Lesson Write Up - 23rd September

Representation Theory

Star Theory - Richard Dyer

 

Objectives:

• To understand Dyer's 'Star Theory'
• Apply the theory to 'stars' in the media
• To summerise the 'Star Theory'
   

Richard Dyer - Star Theory

• The idea that icons and celebrities are constructed by institutions for financial reasons and are built to target a specific audience or group of people. Dyers theory can broken down into 3 sections:
• Audience & Institutions
• Constructions
• Hegemony (cultural beliefs)

He states -

• Stars are commodities that are produced by institutions
• A star is a constructed image, represented across a range of media and mediums
• 'Stars represent and embody a certain ideologies'

Audience & Institutions:

Stars are made to make money. Audiences want to consume what they think is the ideal (or made to believe is the ideal). The institution modifies the stars image around the target audience. They make a star based on what they think the auidence want.

Constructions:

The star is built for an auidence, and is not an actual person. A persona is created for the audience to identify with. So people can differentiate between stars and decided whether they like them or not.

Hegemony:

Leadership or dominance. We realte to the star because they have features that we admire or share. Develops from admiration to idolisation. People sometimes try to replicate what they like about the star, this can sometimes be negative.