ABSTRACT
Celebrities are cultural objects who attract audiences by being simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary, public and intimate, present and absent. Some celebrities earn their status through achievement, while others rise because "the publicity machine focuses on the worthy and unworthy alike, churning out many admired commodities, called celebrities, famous because they have been made to be". This chapter explores each of these ideas in the context of the music industry, showing their specific application to female popular music stars. Female pop stars are carefully constructed representations of women, so this becomes complicated for all involved. They learn to be a representation of a woman, arguably a female impersonator, rather than a three-dimensional woman. If media organizations and music companies set the agenda for what people see, and how they think about what they see, their message about female celebrities is clear: They are valued predominantly for their use to or consumption by others, and their bodies are their most marketable asset.
