STANLEY, MARSHICA., M.A. Characterization of Popular Culture Icons in LIFE and TIME Magazines. (2008) Directed by Dr. Rebecca Adams. 193 pp. Popular culture icons are physical objects of everyday use that make the everyday meaningful. They are ideas, both old and new, that are at the mercy of its viewer, meaning whatever the viewer desires whenever the viewers desires it. Celebrities with iconic images are global figures worshipped by the public. Their images appear to the public through the media and have their images transmitted globally through the media. No research currently examines the characteristics used to describe the idea of the icon in media. Research studies the use of stereotypes to depict women, racial minorities, as well as sporting individuals. The characterization of sporting individuals is frequently related to their gender or race. This research examines the differences in characterization of eight individuals with iconic images from the entertainment and sports industries in LIFE and TIME magazines. The eight individuals (Muhammad Ali, Babe Didrikson, Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Wilma Rudolph, Babe Ruth, and Oprah Winfrey) were selected based on the number of appearances they made in icon literature listing individuals as icons. Gender, race, and occupation differences are analyzed as well as trends in characterization over time. The individuals are also examined to determine which individuals have the most iconic images. Content analysis was conducted of magazine articles about the eight celebrities. The articles provide narratives about them as an ideal as opposed to them as a people. Results indicate that Whites, males, and entertainers have images that generally average more characteristics used to depict them to the public than Blacks, females, or sportsmen and women. The results also suggest that only four of the individuals have images that truly embody iconic qualities. This research illustrates the prevailing preference for people with iconic images to be Whites, males, or entertainers, questioning the place of the public in the attitudes and biases the eight iconic images represent. CHARACTERIZATION OF POPULAR CULTURE ICONS IN LIFE AND TIME MAGAZINES By Marshica Stanley A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts Greensboro 2008 Approved by _________________________ Committee Chair © 2008 Marshica Stanley APPROVAL PAGE This thesis has been approved by the following committee of the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Committee Chair _______________________________ Committee Members ____________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ Date of Acceptance by Committee ____________________________ Date of Final Oral Examination ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Rebecca Adams, Dr. Naurice F. Woods, and Dr. Stephen Kroll-Smith for their patience and guidance through out this process. I would also like to thank Dr. Shelly Brown-Jeffy and Dr. Stephen J. Sills for their advice and guidance. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ..........................................................................................................viii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ...................................................................... 6 Popular Culture Icons .................................................................................... 7 Functions of Icons .................................................................................... 9 Iconology and Physical Appearance ...................................................... 10 The Celebrity as Icon.............................................................................. 12 Icons in the Celebrity Hierarchy............................................................. 15 Icon Selection ......................................................................................... 18 Icon Qualities.......................................................................................... 19 Icons, Media, and the Collective Memory ............................................. 23 Media Stereotypes........................................................................................ 26 Racial Stereotypes .................................................................................. 26 Media Stereotypes: The Intersection of Race, Gender, and Sports........ 30 Occupational Literature ............................................................................... 32 III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ....................................................................... 35 Identifying Iconic Individuals...................................................................... 35 Identifying Popular Magazines.................................................................... 37 Coding Methods........................................................................................... 38 IV. ICON BIOGRAPHIES ....................................................................................... 42 Muhammad Ali............................................................................................ 42 Early Life................................................................................................ 43 Early Career............................................................................................ 43 Peak of Career ........................................................................................ 44 Absence .................................................................................................. 45 Return to Boxing .................................................................................... 46 Post Career.............................................................................................. 47 Babe Didrikson ............................................................................................ 48 Early Life................................................................................................ 48 Early Career............................................................................................ 48 Peak of Career ........................................................................................ 49 iv Sickness and Death................................................................................. 50 Legacy .................................................................................................... 51 Michael Jackson........................................................................................... 52 Early Life................................................................................................ 52 Early Career............................................................................................ 52 Career Height.......................................................................................... 53 Post Career Height.................................................................................. 55 Legacy .................................................................................................... 56 Marilyn Monroe........................................................................................... 57 Early Life................................................................................................ 57 Early Career............................................................................................ 58 Career Height.......................................................................................... 58 Death and Legacy................................................................................... 60 Elvis Presley ................................................................................................ 61 Early Life................................................................................................ 61 Early Career............................................................................................ 62 Career Height.......................................................................................... 63 Post Career Height.................................................................................. 63 Legacy .................................................................................................... 64 Wilma Rudolph............................................................................................ 65 Early Life................................................................................................ 65 Early Career............................................................................................ 65 Career Height.......................................................................................... 66 Post Career.............................................................................................. 67 Death....................................................................................................... 68 Legacy .................................................................................................... 68 Babe Ruth .................................................................................................... 69 Early Life................................................................................................ 69 Early Career...........................................................................................