Richard Dyers star theory is the idea that icons and
celebrities are manufactured by institutions for financial gain. He says
“A star is an image, not a real person, which is constructed out of a range of
materials (media)”. He believes that stars are constructed to
represent 'real people' experiencing real emotions and these stars are
manufactured by the music industry to serve a purpose. For example, to make
money out of audience. This audience will to various elements of a star’s
personality by buying records, becoming fans and overall spending money on the
star(s).
His theory is spilt
into five sections:
1. The making of a star
2. Audiences and Institutions
3. Character and personality
4. Construction of a star
5. Hegemony (cultural beliefs)
Making of a star:
Pop star Rihanna is known for her identity which is bounded
by her singing career. In her past (before getting recognised in the music
world), she had no large identity. Record label Def. Jam Roc Nation transformed
found Rihanna and transformed her into a pop star after her album ‘Good Girl
Gone Bad’. Rihanna was also girlfriend to celebrity singer/rapper Chris Brown
meaning that she became present in most magazines which then allowed her to
attend many premiers and famous/celebrity parties. Richard Dyer states that all ‘true’ pop stars
have lasting significances if they make sufficient sociological/cultural
impacts if not they will
be forgotten about. Rihanna has a charity that has
made an impact (as well as being a pop star). The Believe foundation (founded
by Rihanna in 2006) recruits and registers bone marrow donors; with the help of
Rihanna the foundation get more awareness. Because of this foundation it leaves a lasting
effect on people other than just Rihanna’s fans therefore making her a ‘true’
pop star.
Audiences and
Institutions:
Stars are fundamentally created to make money. The music
institution then models the stars images around the target audience. Rihanna’s
character and personality is modelled on what trends are currently being set.
Character and
Personality:
Dyers theory suggests that stars are created to make money
only. Although the star starts of as a ‘real’ human being in the music industry
they are transformed so that they can provide an image of the current time and
culture. Audiences can see this through an example of Rihanna from being curvy
to skinning as trends have changed. An audience tend to see stars as not entirely
fictional, as they provide audiences with an idea of how they should look and
behave in current times.
Construction of a
star:
Dyer says “A star is solely built for an audience”. Rihanna
was constructed by her record label Def. Jam Roc Nation with specific hair
styles, fashions and other ‘trends’ that differ from other
people/stars.
Hegemony (Cultural
beliefs):
Hegemony in the star theory terms is what we as an audience
can relate to or experiences that we may be able to share with the star. This develops
into idolisation. Rihanna has a massive audience following in all media, for
example, magazines and social networking sites therefore the audience can find
out what she is doing every day.
Some try to copy what they like about the specific star they
have chosen to ‘idolise’, but this can also have a negative effect as some
people (for example) see Rihanna as a ‘bad girl’ as this is a reference to her
album title and lyrics in her songs. She is also spotted smoking, taking drugs
and abusing alcohol in her music videos and photographed doing these types of
things in her everyday life. As a role model the people ‘idolising’ her may
copy these negative actions.
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