Both Harris and Alexandre attest to the unifying nature of pop culture and how it brings people together across racial, political and social divides. Both Alexandre and Harris believe that the influence of pop culture on humanity must not be underestimated. Pop culture is part of our culture and fabric as human beings. It can be defined as a set of objects, beliefs, and practices that predominates society at a specific period. In today’s society, pop culture refers to themes such as art, music, literature, dance, fashion, film, and social media. These issues have become dominant mainstream activities creating a buzz in almost all aspects of existence. Ordinary people enjoy them, are more common among younger generations, and are characterized by mass appeal and accessibility. As a part of pop culture, “Celebrity Bodies” is significant because it delves into society’s obsession with what’s trending or what’s popular at any given time, and the impact of this obsession on humanity. “Celebrity Bodies” is an informative essay by cultural critic Daniel Harris focusing on the effects of society on Hollywood. The essay discusses society’s obsession with the looks and appearances of celebrities and how this obsession impacts key personalities in Hollywood.
Society’s obsession with well-known personalities and their physical appearance is nothing new. In fact, the phenomenon has existed in popular culture for decades. This cultural obsession usually revolves around the concept of weight loss and weight gain. According to Elliott (2011), written observations of the public’s obsession with celebrity bodies can be traced back to the mid-20th Century where society and the media, in particular, often used harsh words to describe celebrities’ looks. It was observed in instances of prejudice against stars with red hair, overweight, and those considered too skinny. This issue draws considerable similarity to
Alexandre’s argument about the power of pop culture. Alexandre describes pop culture as a “universal language that although may seem trivial, it puts smiles on people’s faces and connects them across social, racial, and political divides (Philippe).”
In addition, society’s cultural obsession with celebrity bodies has given rise to a phenomenon now known as body shaming. Body shaming is the act of making negative or inappropriate comments about an individual’s size or weight. Just like viral videos, attention-grabbing films and funny memes, it is an integral part of social media and pop culture. Many celebrities have been the victims of online bullying and humiliation simply because of their looks. For instance, in the 1950s, the late Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe was subjected to body shaming. Today, perhaps the most classic example of how society’s obsession with celebrity bodies has negatively affected celebrities is in Adele’s story. Like so many other Hollywood stars who have gone to extreme lengths to alter their bodies to satisfy society’s desire, the British singer’s recent jaw-dropping weight loss has sparked widespread speculation and endless discussion on social media. There are numerous articles on the internet addressing this issue. The singer is said to have lost more than 100 pounds (Natale 1). She admitted that society’s perceptions of her body were partly to blame for her insecurities and had been forced to respond to people’s reactions to her weight loss
Fig 1: Singer Adele before and after weight loss
In another example, reality TV star Kim Kardashian received widespread criticism for her plastic surgeries. It is this worrying trend that Harris addresses in his text, “Celebrity Bodies.” According to Harris, pop culture is behind the idea that celebrities should have a ‘perfect body’, a concept that bears little resemblance to reality.
Fig 2: Pinterest. Kim Kardashian’s plastic surgery timeline-before and after. Pinterest. Web: 7 November, 2021. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/373446994109862849/
Harris begins his essay by drawing attention to the deaths of two fashion models that suffered heart attacks at work. One of them, an Uruguayan model, collapsed on the runway, having eaten nothing but lettuce leaves for months in an attempt to maintain her body weight.
This is a perfect example of the negative effects of society’s obsession with celebrity bodies on Hollywood. Many other Hollywood personalities have engaged in mad rushes of body transformation to fit society’s norms of beauty. Some personalities have even suffered from mental health problems like depression and anxiety to create an illusion of perfection concerning their looks. Others have gone to extreme lengths to transform their looks through plastic surgery. The blame, according to Harris, should be placed entirely on the society, which holds celebrities to standards they are incapable of adhering to.
However, the relationship between society and celebrity bodies is like a double-edged sword. Harris also details the effects of celebrities’ looks on members of the public (Satrapi 1). He argues that the influence of pop culture is dangerous to people’s physical and emotional health. To imitate famous personalities, many teenagers have suffered from eating disorders and psychological health problems. They suffer from despair, hopelessness, and feelings of unworthiness when they fail to meet high expectations regarding their bodies. In conclusion, Harris states that society’s relationship with celebrities is very pathological because it is absent in people’s lives.
A critical analysis of Harris’ text demonstrates the need for society to reexamine its relationship with celebrity bodies. The compulsive obsession around fans, critics, paparazzi, admirers and social media users to celebrities and their looks is an example of the power of pop culture on people’s lives. This obsession is deeply embedded in pop culture today and is responsible for the numerous problems suffered by Hollywood personalities. The ramifications of society’s obsession with celebrities are widely negative. From wearing outlandish outfits to maintaining ridiculous exercise routines, celebrities have gone to painstaking lengths to be accepted in pop culture. This has led to body image concerns, dissociation, and mental health problems. As a result, obsessing over celebrity bodies is an aspect of pop culture that society members must strive to change.
Works Cited
Elliott, Anthony. “‘I want to look like that!’: Cosmetic surgery and celebrity culture.” Cultural sociology 5.4 (2011): 463-477.
Harris, Daniel. “Celebrity bodies.” Southwest Review. 93.1 2008: 135-144.
Natale, Nicol. “Adele Shares Exactly How She Lost 100 Pounds, and How Hitting the Gym
Helped Her Mental Health.” Prevention. (2015).
Pinterest. Kim Kardashian’s plastic surgery timeline-before and after. Pinterest. Web: 7 November, 2021. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/373446994109862849/
Philippe, Alexandre. “Why pop culture? Alexandre O. Philippe at TedxMileHigh” TED YouTube. July 2013. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_3UYncNwz4 Accessed 3rdDec 2021.
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis I & II. Random House, 2008.
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