Page 230 - Communication Cultural and Media Studies The Key Concepts

STEREOTYPE

Richard Dyer (1998: 1) argues that stars are studied for both
sociological and semiotic reasons.

. Sociologically, stardom can be studied to see howstars fit into the
industry and economics of Hollywood, and how their image for
fans and consumers sustains the business. So, for instance,
sociological analysis may investigate whether the phenomenon is
a result of production (it is driven by the film-makers) or of
consumption (it is what the audience demands) (Dyer, 1998: 9).
Such analysis tends to confirm that the function of stars is
necessarily ideological.
. The semiotic approach to stars differs from the sociological as it
focuses on reception rather than production: on experience and
meaning, not on the maintenance of the system. Here stars are signs
that work intertextually to anchor a preferred reading or meaning
of the narrative.
Dyer’s own work goes beyond both sociological and semiotic
analyses by describing what can be referred to as the cultural function
of stars. Dyer argues that stars are definers of general ideas in society.
Through their representations of, for example, work, sexuality,
ethnicity and gender, they circulate ideas about what makes an
individual (1987: 8). For instance, Marilyn Monroe (as a star not a
person) signifies a particular type of femininity and whiteness, or as
Dyer himself argues, ‘an exemplary figure of the situation of women in
patriarchal capitalism’ (1987: x). To this end stars perform a function
for the audience by representing certain types of behaviour and going
some way to working through the complexities of subjectivity.
The study of stars is similar to the study of celebrity as both
paradigms often work towards uncovering how individuals stand as
signs. Additionally, the study of stars works towards understanding
howthe dynamics of economics, industry and audience can be
understood as contributing to contemporary notions of subjectivity.
See also: Celebrity, Identification, Intertextuality, Sign

Further reading: Dyer (1998); Gledhill (1991)

STEREOTYPE

A stereotype is a fixed impression. The word comes from the printing
process, where rows of type are literally fixed on a plate (called the

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