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'''Famous for being famous''', or '''famous for nothing''', is a ] ] ] that refers to someone who attains ] status for no particular identifiable reason (as opposed to fame based on achievements, skill, and/or talent) and just appears to generate their own fame, or someone who achieves fame through association with an actual celebrity (such as being the spouse, child, etc. of one).<ref name="Jenkins">{{cite book|last=Jenkins|first=Joe|title=Contemporary moral issues|publisher=Heinemann|year=2002|edition=4, illustrated|series=Examining Religions |pages=178|isbn=978-0-435-30309-9}}</ref> The application of the term suggests that the individual has no particular talents or abilities. People who have been described as "famous for being famous" include ],<ref>http://dangerousminds.net/comments/think_pink_angelyne_the_billboard_queen</ref> ],<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/wp/2013/04/26/jill-kelly-makes-an-appearance-at-the-timepeople-party/ | work=The Washington Post | title=The Reliable Source}}</ref> ],<ref>http://jezebel.com/20-celebrities-we-cant-believe-are-still-famous-507694105</ref> ],<ref>http://www.eonline.com/news/564052/nicole-richie-tells-oprah-winfrey-about-the-easiest-hardest-part-of-being-married-to-joel-madden</ref> ],<ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1138397/I-created-monster-Jade-Goody-Inc--Now-I-feel-guilty-fights-life.html</ref> and the Kardashian sisters ], ] and ].<ref name="JenJones">{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Jen|title=Being Famous|publisher=Capstone Press|year=2007|series=Snap Books: 10 Things You Need to Know about|pages=20|isbn=978-1-4296-0126-9}}</ref> '''Famous for being famous''', or '''famous for nothing''', is a ] ] ] that refers to someone who attains ] status for no particular identifiable reason (as opposed to fame based on achievements, skill, and/or talent) and just appears to generate their own fame, or someone who achieves fame through association with an actual celebrity (such as being the spouse, child, etc. of one).<ref name="Jenkins">{{cite book|last=Jenkins|first=Joe|title=Contemporary moral issues|publisher=Heinemann|year=2002|edition=4, illustrated|series=Examining Religions |pages=178|isbn=978-0-435-30309-9}}</ref> The application of the term suggests that the individual has no particular talents or abilities. People who have been described as "famous for being famous" include ],<ref>http://dangerousminds.net/comments/think_pink_angelyne_the_billboard_queen</ref> ],<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/wp/2013/04/26/jill-kelly-makes-an-appearance-at-the-timepeople-party/ | work=The Washington Post | title=The Reliable Source}}</ref> ],<ref>http://jezebel.com/20-celebrities-we-cant-believe-are-still-famous-507694105</ref> ],<ref>http://www.eonline.com/news/564052/nicole-richie-tells-oprah-winfrey-about-the-easiest-hardest-part-of-being-married-to-joel-madden</ref> and the Kardashian sisters ], ] and ].<ref name="JenJones">{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Jen|title=Being Famous|publisher=Capstone Press|year=2007|series=Snap Books: 10 Things You Need to Know about|pages=20|isbn=978-1-4296-0126-9}}</ref>


Often, people labeled as being "famous for being famous" received notability due to family relationships with public figures. In the case of the Kardashians, for example, they achieved their initial fame from their deceased father,{{Citation needed|date=December 2014}} ], who was ]'s lawyer in the ], as well as their family link to ] ] athlete ]. Even when a person's fame genuinely arises from a particular talent or action on their part, the term will sometimes still apply if their fame is perceived as disproportionate to what they earned through their talent or work. Often, people labeled as being "famous for being famous" received notability due to family relationships with public figures. In the case of the Kardashians, for example, they achieved their initial fame from their deceased father,{{Citation needed|date=December 2014}} ], who was ]'s lawyer in the ], as well as their family link to ] ] athlete ]. Even when a person's fame genuinely arises from a particular talent or action on their part, the term will sometimes still apply if their fame is perceived as disproportionate to what they earned through their talent or work.

Revision as of 09:46, 4 May 2015

Famous for being famous, or famous for nothing, is a pejorative popular culture term that refers to someone who attains celebrity status for no particular identifiable reason (as opposed to fame based on achievements, skill, and/or talent) and just appears to generate their own fame, or someone who achieves fame through association with an actual celebrity (such as being the spouse, child, etc. of one). The application of the term suggests that the individual has no particular talents or abilities. People who have been described as "famous for being famous" include Angelyne, Jill Kelley, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, and the Kardashian sisters Kim, Khloé and Kourtney.

Often, people labeled as being "famous for being famous" received notability due to family relationships with public figures. In the case of the Kardashians, for example, they achieved their initial fame from their deceased father, Robert Kardashian, who was O. J. Simpson's lawyer in the 1994 case, as well as their family link to Olympic track and field athlete Bruce Jenner. Even when a person's fame genuinely arises from a particular talent or action on their part, the term will sometimes still apply if their fame is perceived as disproportionate to what they earned through their talent or work.

Term origin

The term originates from an analysis of the media-dominated world called The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-events in America (1961), by historian and social theorist Daniel J. Boorstin. In it, he defined the celebrity as "a person who is known for his well-knownness". He further argued that the graphic revolution in journalism and other forms of communication had severed fame from greatness, and that this severance hastened the decay of fame into mere notoriety. Over the years, the phrase has been glossed as 'a celebrity is someone who is famous for being famous'.

The British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge may have been the first to use the actual phrase in the introduction to his book Muggeridge Through The Microphone (1967) in which he wrote; "In the past if someone was famous or notorious, it was for something—as a writer or an actor or a criminal; for some talent or distinction or abomination. Today one is famous for being famous. People who come up to one in the street or in public places to claim recognition nearly always say: 'I've seen you on the telly!'"

Neal Gabler more recently refined the definition of celebrity to distinguish those who have gained recognition for having done virtually nothing of significance — a phenomenon he dubbed the “Zsa Zsa Factor” in honor of Zsa Zsa Gabor, who parlayed her marriage to actor George Sanders into a brief movie career and the movie career into a much more enduring celebrity. He goes on to define the celebrity as “human entertainment,” by which he means a person who provides entertainment by the very process of living.

Some popular actors such as Jason Statham, Jon Hamm, and Daniel Craig have criticized the status of being "famous for being famous", arguing that it demeans the work of people who gain fame due to genuine talent.

Similar terms

Famesque

The Washington Post writer Amy Argetsinger coined the term famesque to define actors, singers, or athletes whose fame is mostly (if not entirely) due to one's physical attractiveness and/or personal life, rather than actual talent and (if any) successful career accomplishments. Argetsinger argued, "The famesque of 2009 are descended from that dawn-of-TV creation, the Famous for Being Famous. Turn on a talk show or Hollywood Squares and there'd be Zsa Zsa Gabor, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Charles Nelson Reilly, so friendly and familiar and -- what was it they did again?" She also used actress Sienna Miller as a modern-day example; "Miller became famesque by dating Jude Law . . . and then really famesque when he cheated on her with the nanny -- to the point that she was the one who made Balthazar Getty famesque (even though he's the one with the hit TV series, Brothers & Sisters) when he reportedly ran off from his wife with her for a while."

Celebutante

Celebutante and celebutant are portmanteaux of the words "celebrity" and "débutante". The term has been used to describe individuals such as Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie in entertainment journalism. The term has been traced back to a 1939 Walter Winchell society column in which he used the word to describe prominent society debutante Brenda Frazier, who was a traditional "high-society" debutante from a noted family, but whose debut attracted an unprecedented wave of media attention. The word appeared again in a 1985 Newsweek article about New York City's clubland celebrities, focusing on the lifestyle of James St. James, Lisa Edelstein and Dianne Brill, who was crowned "Queen of the Night" by Andy Warhol.

See also

References

  1. Jenkins, Joe (2002). Contemporary moral issues. Examining Religions (4, illustrated ed.). Heinemann. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-435-30309-9.
  2. http://dangerousminds.net/comments/think_pink_angelyne_the_billboard_queen
  3. "The Reliable Source". The Washington Post.
  4. http://jezebel.com/20-celebrities-we-cant-believe-are-still-famous-507694105
  5. http://www.eonline.com/news/564052/nicole-richie-tells-oprah-winfrey-about-the-easiest-hardest-part-of-being-married-to-joel-madden
  6. Jones, Jen (2007). Being Famous. Snap Books: 10 Things You Need to Know about. Capstone Press. p. 20. ISBN 978-1-4296-0126-9.
  7. ^ Richards, Jeffrey (2007). Sir Henry Irving: A Victorian Actor and His World. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 259. ISBN 978-1-85285-591-8.
  8. Boorstin, Daniel Joseph (1961). The image: A guide to pseudo-events in America. New York: Vintage. ISBN 978-0-679-74180-0.
  9. ^ Gabler, Neal. "Toward a New Definition of Celebrity" (PDF). The Norman Lear Center. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. Bull, Sarah (June 12, 2012). "'I'd hate to be a Kardashian... they're famous for being famous': Now Billy Connolly slams Kim and co". Daily Mail. London.
  11. Argetsinger, Amy (August 10, 2009). "They Must Be Stars Because They Get So Much Press, but What Is It They Do Again?". Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  12. ^ Zimmer, Ben (January 20, 2007). "Celeb-u-rama". Language Log.
  13. Winchell, Walter (April 7, 1939). "On Broadway (syndicated column)". Daily Times-News. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  14. "James St. James profile". Newsweek. June 3, 1985. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
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