Stars and Stardom

Richard Dyer

Richard Dyer

• Dyer is a popular theorist within the media industry.

• He believed that a star was an image that in constructed and that they are commodities.

• He believed that stars depended on a range of subsidiary media to be successful and were built on these range of factors in order to be attractive to audiences.

• He believes the star image is incoherent and is based on two paradoxes.

Paradox One• ‘The star must be simultaneously ordinary and

extraordinary for the consumer.’

This is an example of paradox number one as in the picture on the left, Beyonce is seen on stage and as ‘extraordinary’ whereas in the picture on the right, she is seen to be carrying her baby and as ‘ordinary.’

Paradox One: Example

Paradox One: Example