Celebri†y Worship
When it comes to the intersection of popular culture and religion, one area that can be discussed is the religiosity of media consumption. In other words, one can often observe religious-like worship towards items of popular culture, including popular figures. For example, while browsing the social media/blogging website Tumblr, I was surprised to come across many of these juxtapositions:
These photos place photographs of Kim Kardashian, and her daughter North West, alongside Christian images depicting Madonna and child. This can be literally interpreted as illustrating the “sacred” status given to these celebrities based on notions of their success.
In previous lectures, we have discussed the commodification of religion, as well as the religious nature of consumerist culture. This can be applied to the above images, as Kim Kardashian is not only a pop culture icon, but is also a pop culture item. Kathryn Lofton approaches this idea of celebrities as products in her analysis of Britney Spears. Lofton mentions that celebrities are not exactly seen as flesh as they are dehumanized and transformed into commodities (Lofton, 348). For example, a celebrity may gain their fame through their talents, and these talents are preserved through consumption. A celebrity becomes a character, where their talents become individual items that are able to be marketed. For Kim Kardashian, this may relate to her look: her clothing (and her clothing line), her skin (and her tanning products), even her body — is her butt real or fake? The controversy over whether or not she has implants is constantly used to sell tabloids or gain views andattention. Thus, following Kim Kardashian’s life may become a ritualized and religious activity (e.g., watching her show every week, praying for her struggles in life, regularly buying her products). It should also be noted that the screen caps shown above have thousands of “notes” (indicating how many times they were “liked” or shared), demonstrating the large audiences that follow these celebrities. These numbers also do not measure how many people passively view these images, meaning that the audiences may be larger than they appear.
Lofton also mentions the divine-like power that these celebrities hold. Due to their influence, Lofton argues that celebrities also have a function: to normalize behaviour and advertise a secular fantasy (Lofton, 348). Similarly to religious figures, audiences may look to celebrities for guidance, however, in other ways: for example, to find the latest items to buy or to be informed of what’s popular. Furthermore, as previously mentioned by Santana, religion and popular culture sell desire. In the case of Kim Kardashian as an icon, it can be argued that she sells notions of wealth, success, fame, glamour, etc. Based on this, it can be asked: do we elect celebrities a “saintly” status? Due to the ritualistic/religious-like consumption of celebrities, can we regard these pop culture figures as sacred? This begins to blur the definition of religion.
However, this analysis can be critiqued based on the intent behind these images. Did the creators intend to make a religious statement, or were they simply using satire? Using the example of Kim Kardashian, her reputation may not exactly align with the Virgin Mary — for instance, she is constantly critiqued for being “famous for nothing” or for “being dumb.” She is also critiqued for being immodest, which is likely based on her sex tape being leaked. Obviously, these claims are not factual, but Kim Kardashian’s reputation definitely differs from the Virgin Mary.
Take this other juxtaposition that I found on Tumblr. This compares Saint Teresa to a paparazzi image of Lindsay Lohan, an image that has been constantly used in tabloids to depict Lohan as “bad” (e.g., drug crazed, constantly partying, drunk, having a mental breakdown). Based on this, one might argue that these images were not intended to highlight the sacredness of these celebrities, but were intended to be a joke. For instance, it is ironic that images of a celebrity, who often promote this secular, consumerist lifestyle, are almost identical to images of saintly figures, who promote traditional, religious values. Furthermore, are these juxtapositions critiquing popular culture? In other words, do these images challenge, rather than promote, the idea that society regards celebrities like saintly figures?
What do you think?
Works Cited
Lofton, Kathryn. “Religion and the American Celebrity.” Social Compass 58.3 (2011): 346–52. Web. 19 Nov. 2014
