Richard Dyer star theory

Firstly, Richard Dyer's star theory is the idea that institutions for their financial gain manufacture icons and celebrities. He also believes that stars are constructed to represent 'real people' experiencing real emotions. Stars are manufactured by the music industry to serve a purpose and to initially make money out of the audience

CONSTRUCT: 

Stars are artificial images constructed by the media and the representations that media portrays and feeds to the audience. This includes magazines, films, advertising or shows. Every time, the media can construct particular image of a star and use this to their advantage. Therefore, the audience never really meets the real star, however as a viewer, we want to believe that the representation/ construction is the real person, even if often that is not the case.

This picture is a prime example of Liam Gallagher wearing unique clothing to gain attention and publicity. It could also be said that Oasis have single-handedly revitalised British fashion with their individual style. Additionally, the way he styles his hair can also have a big impact on the media as it is a selling point due to the amount of people who idolise him- so they will be influenced to look the same way he does. 

IDEOLOGY&AUDIENCE: 

Stars are manufactured to make profit and bring money to their record company. Therefore, pop stars undergo changes in order to fit the needs of their audience and sell effectively. This allows the record label to invest into the make-over and then gain profit as it’s a safe investment.  Due to the high demand of pop artist the industry tries to supply pop artist on regular basis. These stars will have similar traits but slightly varied to attract a lot of audiences. Stars like Beyoncé, Rihanna or Miley Cyrus have similar traits in terms of their image and music videos because they are of similar genre and have been manufactured to make profit


An example of this is the Stone Roses and their obscure 'bucket hat' fashion statement. This was formally used at one concert due to it raining but then it spiralled into a craze which vitalised the whole obsession. 

IDEOLOGY&CULTURE: 

Stars can also have their own cultural values and ideologies, which they represent through their image. They can promote these and influence people as they are a significant person in the industry. They can also address moral, social or political issues in their products or through sites like social media where people are able to access the artist and share their view or opinion. Stars like Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus or George Michael have taken an active part in the discussion of the LGBT community and continue to promote equality.

CHARACTER&PERSONALITY: 

A star is a concept and a media construction, however must be based off realism and identify characteristics of a real person. Often stars will follow the mainstream ideologies (hegemony) and promote messages like ‘thin=beautiful’ which can upset audiences in different circumstances. However, some stars promote pluralism (Niche ideas/ideologies) and don’t conform to the mass opinions. This therefore gives them the feel of a ‘real person’ and shows that even stars are not perfect and have flaws. Artists like Adele have shown that you don’t have to be then to be beautiful, successful or talented. She also has a cocky personality and lovable nature which is what makes her a great artist.

Liam Gallagher is a great example of someone who has both swagger and independence. Many people admire to be like him and try to replicate his ways through their clothing, hairstyle and personality. 

Ordinary and Extraordinary:

This is required so that the artists can relate to the audience as ordinary people but they also display their talents as extraordinary. An example of this is Noel Gallagher being able to relate to the Manchester working class as well as being an amazing musician. 

Present and absent:

 Present is where an artist is in the spotlight and also releasing new music content. However, being absent is the idea of stepping out of the spotlight. An example would be Oasis are now absent due to splitting up but Liam Gallagher is now present releasing new single 'wall of glass' and writing new album 'as you were'.

By understanding Richard Dyer's star theory I can use this to show how stars are used for other peoples financial gain and how bands like Oasis tried to put an end to this. Moreover, we found that some artists use this theory to their advantage in order to gain more media exploitation. All the ideas that have been discovered can be used within my music video. This is due to the fact that it helps shape  the representation of how to make the performer's behave in different circumstances and these circumstances consist of teaching the individuals on how to act, advertise and also target audiences matching the opinions that people have of them.