What Is A Celebrity?

A celebrity is generally someone who is famously recognised by a wide number of people in a society or culture. In a media society, fame is usually generated by the media however; sometimes people can become famous even if they don't go into the media directly. A celebrity is someone who gets a lot of media attention and therefore, they generally have an extroverted personality. It is thought that the word 'celebrity' is usually associated with the celebrated; however, celebrities are not always portrayed in a positive light. A controversial story about their private life can see them defamed, for example an affair or violent behaviour can change the public perception of them as a person. Take Chris Brown as an example. Celebrities can also be restored back to fame by good behaviour. This is the fickle and fragile nature of the world of celebrity.
All sorts of people can become celebrities and they can achieve celebrity status via a wide range of ways. For some their profession can boost their status, actors and actresses are immediately rocketed into fame. Others may have a famous or wealthy family, like Paris Hilton for example, and make themselves famous by making appearances in the mass media and creating their own brands of consumer products. For some it is their looks that get them media attention. If you are a beautiful young girl then lots of people will want to take your photo, get you to walk in their fashion show or use your face to market their product and you will quickly become known in the media. Some people are just lucky and become famous by complete luck, even if they don't have any particular talent. Some people may become infamous rather than famous in the media. This means that they have gained notoriety from a negative incident or reputation. This is different from fame as fame usually focuses on positive achievements or talents. For example, most celebrities are likeable but even these so called 'non-likeable' celebrities who are infamous often have charisma that makes them interesting, therefore they continue to get media attention.
Some people can become instant celebrities meaning that they are thrust into the limelight in a very short space of time and expected to adapt accordingly. This can often happen when members of the public participate in reality TV programmes such as 'Big Brother.' The reality of this type of fame is that it is usually short-lived. There are a few exceptions that do make their fame last, Jade Goody for example, but in most cases they are forgotten very quickly. Ever wonder what Stuart and Michelle from BB5 are up to these days? No, neither does anyone else. These sorts of people, who achieve a small amount of transient fame through hype or mass media, are stereotyped as a B-grade celebrity.
The 21st century has seen a rise in the public's fascination for celebrities and an insatiable appetite for celebrity gossip. As a response to this change there has also been an increase in gossip columnists, tabloids, paparazzi and celebrity bloggers. Today's technology means that the scope and scale of the media industries is huge. We can watch and read about our favourite celebrities in a wide range of different mediums.
The public's fascination with celebrity has also extended to memorabilia. Nowadays, more and more people are collecting pieces of memorabilia signed by their favourite celebrity and sometimes it can be hard to know if what you are buying is really genuine. Genuine Memorabilia is a family run business that has been collecting autographs and signed memorabilia for over 30 years. They boast a collection of over 6,000 signed pieces from celebrities from the world of sport, film, TV, music and politics.
For more information visit Genuine Memorabilia to browse through the collection.