2. Star Theory
Richard Dyer believed that celebrities are ideas and are constructed by
institutions to make money. These “Stars” are built up and made to target a
specific group of people. Dyer says:
 “Stars are commodities that are produced by institutions”.
 “A star is a constructed image, represented across a range of media and
mediums.”
 “Stars represent and embody certain ideologies”
Dyer states that a star is an image not a real person. They are an image
presented to an audience. Because of this construction it means we as an
audience have expectations of them that they might not be able to meet.
A ‘Character’ is made when constructing a star which allows them to be known
above other stars.
Dyer believed there are three things that makes a persona star:
 Audiences and institutions
 Constructions
 Hegemony

3. Beyoncé
Beyoncé is a good example of a ‘Star’ because she has many characteristics that
turn her into a role model for a lot of people.
When people think of Beyoncé, they think she is:
 Beautiful
 A performer
 Confident
 Has a nice figure
 Good personality
 Is Charitable
 Good at singing and dancing
 A person who has lots of fans
She is also seen as a star to people because her fans call her “Queen B” this
shows her as a strong and independent woman and makes her an idol for many
young girls.

4. Audiences and Institutions
According to Dyer stars are made to make money for an institution.
Audiences will consume what they believe is the ideal person because they
look up to and want to be like the star.
The institution creating this ‘star’ modifies the stars image around the target
audience. They do this so the star is based on what the audience want. Or
what the institution believes the audience wants.

5. Constructions
Dyer believed that a star is built for an audience and is not an actual person.
He stated that a persona is created for the audience to identify so they can
stand out from the rest of people who are stars. A star is built specifically
with someone's signature to them which will differentiate them from other
stars.
An example of this is Lady Gaga. Her look is used to surprise people. Her
outgoing look makes her memorable to her audience. It is unlikely that will
be how she dresses all the time, when she is at home or not in the spotlight.

6. Hegemony
The definition of ‘Hegemony’ is “Leadership or dominance, especially by one
state or social group over others.”
 This means that we relate to a star because they have a feature we
admire.
 This admiration then develops into idolization. This idolization however is
sometimes negative because people try and replicate the actions of their
role model which sometimes is not the best behaviour or attitude to
replicate.