Fame and Celebrity - Article Example

Behind the glamour of celebrity hood Introduction Fame has always been a coveted material from times immemorial (Brady, 1997), and there are innumerable instances of both men and women who have ran behind this ignis fatuus; however it has always been the fortunate few who ultimately reach the pinnacle of success. In recent times we have noticed that there is a fascination, almost to the point of god-like adulation, which the modern day celebrities receive. Such sycophancy makes it extremely difficult for the ‘stars’ to keep their feet firmly planted on the ground, and most tend to go flying high up in the air, disconnecting ties that had helped them to achieve success. Here in this article, I will use the example of Sylvester Stallone, and seek the answer to the question as to: whether the sudden overnight catapulting of a non-entity, into the world of fame and celebrity hood, really change the personality of that person? As I explore this topic and the life story of my chosen star, my article will focus on the question to find as to what creates these so called ‘celebrities’; and once famous, what transformations does a new star undergo. It will also find out whether such changes are circumstantial, where he is forced to change himself to suit his newfangled status; or is it true that sycophancy does indeed go into his head, where he cannot handle the responsibilities that come with such an elevated status in life. Discussion Who is this star/celebrity? Celebrity is a term broadly used to denote a person or a group of people who have been of some value to our society in some way or the other. A person may be turned into a celebrity by mere co-incidence, or the process may be fundamental. As for example, if a person is killed in such a manner that makes him well known, then he achieves celebrity status in his death by mere co-incidence. Some celebrities are natural, like the royal family members who achieve celebrity status by the virtue of their birth; while some celebrities are created artificially (like Sylvester Stallone). Celebrities can be saintly or they maybe sinners (notorious would be more apt; but nevertheless a celebrity), while in majority of the cases there is an overlapping of both the good and evil persona, creating grey shades within the character (Pessoa, 1988, p. 45). To define celebrity one can summarily say, “Celebrity is a person who is well known for his well knownness...He is neither good nor bad, great nor petty. He is the human pseudo event...fabricated on purpose...morally neutral” (Boorstin, 1983, p. 268). In the 21st century, it is this ‘pseudo human’ celebrity who has been turned into a ‘hero’, by the overzealous media, supported by the various ‘cultural intermediaries’ and is thus only “a cultural fabrication” (Rojek, 2001, 10). In the creation of a celebrity ‘Cultural intermediaries’ play an important role. These intermediaries are organisations that “Concoct the public presentation of celebrity personalities” (Rojek, 2001, p. 11). Thus cultural intermediaries, also known as public relations (PR), are basically promotional vehicles, hired by those who wish to achieve celebrity status. Three major players chiefly take part in creating a celebrity, these are: the promotional agencies that create stories about the stars, the media that circulate them, and the common man who reads the circulated news. Besides these, constant self promotion and the correct associations by the wannabe stars, also act as the magic key to the door that leads to fame and glory. “With the refinements of hype, the ultimate 20th century invention, it is now possible to purchase fame through media manipulation, to acquire it by dogged self promotion or simply by association”(Marowitz, 1989, p. E1). In the earlier days fame came to only those with real talent, and those who worked hard. In today’s context, however “There are celebrities for every category: celebrity chefs, celebrity gardeners, celebrity bowlers, celebrity mechanics, celebrity politicians, and celebrity dog trainers, to name a few” (Brooker, 2010, p. 9). Everybody is out to bask in their 15 minutes of glory; such is the craze to achieve fame and celebrity status in the modern world. Once an individual achieves stardom, there is a complete change in his lifestyle. Since he is no longer a common man, it becomes imperative that stops living like one. Braudy had once commented, “fame is a quiet place where one is free to be what one really is, one’s true unchanging essence” (Braudy, 1997, p.6). However this sentiment echoed by Braudy is not always correct, and more often than not we find that once fame is achieved, the circumstances maybe so altered that the ‘star’ can hardly remember his true essence. The famous Hollywood ‘hero’ of the 1970-80s, Sylvester Stallone, perfectly fits this bill, and his changing personality with his rise in stardom shows us the downside of celebrity hood. In the context of this notion that celebrity hood changes the personality of the so called ‘star’, we must first examine from close quarters as to what constitutes this star or celebrity hood. In the ancient world celebrity hood was more about possessing God like characteristics, however, in the modern context we can say that celebrity hood has actually come into vogue only after the Gods fell, and the contemporary fame-hungry, public society took over (Rojek, 2001, 9). Anybody, in the twenty first century, who accomplishes even a little bit, is instantly changed by media hype and blazing fanfare into a star overnight; and it is this sudden transformation that many cannot handle with equanimity. In the case of Sylvester Stallone this is exactly what had happened. Before he became a superstar he had faced some years of hardship, and it was during these bleak years that his first wife Sasah Czack, stood by him, rock solid, even though she laboured three shifts in a single day, working from morning 8 till 1 in the night, so that they could eat. As Stallone faced one failure after the other, Sasah alone stood by her man and expressed her implicit belief in his capabilities. However, with ‘Rocky’ this equation completely changed. The movie ‘Rocky’ was a colossal hit, and is rated, till today, as one of the biggest hit movies ever made (it grossed around $250 million in US itself). Thus, America suddenly discovered its folk tale hero in this 29 year old son of an Italian immigrant, and Stallone became a millionaire almost overnight (Albert, 1989, p. 237). So as a ‘super star’ Stallone had finally arrived, and it is from here that his personality also took on a different colour. As Stallone tasted financial success, his persona also changed overnight, “sudden success and wealth changed Stallone into a heel” (ibid). Once a person becomes a superstar there is a difference in his personal life and public life. The two worlds of ‘I’ (the ‘veridical’ self) and the ‘Me’ (the public self) comes into constant conflict, and often the star get confused as to what is the real essence of the true self. Famous Hollywood stars like Cary Grant and Peter Sellers have acknowledged the existence of this double life and the difficulties one faces in adjusting the private sphere with the more glamorous public sphere (Rojek, 2001, 12). The ‘Me’ or the public sphere represents a glamorous life, where one meets beautiful people, gets endless accolades, and meets sycophant people who promise to do anything for him. These attractions are so great that one may end up preferring the glamorous madness of the “Me” image, giving it precedence over the ‘veridical’ self that is more rooted in sanity and realism. Stallone preferred the “Me” image, and gave himself completely to the so called ‘perks’ of celebrity status that includes alcoholism, wild partying, and sex. Immediately after the huge success of “Rocky” he left Sasha and his 22 month old son, and started an affair with an actress named Joyce Ingalls, however only to come back after 3 months. So the conflict between his “I” and “Me” is quite evident. Soon after this came the movie ‘Rocky II’ and this also turned out to be a huge hit. The huge tidal wave of fanfare and media hype that followed again, swept Stallone completely off his feet ane. Again his ‘public sphere’ took over with endless parties, drugs, alcohol and sex. However, after 9 months he again came back repentant, and “Rocky III” was scripted, along with another series known as “Rambo”. The latter soon became a cult American movie and with two huge successes under his belt, it was the same old story. Stallone went back to his old wild ways. Finally, having had enough of the whole thing, Sasha decided to put an end to her farcical marriage, and opted for a divorce. Stallone, tasting overnight success and intense fame, could not handle the pressure that money and celebrity status brought along with them; and gave in to drugs, alcohol, and partying. He thought these were the perks that came with fame, and sincerely believed that this was the way a true hero should live. What he did not realize was that with fame and power there are added burden of responsibilities. As Fox tells us “Overvaluing glamour and charisma distorts our notion of what fame really is. Many of us regard fame as far more important than actual accomplishment and behaviour...We tend to think fame as a goal in and of itself- not as a by product of real accomplishment” (Fox, 2001, 154). Thus, thinking that once we have achieved celebrity hood gives us the license to act riotously, is not entirely correct. Once famous, Stallone from being a loving husband turns into a complete megalomaniac, who does not think twice before leaving his wife and children. He is completely blind and does not care as to how Sasha feels each time he abandons her, in the face of success. Thus, it is quite evident that success and fame does indeed have the potential to make people suffer from a temporary ‘amnesia’; allowing them to ‘conveniently’ forget all those who had lent them a helping hand during the struggling days. It was what Peter Sellers had once complained that “He” disappeared once a film role ended, meaning that his ‘veridical’ self disappeared amidst the hype and fanfare. These temptations of the glamorous public life can make an individual change so much and make him so full of himself, that he starts living only in the fantasy filled present; forgetting his struggle filled past and his bleak future. However, not being able to handle success and fame is not peculiar to Stallone only, and we know of many Hollywood stars that have had their feet blown off the ground by the huge tidal wave of success. It is not easy to forget James Dean who died of a fatal car crash while racing, after his huge success in the movie “Rebel without a cause”; Elvis Presley, who died of drug overdose; Dana Plato who also died of drug overdose; Marilyn Monroe; and more recently, Michael Jackson and Heath Ledger are amongst the very famous celebrities who could not cope with the life that fame gave them. Lindsay Lohan, a child star, who had given herself to wild partying ways and drugs after tasting success, is now fighting a lonely battle with drug rehabilitation centres and the law enforcement agencies. Drew Barrymore, another child star had also changed her lifestyle to fast track after her first successful stint in Hollywood; however had the good sense to hold back before it became too late. The list is almost endless, when we study to explore the people whom success has changed; and I find it almost convincing that most human beings cannot handle success very well. With success, enters the screaming fanfare, the media hype, the adulations, and also the sycophancy; which many of so called ‘super stars’ take it at their face values, not realising that these are all just a passing phase. The temptations at the top are indeed great, and only few can resist the sycophant people that seem to always surround those who are famous. Riding high with success, most famous people tend to forget that the very people that are falling over to please him today would disappear at the first signs of a falling star. The pressure to go on delivering the best is also immense; and this often leads to the yearning to escape the pressure through the drug and alcohol route. Conclusion While exploring Sylvester Stallone’s rise to stardom, we find that indeed fame and celebrity status does, more often than not, change the personality of an individual. When the general apathy changes overnight into sycophancy and open adulation, most stars get carried away and enter a world that is unreal and made of fantasy. This change of personality (that is both circumstantial, and also requires some amount of willingness from as regards the star), has been noticed in many people who are new to fame and celebrity hood. It is indeed difficult to remain completely untouched by the fanfare that follows, as one achieves stardom. Even people from families with the so called ascribed fame status, also fall into this trap, as the temptations attached to fame are very high, and the sense of power that one achieves with stardom completely exhilarating. However, various incidences at various times have proven that the road one takes as he/she changes his personality after tasting the first cup of success, is indeed a dangerous one and often leads to a very lonely end. As Joseph Conrad said “I have wrestled with death. It is the most unexciting contest you can imagine. It takes place in an impalpable greyness, with nothing underfoot, with nothing around, without spectators, without clamour, without glory, without the great desire of victory, without the great fear of defeat...” (Conrad, 2001, p.138). As one achieves stardom and changes his lifestyle by running after the perks that come with this elevated status, the drugs and alcohol and the fast life, all combine together to create a world of fantasy; but unheeded, just behind the mantle of this glamour filled celebrity hood, often lies despair, loneliness and death. References Albert, J. (1989). Pay dirt: divorces of the rich and famous: the unauthorized inside stories of the nations 20 most sensational divorces. Boston: Branden Books, 237. Boorstein, D. (1998). “From Hero to Celebrity”, in Janet Fleetwood, On the contrary: essays by men and women. New York: Sunny Press, 268. Braudy, L. (1997). The frenzy of renown. New York, NY: Vintage Books. Brooker, B. (2010). “Celebrity Reflection” In Mark McCutcheon, et al., Celebrity Musings: Brushes with Fame and Other Thoughts on Celebrity. 15th October 2010, [Internet journal article}Retrieved from http://130.102.44.245/journals/canadian_theatre_review/v141/141.141.mccutcheon.pdf. Conrad, J. (2001). Heart of darkness. New York: Courier Dover Publications, 138. Fox, R. (2001). Mediaspeak: three American voices. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group. Marowitz, C. (1989 September 24th). “The Angel of Publicity”, Los Angeles Herald Examiner, E1. Pessoa, F. (1998). Always astonished: selected prose, translated by Edward Honig. San Francisco: City Lights Books, 45. Rojek, C. (2001). Celebrity. London: Reaktion Books. Read More