Celebrity Culture

Ellis Cashmore is author of numerous books, including The Destruction and Creation of Michael Jackson (2022) and Elizabeth Taylor: A Private Life for Public Consumption (2016). He is on X (formerly Twitter) @elliscashmore.

"Ellis Cashmore’s Celebrity Culture (Third Edition) is a significant update to an essential book that answers what is celebrity, why does it matter so much to us, and what is its impact. With the inclusion of new vignettes ranging from Lizzo’s critique of body positivity to questions surrounding so-called ‘cancel culture’, to Harry Styles’ gender expression and Taylor Swift fans breaking Ticketmaster, Celebrity Culture uses well-known examples that elucidate important debates that are happening in our contemporary world. With wit and engaging analysis, Ellis manages to simultaneously bring in historical references ranging from Jack the Ripper to Grace Kelly to Lady Gaga to understand why we celebrate our idols. A jaunt through the lives, art and drama surrounding the celebrities who shape our world – and whom the fans themselves also influence – Celebrity Culture isn’t a simple guilty pleasure – it’s an intellectually stimulating and immensely gratifying book."Louie Dean Valencia, Associate Professor of Digital History, Texas State University, USA"In the third edition of Celebrity Culture, Ellis Cashmore makes an outstanding contribution to urgent understandings and re-considerations of 21st-century fame. Using up-to-date examples, Cashmore demonstrates that celebrities are a product of audience imagination beyond media representations. He uses specific cases to show how "visibility politics" in #MeToo, Gay Liberation Movement, Black Lives Matter, and #OscarsSoWhite can provoke individual responses for diversity despite counter-movements. The commodification of individualism in what Cashmore calls a shoppable life is an alarming but veritable expression of contemporary celebrity culture that carries historical accounts of royal fame, paparazzi, and sex scandals while now also being occupied by followers-turned-influencers. Cashmore’s carefully designed self-reflective questions enable readers to reach conclusions in a practical manner. His countless journalistic data, creative accounts of artists, and memorable quotes are compelling in a contested history of tabloid fame, challenging extraordinariness of talent that was once unique but still a rare possibility."Samita Nandy, Founding Director of the Centre of Media and Celebrity Studies, Canada

• 1 Introduction: Celebrity Culture Timeline, 18th Century–Today; 2 Fame; 3 History. Retrospection: Jack the Ripper, 1888; 4 Imagination. Retrospection: the afterlife of Marilyn Monroe, 1962–present; 5 Consumers. Retrospection: Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears enter rehab, January/February 2007; 6 Paparazzi. Retrospection: Madonna’s "Like a Pr ayer," 1989; 7 Sex. Retrospection: ye cancelled, October 2022; 8 Blackness. Retrospection: Lizzo critiques body positivity, October 2020; 9 Royalty. Retrospection: Disney severs ties with Pewdiepie, February 2017; 10 Influence. Retrospection: Wagatha Christie, 2019–22; 11 Couples. Retrospection: Harry Styles at the Met Gala, May 2019; 12 Queer. Retrospection: JFK, Sinatra and the Mafia, 1960; 13 Politics. Retrospection: R. Kelly Cleared of child pornography charges, June 2008; 14 Talent. Retrospection: China’s Cultural Revolution 2.0 , 2021; 15 Theories. Retrospection: Taylor Swift breaks Ticketmaster, November 2022; 16 Conclusion