Role Models Which Celebrities Play in Shaping Our Ideas about Consumption and Identity

One of the areas in contemporary society of great concern is celebrity culture, authenticity and the ‘perfect’ body. This essay will therefore critically evaluate the role that celebrities play in shaping our ideas today about consumption and identity, focussing on childhood, ethical consumption and mobile phone usage.

Firstly, the background of consumption will be addressed. Furthermore, an analysis will explore whether the role of celebrities is either positive or negative to identity construction, and an emphasis on how celebrities can act as positive role models. Secondly, the discussion of the topic childhood will also be addressed, where Hill argues that childhood is ‘endangered ‘as younger generations in contemporary society are likely to express their identity through social media platforms and clothing. They are argued as manipulative consumers who copy trends from certain celebrities to ‘fit in’. Finally, a conclusion will then be drawn from the analysis on celebrities influence on consumption and identity.

Background of consumption

In contemporary society, consumption can be defined as ‘what individuals and households do when they use their incomes to increase social status through certain kinds of purchases’. (Environmentally Significant Consumption: Research Directions, 1997) This could suggest that there is a relationship between consumption and celebrities who are argued to advertise certain products to their audience as they have a high social status in society. The term celebrity endorsement defined by Keller (K.L. 2012) as ‘a type of a brand promotion where a famous person is used in the marketing campaign to advertise the product or service by using his or her fame and place in society, ‘suggests that celebrities shape our ideas and influence our spending on materialistic items. For example how celebrities can promote veganism and make up industries. This could result in consumers being more likely to focus on healthy diets and having the ‘perfect’ body image.

Role of celebrities

The concept of social comparison occurs when we learn about our abilities and skills, about the appropriateness and validity of our opinions, and about our relative social status by comparing our own attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours with those of others. These comparisons can be with people who we know and interact with, with those whom we read about or see on TV, or with anyone else we view as important. However, the most meaningful comparisons we make tend to be with those we see as similar to ourselves (Festinger, 1954). This links to how we compare ourselves to celebrities which can shape our ideas in relation to consumption and self-identity.

It can be argued that celebrities are highly significant individuals when it comes to shaping identities and consumption as they are manipulative positive and negative role models, especially to younger generations. It could be suggested that celebrities have also increased the importance of ‘self-identity’, individual agency and choice where Beck (Risk Society 1992:131), for example, illustrates that in the new ‘risk society’ all people become much more personally responsible for their own biographies. This links to celebrities as positive role models who have created a sense of acceptance towards our body image, where Ferguson (1997a, 1997b), for example, argues that there has been a shift from a relatively well-defined, singular and closed body image in the 19th century to a more open and ambiguous sense of body image. This suggests that some celebrities have become encouraging role models as they adopt a body positive attitude; meaning there is an increase of populations accepting their personal identities as consumers take an active role in using celebrities to help them build their own identities and self-images.( Science Daily, 2012)

Furthermore, you can also link to the topic of ethical consumption, where there has been an increase of celebrities that have adopted a vegan diet. In 2013, Forbes announced ‘high-end vegan cuisine’ as one of the Top Ten food trends of the year (Bender, 2013), marking a significant shift in media representations of vegan food in recent years from dull to desirable (Gold, 2014). This movement is considered as mainstream and this perspective of vegetarianism and veganism is considered a ‘social deviance’ today, that is more accepted. When a person chooses to resist the social norm, they are therefore known as a social deviant (Lindquist, 2013). Vegetarianism and veganism can be considered a social deviance since it actively resists the social norm of eating meat. Celebrities have supported this idea of social deviance as they have made it more ‘normalised’. They play key roles in the cultural politics of food and ethical consumption, helping articulate and define the types of ethical lifestyles that we should live (Littler, 2008; Lewis, 2008; Johnston and Goodman, 2015).

This could increase social identity and Durkheim’s (1903) sense of solidarity where these individuals are part of a subculture of similar interests. For example ethical consumers such as those who buy beauty products from Body Shop can associate themselves with the ethos of supporting community fair trade, protecting the planet and against animal testing. Likewise, famous vegan sports personalities such as Lewis Hamilton and the superstar Madonna who follow a super strict vegan macrobiotic diet consisting of cold pressed juices, fruits, vegetables and quiona. (Glamour, 2019)

However, it could be suggested that celebrities are negative role models when it comes to self- identity as the materialistic commodities they buy and promote through the media, are increasingly important for constructing identities today. For example celebrities such as the Kardashians who are normalising changing your image and using plastic surgery, this may lead to influencing mostly younger teens and adults focusing on what they look like and body image.

Furthermore, celebrities have a persuasive role when it comes to their impact on consumers while buying things. Consumers have a ‘desire to feel as prestigious and famous as their idols’. (Poghosyan, 35). In fact, sometimes ‘consumers buy or intend to buy the products promoted by their favourite celebrity even if they do not have an actual need of the particular item. They feel comfortable and positive while purchasing prestigious and quality products’ (Poghosyan, 34). By doing so consumers feel more connected and can relate with their favourite celebrities. Also, if you look at it in a different perspective, it is an easier way for people to change their class and status. When consumers buy the things celebrities endorse, or own, they feel as if they are in the same class because they are able to possess and afford what that celebrity possesses. Additionally, consumers want to fit into something they believe is ‘right’. They want to wear the ‘right’ clothes, drink the ‘right’ beverages and use the ‘right’ fragrances (Khatri, 25). To put it in another way, consumers follow what the majority of society finds as acceptable or appropriate fashion and style.

An example of a group of individuals who can arguably change the behaviour of their consumers is the Kardashians. For example, in 2016, Kim Kardashian posted a nude mirror selfie on Instagram. This post was littered with comments from teen girls saying things like, “Why can’t I look like that?” and “Wow I am fat.” Kim Kardashian has an Instagram following of 133 million, Kylie Jenner 130 million, where their audience are mainly younger consumers which is a great technique when it comes to making profit as the more expansive and active a celebrity's following, the more in demand they become for endorsements, and the more money they can make by using their name or likeness as an advertising platform. (Kirst, 2015)

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According to McCormick (2016), it is crucial for companies to choose the right celebrity endorser in order to have a successful advertisement campaign. The celebrity personality must align with the product image to attract the most attention to the advertisement. They have to recognizable enough to get attention, but not upstage the product itself. The product should be the main attraction, not the celebrity. (McCormick, 2016) Scholars argue that celebrity endorsement could damage the brand image if the celebrity endorser has a negative reputation, are included in scandals or other types of bad publicity.(White, Goddard, & Wilbur, 2009; Till & Shimp, 1998) The risk of damaging brand image is especially high for new brands or brands that have a strong association with the celebrity endorser (Till & Shimp, 1998). This can be illustrated with the example of Kate Moss in 2005, she lost not one but three endorsements with Burberry, Chanel, and H&M after a photo surfaced of her snorting cocaine. Keeping up a certain image which was in line with these brands was imperative for this celebrity partnership to work. It was evident that she was giving a negative label and she reportedly lost $4 million pounds of earnings as a result.

Similarly, the role of celebrities can also link to the topic of childhood. This group are particular vulnerable to advertising because they lack experience and knowledge to distinguish between reality and fantasy. It could be suggested that ‘children who compare themselves to celebrities develop greater desire for money and material possessions than children who do not compare themselves to celebrities’ (Chia and Poo, 2009). Also, ‘children feel that their relationships with celebrities are quite real, in the sense that children view them as actual interpersonal relationships’. In other words, celebrity endorsement brings a child to a world in which the child shouldn’t be yet. It matures them too quickly, this creates bad influences and promotes materialistic things in life at such a young age. Therefore children’s identity can be transformed through consumption, as Palmer (2007; 2010) suggests that children in contemporary society are experiencing ‘toxic childhood’ as they are being polluted by the range of technologies and lifestyle choices offered by the modern world. In addition, this may shape identities as they are exposed to an increase of violence emotionally and physically, unhealthy behaviour such as consuming drugs and alcohol and unrealistic body image.

The Playstation game Fortnite has recently become the most played game in the world. Many celebrities such as Drake, who is a Fortnite icon plays this game, where many children copy the behaviour of these celebrities. He played a battle with another online YouTuber called Ninja, who has around 22 million subscribers, earning around $500 million dollars a month. Their last match on April 10 drew in nearly a quarter of a million viewers. (Kirkland, 2018)This suggests that the role of celebrities is influential mainly among young boys. The game is also increasing the amount of consumption, as it is free compared to other games such as Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto. In addition, players can spend money on cosmetic items for their online characters such as costumes, called ‘skins’, meaning the role of celebrities such as Ninja and Drake are negative in shaping children’s identities as it has become addictive and therefore it is hard to concentrate in schools for example at a young age. (Wright, 2018)

It is evident in a number of primary schools have been affected by the rise of violence because of students copying influential celebrities as in Gloucestershire they sent out letters to parents and events have been held talking about the effects the game is having on pupils as young as six. Widden Primary School, in Gloucester, held daily sessions telling parents the game was becoming ‘all consuming’ for young children, who risked becoming ‘addicted’. (Wright, 2018) Since its release last year the games popularity has exploded and it announced this month it now has 250 million players. (Iqbal, 2019). Consequently, it is questionable how these video games have influenced children and how they come to view society and the world and the health consequences of having children play violent games for long stretches of time.

A young person's social identity is often influenced by their social group, and by their desire to fit in and be part of the ‘crowd’. Peer pressure involves encouragement from others who are of similar age to participate in certain behaviours or activities. It is therefore a massive factor as to whether or not a person will engage in risky behaviours, which includes underage drinking. (Palmeri, 2019) As well as this celebrity influences, have made some forms of antisocial behaviour appear acceptable and, some would argue, even attractive, largely stem from the authority which is attributed to fame. (Friedman 1990). It is evident that teenagers who binge-drink are often influenced by celebrities who endorse alcohol, this suggests they are negative role models as this may potentially influence underage drinking among young individuals. The most common sources of marketing awareness were TV adverts, celebrity endorsements and special offers. (Mail Online, 2019) This can therefore lead to celebrities having influence over teenagers when it comes to drinking as there may be a perception that ‘everyone is doing it’ and this therefore may lead an increase of peer pressure among younger individuals.

Take rapper Diddy for example, who may be argued as a negative role model that influenced the increase of Ciroc bottle consumption. In 2007, he joined Ciroc Vodka’s creative team, when Ciroc’s yearly case production only amounted up to 60,000. By 2011, the volume is at 1.5 million cases. It’s not just Diddy’s presence in TV and print ads that drove production higher. The rapper also used his Twitter account - a nine million strong community for promotion, and this led to a 35 percent increase in Ciroc’s Twitter followers that year alone. (Einhorn, 2015) This suggests that because of Diddy’s popularity this may have spiked the amount of teenagers consuming this type of alcohol as they could look ‘cool’ in front of their friends for example.

You could also argue that the media play an important role as well as celebrities when it comes to ideas about identity. When it comes to teenagers they are a vulnerable group, and as celebrities are not only envied by our society but their images are splashed across magazines, social media, television, and movies, it’s natural for teens to use them as role models. (Pejakovic, 2011) The quest for ‘body perfect’ is a good example of how the media creates ideals that are unattainable for the majority, leading to potentially damaging effects for girls and boys as well. Media therefore plays a significant role in how individuals construct their own version of material and bodily norms, and hence identity (Miles, 2000). This is as the media exaggerate and create an unrealistic body image. For example, there has been a rise of photo shopping, cosmetic surgery and transformation of the body in general.

Cosmetic surgery has increased in the past few years, especially by teenagers who are changing their identities to ‘fit in’. In 2017, more than 229,000 cosmetic procedures were performed on patients between 13 and 19, including nearly 65,000 surgical procedures such as nose reshaping, breast lifts, breast augmentation, liposuction, and tummy tucks. (Zuckerman, 2012) This links to certain celebrities who have influenced this rise in statistics. For example, Kylie Jenner could be argued as a 21 year old negative role model may have increased this cosmetic surgical culture. Instead of promoting self-love and appreciation, Jenner has promoted plastic surgery as the answer to all insecurities. Her own lip anxiety left her to take matters into her own hands by resorting to lip injections in order to get plump lips, once again leaving young girls with a prominent unattainable definition of beauty. Except this unattainable characteristic didn’t stop girls from trying, ultimately leading to the start of the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge where girls would suck on shot glasses in order to blow up their lips. Of course such a stupid action backfired and left girls seriously bruised, injured, and insecure all thanks to her. (Buck, 2015) In this case the celebrity influence made young girls drastically change their bodies and they were willing to harm themselves while trying to change their image and identity.

As well as surgical procedures, girls are also exposed to an increasing amount of television culture where they are swamped by ultra-thin ideals not only in the form of dolls but also in figures that appear in comics, cartoons, TV, movies and all forms of advertising along with all the associated merchandising. The synergistic effect of such exposure can have a profound impact on a child’s developing identity. The young girls/women are bombarded by the images produced through consumer capitalism such that their internalized standard of normal is ultimately based on an illusion (Frost, 2005). For example Barbie appears to have a strong and special role in girls’ developing body image, so much so that exposure leads to detrimental effects when girls are young enough to identify with the Barbie doll (Dittmar et al., 2006).

Conclusion

To conclude, celebrities play a vital role when it comes to shaping our ideas, this can be positive or negative. As shown, the topics of ethical consumption, childhood and celebrity culture link to the main hypothesis. Moreover, celebrities define our individual and group identities as they are of high status meaning teenagers especially copy behaviour portrayed by them as shown in the example of Fortnite, alcohol consumption and cosmetic culture. This copycat behaviour shown therefore suggests celebrities’ role is mainly negative to young groups who can be vulnerable. Whereas, the hypothesis may be controversial as celebrities also play a important positive role model when it comes to acceptance of the self. Evidence is shown with the increase of veganism as a new trend that celebrities have adopted to be more environmentally sustainable. This approach has increased consumption of ethical brands such as the Body Shop which is therefore more popular than in the past. Another controversial point to add is that the media also play an important role as well as celebrities in shaping identities, meaning that we have to look at the extent to which other areas also affect consumption and identity. In summary, evidence suggests that celebrities are mainly increasing negatively for younger groups where Postman argues that childhood is ‘toxic’, meaning that celebrities play a highly negative role when it comes to identity construction and identity.

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