Theorists- Dyer

Meaning of a 'star'

Dyer believes that the term 'star' refers to the set of meanings constructed around a musical performance.  A list of key features that one must acquire in order to achieve stardom are as follows:

• Youthfulness
• Rebellion
• Sexual magnetism
• Originality
• Creativity
• Aggression
• Disregard for social values, relating to drugs, sex and polite behaviour.

A 'star' in the eyes of society will attain some if not all of these features.  Common features between all 'stars' brings forward the idea that they are an image not actually a person, constructed out of a range of materials.  For example, adverts, magazines, films and music. Stardom is said by Dyer to be based on 2 paradoxes:

• simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer

and

• simultaneously present and absent for the consumer

These mean that in order to be a successful star, a person has to be available to the consumer in the way that they can type in their name in Youtube and access their media, but at the same time they can't just pick up the phone and ring the artist.  Moreover, they have to be relateable in some way so that the audience can see a part of themselves in them, but at the same time they still have to maintain the aura of being extraordinary.