Celebrities have powerful brands much like companies and products. Should celebrities be expected to have a higher standard of moral behavior, the same as everyday people or lesser standards because they have more power and money than the average Joe?
By now we've all heard about Tiger Wood's affair(s). Is it really that surprising? While he is a genius on the golf course he is still merely human. And apparently a human who makes bad decisions much like Kobe Bryant, Bill Clinton, David Letterman, Madonna, and all the others who have harmed their marriages because they didn't control their urges. Or what about Michael Phelps and Amy Winehouse - both talented individuals who indulged themselves in recreational drug use? Or what about Snoop Dogg and other celebrities that have been arrested for violent behaviors?
Does the fact that these celebrities have problems make us relate to them more? Does it affect our own views of what is and is not acceptable or moral behavior? I can't say and it's not my position to judge people only to ask if celebrity brands affect us.
Celebrity brands effect our culture. We may or may not feel the effect on ourselves personally, but collectively the culture we see and how we respond to it effects us all. We are all influenced by (and influence) the opinions, words and actions of those around us to some degree. What celebrities do with their lives, and how you and I process it (like right now in this blog) is part of that mix.
ReplyDeleteCelebrities like Tiger Woods are modern day equivalent of "Heroes": They live larger than life life and crash larger than life… they're surreal. We can't PERSONALLY expect them to be super human (either super-heroes or super-villains) but that is the role that we cast them in and that is the role they live out for all to see. CULTURALLY, it IS EXACTLY what we expect.
Does any of this help me relate to Tiger Woods more? I can't relate to him at all, I don't even know who he is - just the comic book of a "Brand" that surrounds him. I can only imagine that he is a relatable person down under all that somewhere.
Wouldn't it be nice if "Personal Brands" really helped us connect with PEOPLE and not caricatures? I guess culturally we must find that too boring.