GSWS 318 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Elaine Lui, P. T. Barnum, Meritocracy

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Gender Sexuality & Wom St
• Course: GSWS 318
• Professor: Eirini Kotsovili

Document Summary

They are unique but they are also like us. Emerged in 19th c as western industrialization & mass consumer culture flourish. First celebrity of time p/t/ barnum: invoked distaste, sense of vulgarity. No longer relegated to religious, political, literary elites. Shapes modern production of celebrity 20th c. Growth of infrastructure to support creation of stars". Celebrities continue to hold attraction for us because they embody the ideals of democracy and capitalism. Become a means for us to understand different aspects of ourselves and society we live in. May be famous for nothing more than public attention. New media technologies more entertainment news, and faster. Audiences more savvy about image construction better understanding of how industry works. Celebrity discourses move across media sites no single text". Deserve position due to talent, hard work, ingenuity. Undeserving due to good luck, purely successful marketing. Lainey lui, the sociology of gossip (ted talk 2013)