Page 144 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CULTURAL CONTEXT

“In a society committed to progress, the seeking of fame, the climbing
of the ladder of renown, expresses something essential in that society’s
nature. Even the more grotesque forms of ostentation are connected to
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normal desires to be known for one’s talents or for oneself.” Though
celebrities strive for qualities that will set them apart, the ability for these
qualities to be reproduced is essential to fame: “Once a vocabulary is
created, once a group of gestures is made, they can be reproduced and
refined by others”(p. 42). The media’s perpetuation of a celebrity’s im-
age is vital for that person to retain their fame. “Whatever political or
social or psychological factors influence the desire to be famous, they
are enhanced by and feed upon the available means of reproducing the
image,” Braudy writes (p. 43).

In the past that medium was usually literature, theater, or public monu-
ments. With the Renaissance came painting and engraved portraits, and the
modern age has added photography, radio, movies, and television. As each
new medium of fame appears, the human image it conveys is intensified
and the number of individuals celebrated expands. (p. 44)

Braudy’s assertions have never seemed truer than in today’s media,
immersed in infotainment, reality shows, and innumerable Internet sites
devoted to whatever people take the time and money to produce. Britney
Spears is a prime example of the permeation of fame. She started as a
teenage singer with an innocent face but lyrics that made listeners ques-
tion that innocence. The juxtaposition made her rise to fame easy and
quick, and soon she was the subject of photographs, interviews, tabloid
exposés, coffeehouse chats, and the like. Radio, CDs, and music videos,
though they were the original media to increase her fame, were joined
by news outlets, films, Internet fan sites, and countless other sources.
Eventually, her profession as a singer became almost overshadowed
by her celebrity. Whom she was dating, where she was going—trivial
facts like these became more important than the talents that had made
her famous.
“Many seek fame because they believe it confers a reality that
they lack,” Braudy writes. “Unfortunately, when they become famous
themselves, they usually discover that their sense of unreality has only
increased” (p. 45).
Spears’s life became her fame, and perhaps Braudy’s assertion that
reality becomes muddled plays into Britney’s decision to turn her life

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