Harlee Buford - Supplemental Post #4

    Lately, I’ve been thinking of the popularity of reality TV and reality TV stars as the first season of Love Island All Stars wrapped up a few days ago. I find this type of stardom to be really interesting as reality stars are kind of in-between celebrities and influencers. Love Island UK is my favorite reality show and one of my favorite shows period and to say I’m obsessed is an understatement. I’ve watched every season of the UK version, as well as Love Island Games, Love Island All Stars, the first season of Love Island South Africa, and every season of Love Island USA. My friend is just as obsessed so we constantly rave about the stars and the series. Love Island has become so big that there are countless versions of the show in numerous countries, such as Spain, France, Germany, Australia, Greece, Poland, Albania, Romania, Norway—and that is barely touching the surface. 

    Basically, a bunch of single people go into a villa without any contact with the outside world and couple up with other islanders in hopes of finding love. New islanders come in, some are dumped, and there is a lot of drama (obviously). The show also includes games and challenges to test couples and cause more drama. The show returns every summer and sometimes during winter (summer in South Africa where another villa is located), at least for the UK version. And the cherry on top is that there is a new episode every single day for about eight weeks (for the UK version). I enjoy the communal experience of watching an episode as it airs and going on Twitter (or ‘X’) and TikTok while watching or after watching to see what people think. Lastly, on the final episode, the public vote on which couple they want to win the show and the winning couple will take home a prize of 50,000 GBP. 

    While watching the show, the public not only become obsessed with individual islanders, but with certain couples. As we watch the couples' relationships develop from the start, it is easy to become more attached to them than we would to normal celebrity couples. Further, some islanders have become so successful to start brands or have their own show starring themselves after leaving the villa. Likewise, some couples have actually lasted after the show and are now married with kids. 

    I think an obsession with reality stars is almost easier to fall into than other up and coming stars because we meet them in a setting that is depicted as entirely real and authentic (which is obviously not true). We are watching real people who become famous for being themselves, similar to influencers. Sometimes, my friend and I accidentally call the people on the show ‘characters,' as in the back of our minds we know that aspects of the show are not authentic and that certain people are edited to appear a certain way. 

    Overall, I think there is a certain intimacy with reality stars because although they become famous for being themselves, they become famous as a result of someone else's control or configuration of their persona/image. On the other hand, influencers typically become famous by editing themselves, crafting and controlling their own image.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Payton Ewalt, Pau Brunet-Fuertes, Devin Glenn - Realist or Naturalist Style

Image
Group 1: Realist or Naturalist Style Definition: The naturalistic acting method involves creating a character based on a realistic representation, avoiding exaggeration and artificial mannerisms. As Barry Kind defines it in his article "Articulating Stardom," "Naturalism [is] the mode of the individual, his or her utterances, behavior and appearance in everyday setting, gives a privileged access to personal and collective realities" (172). The acting blurs in an impersonation that does not articulate ideas of characterization directly related to facilitating plot signifiers. This mode of acting conflicts with some notions of stardom, as "the actor confronts problems in characterization that relate to his or her being as a general cultural object rather than a theatrical object" (King 173). As Dyer points out, the naturalistic ideas of acting in Diderot and Coquelin method, states that the actor should never lose their role and should perform by observing...
Read more

Diana Motta Morales- Supplemental Post #5

     As I replay the conversation the class had on Friday on icons such as Beyonce and Taylor Swift, the only people I had on my mind that made an impact on me was One Direction. Much like Taylor, One Direction had an insane amount of following that curated the image that represented them for five years. Throughout the school year a topic that is constantly being discussed is star image. Who better to analyze than the boys who turned the world upside down for many young children? One Direction started as a band consisting of 16-18 year olds who got lucky and made it big. By “lucky” I don't mean it as they didn't deserve it, but rehearing the first albums really makes you wonder if these boys weren’t pretty would they get the same treatment? Their growth, not only vocally but physically, truly impacts their interactions with their fans. Each member in the band had an image curated for them, based on looks and fan feedback. Obviously, Harry Styles and Zayn Malik were the tw...
Read more

Sierra Dague Core Response 1: Valentino, The Sheik, and Masculinity

  Core Response 1: Valentino, The Sheik, and Masculinity My response to this week’s reading is based on the following quote from Miriam Hansen:  “If the Valentino films had no other critical function, they did present, by way of negation, a powerful challenge to myths of masculinity in American culture between the wars. The heroes of the American screen were men of action, like Douglas Fairbanks or William S.Hart, whose energy and determination was only enhanced by a certain lack of social graces, especially toward women.” I think this analysis of Valentino as contradicting his age’s ideal conceptions of masculinity truly depicts The Shein ’s historical nature. Watching the film, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the martyr-esque depiction of Diana paired with the entitled nature of Ahmed. I felt mentally exhausted watching the film expect the audience to swoon for Ahmed as he develops sympathy over a situation he quite literally created by kidnapping a woman; Not to mentio...
Read more