"Because of new technologies, we get to see now what happens when people have the option of making up their own celebrity,” Mr. Gamson said. “We’ve gone from ‘Oh, my God, they’re so much better than I am,’ to ‘Oh, my God, they’re so good at making themselves up.’” In the past, a hit movie or a number one song catapulted you to super stardom, but these days fame seems to have taken on a whole new role. Talent is no longer a prerequisite for fame -- I'd say Paris Hilton is the perfect example of this fact. Today, in order to gain attention you don't need need to be able to sing, dance or even speak a full, coherent sentence to have a fan base. Take a look at any reality show and you can look at proof that amusement now takes precedence over talent. Tila Tequilla had a top reality show on vh1 and her claim to fame? She had a lot of friends on MySpace. So now don't get me wrong -- I really do think Britney Spears has talent. I am not saying she is as good as Whitney Houston, but no one can deny that the girl is a damn good performer (think back to the VMA's "Slave For You" performance.) But right now, in the past three years, what (talent-related) has Britney done to warrant her any of the fame and celebrity she has received? Like Gamson said, Britney has some how created an alter-ego celebrity that has catapulted her to fame. She has created this new crazy, public persona that people just can't get enough of. She hasn't won any awards, her CD flopped, and her VMA appearance was probably the lowest point of her career, to put it nicely-- and yet even my professors can't stop talking about the pop diva.
I wonder if these celebrities that "create themselves" with out any talent actually know what they are doing? When Britney went "crazy" it made her more famous. Somehow it humanized her. In some way, shape or form she was no longer on a pedestal but a person with a real life, real drama, and a hell of a lot of problems. So the question is -- what's more important having a legitimate talent or having an outrageous lifestyle or personality that keeps people wanting more?
And for those of you who are yearning for the old Britney, back when every guy wanted her and every girl wanted to be her -- here's her 2001 VMA Performance.
1 comment:
Granted Brittaney is a hot mess, she still some how is able to make hit songs. I'm sorry, but Pieces of Me and Radar are pretty catchy... I know I put them on my work out mix and they definitely got their fair share of radio play time. The interesting thing is that her song Pieces of Me is actually about the paparazzi and the public wanting to know everything about her. Recently there was a South Park episode solely dedicated to Brittany Spears. It was commenting on how the media is killing Brittaney and that pop stars are human sacrifices... the South Park episode seemed to be taking Brittaney's side.
Post a Comment