Richard Dyer's star theory examines how stars are constructed images made up of meanings that are marketed to target audiences through a range of media like films, magazines, and advertisements. A key part of Dyer's theory is that the star image is inherently incoherent and incomplete, based on two paradoxes: the star must be both ordinary and extraordinary, and both present and absent for consumers. Stardom constructs a semi-mythical set of meanings around performers through shared traits like youth, rebellion, talent, and conspicuous consumption in order to sell the performer to a large, loyal audience.

1. Richard Dyer’s star
theory

2. The theory
Dyer has written extensively about the role of stars in film and TV etc.
Irrespective of the medium, stars have some key features in common:
A star is an image, not a real person, that is constructed out of a range of
materials (eg advertising, magazines etc as well as films [music])
Stars are commodities produced and consumed on the strength of their
meanings.
Stars depend upon a range of subsidiary media – magazines, TV, radio, the
internet – in order to construct an image for themselves which can be marketed
to their target audiences.
The star image is made up of a range of meanings which are attractive to the
target audiences

3. Dyer’s theory continued…
Fundamentally, the star image is incoherent, that is incomplete and ‘open’. Dyer
says that this is because it is based upon two key paradoxes.
Paradox 1
The star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer
Paradox 2
The star must be simultaneously present and absent for the consumer

4. Stardom
Stardom is the semi-mythological set of meanings constructed around music performers in order to sell
the performer to a large and loyal audience.
However the most common traits for shared between 'stars' are known to be:
Youthfulness
Rebellion
Sexual Magnetism
An anti-authoritarian attitude
Originality
Creativity/Talent
Aggression
A disregard for social values relating to drugs, sex and behaviour
Conspicuous consumption of sex, drugs and material goods
Outstanding success against all odds

5. The Star Image
The incoherence of the star image ensures that audiences continually strive to 'complete' or to
'make sense of' of the image.
- This is achieved by continued consumption of the star through his or her products.
- In the music industry, performance seems to promise the completion of the image, but it is
always ultimately unsatisfying.
- This means that fans will go away determined to continue consuming the star in order to carry
on attempting to complete their image.
- Finally, the star image can be used to position the consumer in relation to dominate social
values (that is hegemony).
- Depending upon the artist, this may mean that the audience are positioned against the
mainstream (though only to a limited degree, since they are still consumers within a capitalist
system).