Theory of Stardom: Richard Dyer

This is the classwork that the teacher gave the class that me and my teammates have done to better understand the theory of stardom.

"Stars are constructed personas designed to appeal to audiences."

WEEK 4 - REEL AND REAL PERSONA (Stardom Theory) - Classwork

Names:	Jasmine, Rachelle, Beatrice
Celebrity:	Camila Cabello Classwork : Theory of Stardom (blog’s title)
REEL persona:	What image to they project through their work (films, music, social media) Camilla Cabello portrays herself as a seductive and iconic figure. She is always confident and is a feminist.
REAL persona:	Have there been any cracks in this image (examples) Camilla had a picture of her in a bikini taken by the paparazzi where she doesn’t look ‘ideal’, she then went on social media and expressed her upsetness to the public. Audiences then discussed how Camilla was being insecure and how she isn’t as seductive as she portrays herself to be.
Love:	Shawn Mendez, as she is infamous for being his muse. She kept on breaking up and getting back with him. She dated Shawn Mendez from 2019 - 2021, and eventually announced their breakup through instagram as “the best of friends”. Website link : Camila Cabello's love life
Ordinariness:	Camila Cabello posted on her instagram using her ‘daily outfit’ which resonates with a lot of the audience.  Moreover, she occasionally posted her working out on her social media. By her speaking openly about her body image, and the societal pressures she feels to look a certain way, it resonates with the audience who face similar difficulties, especially in a world influenced by beauty standards. Through her experiences, she has also been vocal about the unrealistic beauty standards often imposed on women, especially in the entertainment industry. Additionally, by showing the ‘imperfect’ side for her, it invites empathy and respect from the audience, which strengthen her image of an “ordinary” person rather than as someone with an achievable lifestyle. pinkvilla - ordinary
Success:	What is their success story? How is it told?  At first, Camilla Cabello was in a group called Fifth Harmony where she often got comments that said her voice is so different (unique) compared to her other group members that it overshadows everyone else. Due to this, Camilla Cabello quit the group to pursue a solo singing career. She began to release a few collaborative singles like "I Know What You Did Last Summer" with Shawn Mendes which peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100. Her solo career has been peaking ever since.  Camila's success story
Consumption:	Luxurious lifestyles: She has been seen to consume products such as this ice-handbag which costs $22.5k. This proves that she has enough funds in order to support this kind of spending, allowing her to purchase products which are generally seen as a waste by the public. In addition, this handbag caused quite a backlash as people on platforms such as Tik-tok have been seen making posts about her, calling her out for the useless purchase of this handbag which will melt anyways, not being worth $22.5k.
Dream turned sour:	Has this celebrity had a downfall? How is it reported? Did they recover? An anonymous twitter account posted screenshots of Camilla Cabello’s old tumblr and twitter posts which consists of her re-shared gifs and memes that reinforce black and asian stereotypes. She later on apologized formally on her Instagram story and was later on reported to require going to therapy to stop being racist.  Sources: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/camila-cabello-weekly-racial-healing-sessions  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/camila-cabello-tumblr-language-in-posts-singer-apologizes-for-n-word-racial-stereotypes-2019-12-19/

Reflection:

I think that this classwork has been very useful for our overall performance since it helps us understand better what this theory is and how it works, with real life evidence. I found that using real life evidence and working on it with friends helps me remember and understand information better. For our artist, I think that we should create a balance with their private and public persona in order to create a sense of relatability as well as proof that she is authentic.