Theory Of Stardom : Eminem/Marshall Mathers
CASE STUDY: EMINEM, MARSHALL MATHERS
The theory of stardom developed by Richard Dyer expresses that there are 5 main reasons that we feel attached to or attracted to a public figure namely their love life, the fact that they are in a way ordinary just like us, their overnight success stories, the wealth they amass, and their scandals.
Difference between Star and a Celebrity
A star enjoys a larger extent of fame where they are known outside of their interests group, meanwhile a celebrity will be known by those only in their niche.
Eminem's Reel
Listeners of Eminem or those that randomly flick to radio stations and stumble upon his song might also see him at work in TV shows or else are limited to his concert videos and tracks , in his reel life Eminem is presented to be an adrenaline filled & energized performer or in his TV show appearances as a down to earth and humorous persona.
Eminem's Real
Eminem's real life is often features in gossip tabloids, niche interest magazines or even at exposés in documentaries presented by news networks or even MTV. In here his image is radically different where those exposés like their name would present a messy love life and career scandals such as his drug addiction.
(Definition, Media Example, Description)
Love
Love is defined as how we are interested in gossiping about a celebrity's love life, Eminem's love life has been a source of gossip material and controversy between fans outgroups that have criticized him for his choices (read: Christian Publications and Activist).
His choice to remarry his high school sweetheart and ex wife Kim Scott left people baffled and was encouraged or viewed as positive , an antithesis to Eminem's till then messy love life. this is made evident with how their photo in the picture above is presented, showing them both in a positive mood , the choice to label Kim Scott as "childhood sweetheart" shows how much the public or even just the publishers admire her.
Ordinaries
Eminem is presented by the media to be down to earth, one example people will take of the iconic rapper being close to the average joe was when he served spaghettis to customers emulating what other working class people do on a daily basis. Despite the activity being staged it has been featured in too many media outlets in a repetitive basis that it has shaped how people see Eminem.
Eminem's outfit choices that consists of ordinary clothes, making him stick out like a sore thumb in front of the crazy fashionistas of the music industry, is another image associated with him being ordinary and down to earth which was supported by the fact that he grew up poor, this repetition in media has consolidated the reputation of the humble sucsessful person.
Success
Eminem being sudden catapulted in the late 90s and his peak in 2003 was featured by the media as the classic story of the underdog who rose to the top, this is made evident by making him dress in normal clothes which is still associated with being ordinary thus gives him the image of the underdog , the status as an underdog is made clear by Unsigned Hype writing namely "Whether or not you believed us back then, these artists are proof that you heard them FIRST here!".
Rolling stone's big white font feature the word "STAR OF 2002" and "TRIUMP OF EMINEM" to show that the subject Eminem presented as an underdog has achieved a great level of success.
Consumption
Eminem has amassed a large wealth during his tenure as "King of the rap game", this has been presented by media in indirect ways due to the fact that Marshall Mathers finds showing of his material wealth as distasteful, instead media representations like the magazine put him in a suit while slightly showing what seems to be a high end watch which indicates the fact he is well off, a stark contrast to his usual image where he wears casual urban outfits.
Dream Turn Sour
Eminem's battle with drugs forced him to take a 5 year long hiatus while battling with addiction which led to many other ailments such as obesity & family troubles, the media often sees this as a pity and successfully describes the era with the consistent use of dark colors in their pictures whenever there is an article that discusses the dark chapter of Marshall Mather's life. If the background is not dark they would pick pictures where he is sporting a black outfit to symbolize the darkness he went through.
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