Celebrity

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A celebrity is a famous person. The etymological origin of the word is "one who is celebrated." An alternative definition of a celebrity is a person who is famous for being famous (regardless of what first brought them to fame). What it takes to be a celebrity depends on the cultural context and the historical time. The advent of mass media increased the public interest in celebrities, and has even developed into a self-substantiating circuit (the 'cult of celebrity' i.e. being famous for being famous and not for having achieved anything else). Some ordinary people volunteer to become known on television (e.g. in reality television shows) for a taste of celebrity, though celebrity from a reality show is usually called "fleeting celebrity" or "15 minutes of fame" (a term coined by Andy Warhol).

Examples of celebrities

• actors and movie stars
• directors
• artists
• musicians
• authors
• politicians
• royalty
• sportspeople

See also:

• actor
• celebrity stiff
• Celebrity (1998 movie)
• Celebrity- (Nsync album)

Life as a celebrity has its down side as a famous individual is subject to unwanted attention. Celebrities, in general, lead somewhat restricted lives and often socialize mostly with family and other celebrities. It is sometimes necessary for celebrities to hire personnel such as secretaries and bodyguards to protect themselves. Certain communities such as Aspen, Colorado are somewhat celebrity friendly and have a culture which allows celebrities to lead somewhat normal lives.

Further reading

• Joshua Gamson, Claims to Fame: Celebrity in Contemporary America, University of California Press, 1994, trade paperback, ISBN 0520083539

References

• Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Celebrity" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrity, used under the GNU Free Documentation License