Johnson & Wales University ScholarsArchive@JWU Academic Symposium of Undergraduate College of Arts & Sciences Scholarship Spring 2015 Crazy in Love with a Smooth Criminal: An In- Depth Look at Parasocial Relationships and How Celebrities Affect the Relationship Alyssa Termini Johnson & Wales University - Providence, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/ac_symposium Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Repository Citation Termini, Alyssa, "Crazy in Love with a Smooth Criminal: An In-Depth Look at Parasocial Relationships and How Celebrities Affect the Relationship" (2015). Academic Symposium of Undergraduate Scholarship. 31. https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/ac_symposium/31 This Research Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Arts & Sciences at ScholarsArchive@JWU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Academic Symposium of Undergraduate Scholarship by an authorized administrator of ScholarsArchive@JWU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Crazy in Love with a Smooth Criminal: An In-Depth Look at Parasocial Relationships and How Celebrities Affect the Relationship By Alyssa Termini 1 Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge Dr. Wendy Wagner for inspiring me to write about Beyoncé and encouraging me to pursue the topic. Dr. Christopher Westgate was indispensable throughout this entire process. From providing sources, ideas, and edits, Dr. Westgate proved to be more resourceful and helpful than I ever could have imagined. Finally, I would like to acknowledge and thank my parents for always picking up the phone, for providing me with an education, and for not only showing me the world, but also giving it to me. 2 Table of Contents: Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………..........4 Chapter 1: Celebrity Obsession…………………………………………………………………...5 Chapter 2: Let Me Hear You Say Hey Mrs. Carter……………………………………………...22 Chapter 3: The Glove Comes Off………………………………………………………………..46 Chapter 4: Mr. Jackson and Mrs. Carter…………………………………………………………64 Works Cited…………………………………………………………………...............................75 3 Introduction: Within this thesis, the celebrity careers of Beyoncé and Michael Jackson will be evaluated while keeping in mind the classic theory of parasocial interaction and parasocial relationships. Donald Horton and Richard Wohl penned the classic parasocial interaction theory in 1956 speaking of the persona, a celebrity, and the one-sided relationships spectators develop with personas. What is not said by Horton and Wohl, and what is said in this thesis, is that although the celebrity persona may not be aware they are involved in a parasocial relationship, their actions contribute to the creation of a parasocial relationship. By examining scholarly articles, celebrity readers and journals, enough research was gathered to create a foundation for my argument. When it came to the case studies on Beyoncé and Michael Jackson, an approach of evaluating song lyrics and music videos was used, as well as evaluating popular websites such as Billboard and Rolling Stone . Overall, the approach of scholarly research combined with music lyrics and videos, as well as articles led to a conclusion expanding upon the original thoughts of Horton and Wohl’s parasocial interaction theory. 4 Chapter 1: Celebrity Obsession As human beings we are often looking to other people for inspiration and direction in life, whether it be socially, cosmetically, or just for the fun of it. What is interesting about this observation is that more often than not, audiences and observers are turning to contemporary celebrities to fuel their inspiration. While many people have a detached relationship with their favorite icon, there are occasions when the fixation gets out of hand and develops into a nearly psychotic obsession. There are copious amounts of literature and reports on the causes of celebrity obsession, fixation, and veneration, but it all begins with a history. It has been said time and time again that the ancient Egyptians paved the way for modern society. Egyptians were polytheistic, and much of their lifestyle was centered on worshiping their many gods, deities, and pharaohs. Lay Egyptians believed in everything their icons did, and undoubtedly followed their lead in life. Because the gods and pharaohs held such prominent roles in society, and because they were seen as all knowing or powerful, the Egyptians worshipped them. Between worshiping in temples and performing symbolic dances, the ancient Egyptian people perfected the concept of idol adoration (Roberts). Research on ancient Egyptian societies suggests that with power, superhuman-like qualities, and reverence from others, a person can be the subject of someone else’s veneration. To provide an example, Amon, Egyptian king of the gods, was one of the most prominent deities of ancient Egypt. He was the god for those who felt oppressed, and was so highly revered that his temple was the largest and wealthiest in the land (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica). Long after the ancient Egyptians roamed the Earth, there was a monarchy in the country of England. In England, the monarchs, or social gods, were looked to for guidance on protocol, fashion, and decorum. Not too long ago, Queen Victoria donned the iconic white wedding gown, 5 and today it has become a staple in nearly every Westernized wedding (Pappas). This scenario resembles both the Egyptian pharaohs and gods, and today’s celebrities. Like the Egyptians worshiped their gods and pharaohs, modern-day fans fixate on and try to attach themselves to celebrities’ lives. Just as Egyptians worshiped in their temples, contemporary fans gather in arenas to worship their favorite comedian, musician, or upstanding figure. As human beings we sing and dance along with our favorite star(s), just as ritualistic dances were performed for the gods in ancient times. Why were the gods and pharaohs revered so highly? Because they were prominent, they were rich, and they were in a position that appealed to the commoners (Roberts). Much like yesterday’s gods and pharaohs, today’s celebrities are put up on a media-created pedestal and are portrayed as rich, superhuman, and youthful. Two contemporary performers have even earned royal monikers: Beyoncé and Michael Jackson have been referred to as the Queen and King of Pop, respectively. In the following scholarly works that have been evaluated, the focus is on both Beyoncé and Michael Jackson, to see what has been said about the pop royalty up to this point. Celebrity Cultures: An Introduction does not speak of Beyoncé, but Michael Jackson is discussed at different times throughout the celebrity studies literature. The star’s infamous court case is chronicled and evaluated for its ability to aid Michael in maintaining his celebrity status, and the reader even labeled the case a “media whirlwind.” This label was placed due to the amount of press it received, and how the publicity often replaced world news on televisions across America. Another part of Michael that was examined were his body enhancements and the effects they had on his fan base (Brown). Popular Music and Society contained a surplus of information regarding Michael Jackson and his celebrity status. Professor Stan Hawkins examined the style of the star’s performances 6 within his article, “You Rocked Our World, Michael: Your Moves, Your Look, Your Music, Everything!” and acknowledged what attributes of the performer led to fans worshipping him. Hawkins attributed much of the fans’ admiration to Michael’s ability to blend identities and styles, and to diversify the music market. Hawkins even mentioned the King of Pop tailoring his movements and performances in order to achieve ideal audiovisual entertainment (Hawkins). Through observation and evaluation, much was found on what made Michael appealing to various crowds and age groups. Popular Music and Society contained three additional articles relevant to this topic. Dr. Jacqueline Warwick examined the star’s transition from child star to adult pop icon in “’You Can’t Win, Child, but You Can’t Get Out of the Game’: Michael Jackson’s Transition from Child Star to Superstar,” and concluded that not only did young Michael’s sassy nature lead to crowd adoration, but the fact that he came from a wholesome and loving family contributed to the audience’s love for Michael Jackson (Warwick). In his article “Black or White? Michael Jackson and the Idea of Crossover,” Professor David Brackett spoke of the “crossover effect” that Michael possessed as an artist, meaning his music succeeded in multiple genres and target audiences. The most profound argument Brackett made in his article was that Michael’s relationship with his music is what led to a relationship with his audience, alluding to the statements he made as an artist and the musical innovations he created with every passing album and lyric (Brackett). In her article “Difference that Exceeded Understanding: Remembering Michael Jackson (1958-2009),” Professor Susan Fast talks of Michael’s uniqueness and how he was a difficult man to decipher, leading to audiences becoming infatuated with him. She also touches lightly on Michael’s upbringing and how it played a role in his adult life, but does not expand on the topic (Fast). 7 In the Celebrity Studies journal there are several articles on the late Michael Jackson. In “Michael as he is not remembered: Jackson’s ‘forgotten’ celebrity activism,” Michael’s great amount of philanthropic work is mentioned, and how his controversies in life overshadowed what he gave back to the world (Van Den Bulck and Panis). Additionally, there are many retrospective articles about Michael; one in particular, “Michael Jackson: celebrity death, mourning, and media events,” examines the events that occurred immediately after the untimely death of the King of Pop, and how his sudden death may shed light on some of the oddities of his celebrity status (Bennett). As for Beyoncé, much of the findings are recent, within the last five years, providing scholars with an up-to-date look at the narrative behind her celebrity status.