Holmes and Redmond: Understanding celebrity culture

Holmes and Redmond discuss the dominant themes of star and celebrity analysis, with reference to the work of Gamson, Rojek and Turner who argue that 'the desire for fame, stardom or celebrification stems from a need to be wanted in society where being famous appears to offer enormous material, social and psychic rewards.'

The notion of 'me me me' fame, argues Holmes et al, relates to egotisitical or fractured nature of post modern identity - by which the modern self is based on possessive qualities that measure self worth by their own consumption choices (fashion, beauty etc).

'Leif Memphis - a persona of the epitome of the successful, narcissistic star, made to be in love with his own idolized image. The possessive 'I' of the persona wants to be famous and wealthy but also shows unhappiness with his world, reaching out for what he thinks will bring him wholeness.'

Holmes and Redmond introduce the idea of fandom in the analysis of celebrity; claiming that in the modern world where face-to-face communication had decreased, 'fandom involves an illusion of intimacy that aims to compensate for such lonliness.' They argue that the celebrity is not only a desired object but also a link to connect people.

Talk about fame
Building on the ideas of Braudy (1986), Holmes and Redmond suggest that social interaction and media discourse constitute the very concept of celebrity. 'The famous are constructed, circulated and consumed through the busy channels of media production, as well as the social networks with which they intersect.'

Academic work then, is suggested to explore why celebrity culture is the symbol of cultural decline and how it matters. It is argued that academic 'objectivity' when analysing celebrities is often difficult, when there's often a connection between researcher and famous figure to begin with.

Several points are made in relation to discourses of cultural value:

1. It's impossible to discuss modern celeb without addressing judgements made about the person in question.
2. Issues of cultural value structure different opinions on celebrity - some people defend them, others criticise
3. Compiling an academic collection on celebs has connections with the processes of fame which structure celeb mags