Celebrity
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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A celebrity is a widely-recognized or famous person who commands a high degree of public and media attention. The word stems from the Latin adjective celeber meaning famous or celebrated. While fame is generally considered a necessary precondition for celebrity status, it is not always sufficient. There has to be a level of public interest in the person, which may or may not be connected to the reason they are famous. Many celebrities are only so for a certain amount of time, perhaps after appearing on a television program or doing something to cast them into the public eye, such as climbing Mount Everest or being the first to do something. There are also specialist celebrities, who are only celebrities to those who enjoy a particular subject and so consider them a celebrity.
A public figure such as a politician or CEO may be famous, but they may not become a celebrity unless public and mass media interest is piqued. For example Virgin Director Richard Branson was famous as a CEO, but he did not become a celebrity until he attempted to circumnavigate the globe in a hot air balloon. On the other hand, mass entertainment personalities such as soap opera actors or country music stars are likely to become celebrities even if the person deliberately avoids media attention.
See also
See also
- Acquired situational narcissism
- All-star
- Celebrity bond
- Celebrity branding
- Cult of personality
- Diva
- Fame in the 20th century
- Famous for being famous
- Farce
- Glamour
- Infamy
- Infotainment
- Invision Agency
- List of celebrities
- List of entertainment industry topics
- Look-alike
- Q Score
- Scientific celebrity
- Selling out
- Superstar
- TMZ (website)
