Richard Dyer - 'The Star Theory' (Representation)

 According to Dyer:

• A star is not a real person, they are constructed.
• Icons and celebrities are constructed by institutions for financial gain.
• Stars create a persona that makes them desirable ti an audience. 

Quotes from Dyer:

• "Stars are commodities that are produced by institutions"
• "A star is a constructed images, represented across a range of media and mediums."
• "Stars represent and embody certain ideologies"

4 Key Components of Dyer's Theory:

1.Stars as constructions:

Stars are constructed, artificial images even if they are represented as being "real people". By doing this, it helps them to build a USP (e.g. the Spice Girls giving each other individual names within the group) which can be copied and parodied by audiences.

Stars are manufactured to make money out of audiences who go to gigs and/or buy merchandise. Record labels know what is profitable and popular hence the photo-copied nature of teen boy bands - they know that they will be popular therefore they just keep recreating the same thing. 

2. Audience and Industry/Institution:

By conforming to certain attitudes and ideologies artists make themselves desirable and successful even though they may not necessarily believe in those ideologies themselves. (Hegemony)

3. Ideology and Culture

Stars represent shared cultural values and attitudes that promote a certain ideology about themselves as an artist and they want an audience to see what they believe in. 

4. Character and Personality

A star creates a character based on what they think an audience wants to consume and they promote an image that they feel is desirable to an audience.

Dyer suggests that stars have two paradox's:

- ordinary

- extraordinary

The star needs to be ordinary, like us, so they have something to relate to however the star still needs to be extraordinary so that they are desirable to an audience.