Page 155 - Critical Theories of Mass Media

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140 Now
The components of celebrity

Rojek (2001) employs five main categories of celebrity to trace the
evolution of celebrity:
1 Ascribed
2 Achieved
3 Attributed
4 Celetoid
5 Celeactor.

Ascribed celebrity

This is the most traditional form. It relates to family lines and
dynasties whether they are based upon historical royal families or
newer forms such as US political dynasties – the Kennedys, the
Bushes, and so on.

Achieved celebrity

This form is based upon some sort of rare talent or skill and applies
to fame that has been achieved in the face of competition with
others in such realms as sports, the arts, business, and so on.

Attributed celebrity

Attributed celebrity is closely related to Boorstin’s pseudo-event.Itis
the purest and most tautological form of celebrity as it consists of
being famous for being famous. It results from the disproportionate
representation of an individual based upon the efforts and machina-
tions of various media impresarios and intermediaries more than any
particular talent. Due to its image-based largely content-free nature,
the particular significance of attributed celebrity is the manner in
which it seamlessly aligns itself with the similarly pure sign-value
nature of modern commodities.

The celetoid

I propose celetoid as the term for any form of compressed,
concentrated, attributed celebrity. I distinguish celetoids from
celebrity because, generally, the latter enjoy a more durable
career with the public … Evanescence is the irrevocable condi-
tion of celetoid status.
(Rojek 2001: 20, 22)

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