Richard dyer 'Star Theory'

Richard dyer star theory

 

Richard dyer’s star theory is the idea that celebrities are manufactured and are constructed by institutions in order for financial gain and to target a specific group of people.

 

How are stars constructed? - stars are constructed through music videos, magazines and merchandise. They are artificial images.

 

Dyer says “stars are commodities produced and consumed on the strength of their meanings”

Dyer believes that stars are made to appeal to audiences, which will in turn generate revenue for record companies. Record companies nurture and shape their stars they manufacture what they think audiences want, hence the similar style of many boybands

 

Ideology and culture:

Stars will represent certain social groups and a shared cultural value and will therefore promote specific ideologies

audience interest in these values enhances their star quality for example a star may initiate a fashion trend with fans copying their hairstyle and clothing

through conveying beliefs ideas and opinions outside of their music that performers helped create their star persona

 

Character and personality:

A star begins as a “real human”, but the transformation into a star turns them into a construct

Stars provide audience with ideas of ‘what people are supposed to be like’- such as fashion, makeup, attitude…

 

Star image motifs:

Many artists use similar aims to help establish their brand for example there are recurring fonts icons and images across multiple genres

 

Paradox of the star:

Dyer suggests that there are two paradoxes he suggested that there are two contrary representations when it comes to stars that a star is both ordinary and extraordinary (the star needs to be special but possess something similar to us to be relatable and identifiable)

 

Dyer’s theory applied to an Artist- Taylor swift:

-       Her image has been constructed

-       Lasting significance and brand awareness as her music genre changes

-       During her country pop- she was seen performing in videos with her iconic guitar, presenting the idea that she is a normal teenage girl living her dream, but also very talented

-       Her online store shows a wide range of merchandise such as towels, phone cases, t-shirts… this extends her star image and branding and shows that celebrities are manufactures by institutions

-       Her appearance is different in almost every music video- supports Dyer’s theory that a popstars persona needs constant nurturing, and they need to adapt their persona to keep fans interested

-       Recurring close up shots of her face from front on, viewers then familiarise with this image of her.