Masculinity and Stardom in Contemporary Society - Coursework Example

Born on the 29th of August, 1958, Michael Joseph Jackson has been hailed as the superstar of the music world. Having sold millions of albums worldwide, he is an ageless icon who redefined the theory of brand equity. His every move has been recorded and highly publicized by the media whether it involves his move to the Persian Gulf or the controversies that surround him (Jefferson, 2006).

One of the biggest controversies that surrounded Michael Jackson included cases of child molestation. The once divorced father of two has been subject to court trials since 1993. His humanitarian efforts were completely ignored as the media frenzy began about whether or not he was in the wrong (Jefferson, 2006).

In the case of Michael Jackson, it may be seen that there were two aspects to the perception of masculinity. To begin with, he had been married and divorced, and to make matters worse he did not have a long-time girlfriend, which made him all the more susceptible in the eyes of the media. His brand of masculinity was not well received. Further, when the color of his skin began to change he was accused by many of being a man and yet being affected by his looks (Jefferson, 2006).

Freddie Mercury was a legend in his lifetime, who created a record of sorts in the history of rock. Born on the 5th of September, 1946, he died on the 24th of November, 1991. Freddie Mercury also had his fair share of controversies which had to do with his masculinity more than anything else (Bronson, 2003). He was a part of the famous rock band called Queen. To begin with, Freddie Mercury was open about the fact that he was bi-sexual, which made him a target for the media more often than not. There have been allegations that he died of HIV. As an Indian Parsi by descent, there have been numerous cases of ethnic discrimination as far as Freddie Mercury is concerned. His career was riddled with many controversies and these only fuelled the media furor about his masculinity (Bronson, 2003).

The way a celebrity leads his or her life is always held up under tight scrutiny by the media. Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury have been no exception in this case. The way the media portrays them has a large bearing on how the public looks at their masculinity. As far as the role of the public sphere in our lives is concerned, the media has projected it as that element of communication that operates in the public sphere. This public sphere or space where mass decisions are made, has come to trigger various changes apart from supporting those transitional factors which have their genesis in globalization, post-modernism, culture, and multiculturalism, with deep-rooted encouragement from the information age – one which is booming with each passing day.

Further, the public sphere has come to function in the context of the global village concept. While this may raise the question of “cultural imperialism”, one has to realize that in the interpretation and evaluation of its various methods of display and communication, the public sphere has become a strong purveyor of the idea of opening up societies to each other besides a relevant model upon which various studies like those of consumer patterns, may be based.

As far as masculinity is concerned, there are numerous perceptions regarding the same, especially in contemporary society where a person’s sexual preference is more accepted than at any time in history. Yet, this is still a transitional phase in time when anything that is finally being accepted as a fact of life, is subject to great discussions, even in the affirmative. It has been the same case with Michael Jackson as well as Freddie Mercury, both of whom have been the butt of many jokes regarding masculinity as well as deep media scrutiny in any and every kind of controversy that they have faced. This has been studied in the dissertation from the perspective of the various elements that make up the public sphere as well as the aspects of brand equity that celebrities represent and affect.

This section mainly links the questions I asked before commencing research and the resulting framework I came up with in terms of the research area, with the literature I have chosen to use thereof. The research areas chosen by me are simply the colossal task of sifting through the overwhelming amount of material I found on the subject.