Star Theory

• Stars combine a variety of representational strategies in order to produce charisma. Hollywood has capitalized on the charisma of stars in order to persuade, using stars’ charisma to stimulate consumption, define and promote particular gender roles.
• Richard Dyer, in his book Stars, discusses ways in which stars function ideologically.
• Weber theorized that persuasion functions through three different types of appeals: to tradition (doing what we’ve always done), bureaucracy (doing things according to agreed but alterable, supposedly rational rules), and charisma (doing things because the leader suggests it).
• A star’s image is carefully cultivated through promotion, choosing a product that fits the brand. E.g. Nike for Le Bron James
• Stars act as cultural fantasies, in terms of what they buy, the lifestyle they lead and the image/persona that they project. This can often lead stars into positions of great power.
• Stars carefully cultivate images throughout their careers. In Media Studies we call this ‘persona’ meaning what we associate with the star when we think about him or her.
• Dyer’s theory suggest media makes the artist and the star is the images made out of different things e.g. magazines, films. This means that an artist has to act and present themselves in a certain way to attract a certain type of audience.

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