Richard Dyer's Star Theory

Richard Dyer states that the star is a construction and not a real person. This star is constructed through music videos, magazines, advertising etc. The star image is made up of a range of meanings which are attractive to the target audiences. Stars are manufactured by the music industry to serve a purpose; to make money out of the audience, who respond to various elements of a star's personality by buying records and becoming fans.  

His theory is split into three sections:

The stars as commodity - The stars are produced to make a profit from putting their faces on products and merchandise, some examples would include clothing, such as t-shirts, hats etc., posters, mugs. 

The stars as ideology - They will often be styled to represent certain ideologies of social groups. For example people who like the music genre, grime, might try to copy some aspects of the figures in the music genre on what they wear and their style, the way they would see this would be through seeing them through their music videos or on their social media profiles. 

The star as construction - Richard Dyer states that a star is a construction not a real person. They are created through their music videos, headlines, and media appearances. For example Lady Gaga is well known for her iconic and controversial outfits, but that is just her 'star image' as she wouldn't wear these normally.