Richard Dyer's Theory of Stardom

Celebrity vs Star:

Celebrity is a famous person who is usually only famous locally or in a specific group of audiences (local/niche) 

Star is a famous person who is famous worldwide regardless of the target audiences.

Example: 

Agnes Monica, an Indonesian singer, is a Celebrity because she is well-known in Indonesia, but not worldwide, while Michael Jackson is a Star, because he is very well-known worldwide.

Why people are interested to celebrities?

Love - We are fascinated with the love lives of the stars, can also feel a romantic affiliation with them. 

Ordinariness - We like to see them doing routine things, living normal lives just like our own.

Success - We like the idea of overnight success, and failure before success. This appeals to our sense of fair play.

Consumption - We are fascinated by the huge material wealth brought by media success. Not just luxury homes and cars, but also strict dietary regimes set by expensive nutritionists, holidays etc. 

Dream turned Sour (downfall) - The one thing we enjoy more than building up a celebrity is tearing one down. We like to exploit their misery. 

Case Study - Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber is a Canadian singer famous for his music such as his hit single, Baby (2010), which became one of the highest certified singles of all time in the US.

Reel persona - This is the image which Justin Bieber shows while 'working'. He shows this image in his music videos, concerts, world tour and all his performances.

Real persona - This is the image which Justin Bieber shows outside of ‘work’. He shows this image through magazine interviews, talk shows, vlogs, award ceremonies, newspaper articles, documentary, etc.

Love

Justin Bieber married Hailey Baldwin on September 2018 after their 2-year-relationship. The public has been keeping up with their relationship ever since it got public and it is still being well discussed today.

Ordinariness

Justin Bieber was seen shopping with casual clothes, just buying chips and a few drinks in a Whole Foods and was spotted again grocery shopping with his wife in a supermarket. The media used the headline: "Just a regular guy! Justin Bieber flashes a thumb's up as he goes grocery shopping two days after his triumphant return to MTV's VMAs", "Justin Bieber and fiance Hailey Baldwin enjoy a spot of grocery shopping at Whole Foods in New York

Success 

Justin Bieber went from an unknown boy into a star in just a few years. He first gained public interest when his mother posted a video of him singing a cover of Chris Brown on YouTube. He then got a record deal with Usher and was the first solo artist to have four singles enter the Top 40 before the release of a debut album. He released a single, Baby (2010, with American Rapper, Ludacris, which became one of the highest certified singles of all time in the US.

Consumption

The Media has also published different products which Justin Bieber consumes, such as his car, his house and his clothings. The Public is interested and is always keeping up with his consumption.

Dream turned Sour (downfall)

In 2011, Mariah Yeater claimed that Justin Bieber was the father to her baby and filed a lawsuit against him and although she eventually dropped the lawsuit, Justin's reputation was greatly damaged by this. In 2014, Justin Bieber was arrested by the police for doing drugs and drinking beer before a supercar drag race. He also had a bad reputation of damaging his neighbours' properties.