to be affected. Children are impressionable and the opinion of others can affect them into adulthood. Heather Havrilesky’s story, “Bobos” and Lucy Grealy’s, “Masks” examines how different experiences helped shaped how two women turn out in life. Identity is shaped by personal choices and how someone deals with what happens to them on a daily basis.…

    • 67 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Every day actors, musicians and any other public figure voluntarily place themselves in the public eye. As a result, these individuals face torment from fans, media and particularly those who are not fans of their work. This leaves room of criticism as well as unwanted labels. One celebrity in particular who is no surprise to public criticism of her image is sex symbol Kim Kardashian. On March 7, 2016 the reality TV scarlet released yet another a nude selfie she posted via twitter 13 weeks after giving birth to her second child.…

    • 950 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Celebrities Dbq

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Vincent M. DeGrandpré stated that, “...the demand for celebrity images and information is driven in large part by society’s communication needs and by our respective need to forge personal identity.” (Source C). This is from a less negative perspective, but it still shows how celebrities need to accept that their open status prevents them from having a private life. Celebrities have become a connecting force in society for people to connect about similar interests and when a celebrity’s image is posted for the public to see, it violates their privacy. Celebrities must accept that when they affect social change due to their lives, private and open, that there are prices that have to be paid such as a private life.…

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    CBS published this short documentary video in June 2011. The video reflects the situation people currently become more obsessed with celebrity. The study in the video said that young women are the most affected by the celebrity culture and reality television. In the book “Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World,” Lisa Bloom claimed that “majority American women can’t name a single name of US government,” while they can name at least one name of the Kardashian sisters. Moreover, the survey said that becoming famous is the number one or number two women’s goal in life.…

    • 153 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    We all have people we look up to, the people who flourishing under the sun with a beautiful smile, and little blush popping in the side of their cheek, or a fierce soul wrestling the horror of reality. These are the stars in our life can come from the closest neighbor to outer space. These are only glympse example of inheritance. The people we observe through tv stimulate us to inherit their distinctive qualities. Those are qualities that makes them famous, and especially defines who they really are.…

    • 1687 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Viewing all famous people with a critical mind and an increased attention on their personality, the development of new heroes has stunted and former heroes have dissolved. To be known for your personality is to become a celebrity. And a celebrity, “...is always a contemporary... the creature of gossip, of public opinion, of magazines, newspapers... the passage of time...destroys the celebrity”…

    • 1299 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Media has taken a tremendous toll on the American class system and continues to influence the means of consumerism and status association. Diana Kendall’s essay, “Framing Class, Vicarious Living, and Conspicuous Consumption” explores the topic of class status and the effect culture and media have had. The issue pertaining to media’s influence on socioeconomic status lies beneath the negativity that is correlated with classes—particularly, lower class—and the rise of over-consumption that has resulted from an envy of those higher. Kendall thoroughly explains the situation of consumerism and celebrity influence by referring to television shows and materialistic items, in addition to the reality of false projection on those who live in low-income…

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Awareness of his audience and diction choices clearly reflect his capability to write about the subject. Altogether this essay is very effective at making the reader aware of the impact society has on celebrities in…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    How likely is it for one to see a series or a film where the characters have the viewers exact same life? Never, it’s boring. Some of the most popular television shows and films in Hollywood have been about rich people and how they live, such as Keeping up with the Kardashians, Gossip Girl, The Wolf of Wall Street, and The Great Gatsby. Hollywood is one of the biggest forms of media, and the reason for that is because how entertaining it is. The only way Hollywood can be entertaining for the majority is to show them something they wish they had.…

    • 1089 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In this essay, “The Impact Celebrities Have On Our Lives,” the author Deborah King, discusses the topic or main idea, How celebrities have an impact on our lives. To begin with, “King” points out that celebrities are playing a huge role in our lives. The author also indicates that celebrities are Serving as our role models of taste, style and public opinion throughout the world. Their endorsement and creative input enables them to bring attention, credibility and other intangible benefits to us. Furthermore, the biggest structure or foundation of this essay is that even celebrities have leaders or people they look up to but us the people are the celebrities followers.…

    • 195 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Celebrities are supposed to be god-like, somehow more elevated than the ordinary person. They are supposed to be what we aspire to, and what inspires us. Their fame is meant to come from their talent, not some mistake they made in the past.…

    • 259 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The choices made by today’s media, such as “news reports” and television shows flaunting celebrities famous for being celebrities, might show that the world is solely populated by materialists. But, pondering the situation, one must come to see that at least a portion of those watching these “news reports” of fashion and celebrity icons must be romanticists. They pine for a better life for themselves or their family, but do not have the good fortune to be one of the rich or famous. Another completely separate faction are realists when it comes to such “news” programs and the misplaced attention on the rich and famous. This group may take a short moment to assess the situation and then do what is called for: change the channel.…

    • 1432 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The satirical short story known as, “The Devil in the Belfry”, was crafted and pieced together by Edgar Allen Poe in the year 1839. The short was first published in a copy of Philadelphia 's Saturday Chronicle and Mirror of the Times. Although this short story is humorous and enjoyable to read, “Three less successful comedies—“Three Sundays in a Week” (1841), “Why the Little Frenchman Wears His Hand in a Sling” (1840), and “The Devil in the Belfry” (1839)—all focus on some act of one-upmanship,” (Steeples 108). The meaning of, “The Devil in the Belfry,” is widely argued and disputed. Some believe the story to be satire of the former American president, Martin Van Buren, who was also Dutch.…

    • 1371 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays