‘Cristiano Ronaldo is cheap chic, Twilight actors are special’: young audiences of celebrities, class and locality

Abstract

Taking a broad perspective on the audiences of celebrity culture, this article investigates the ways in which Portuguese young people participate in the social construction of celebrity, their own identities and ultimately their country’s place in global culture. Looking at the negotiation processes that occur among young people aged 12–17 around local and global celebrities, mostly from entertainment and sports, the respondents held different perceptions depending largely on the celebrities’ cultural origins. The relationships that young people establish with celebrities also help them to project a social position and negotiate their ambitions. While perceptions of class are more accentuated among general audiences and enthusiasts regarding local celebrities, there is a more dramatised view of the life narratives of teen stars and global celebrities, which is even stronger among fans. The discussion surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo, a local celebrity turned global, showed that the meanings they attribute to celebrities link class and the semi-peripheral position that Portugal occupies in the global circuits of culture.

Keywords:

• celebrities
• local
• audiences
• young people
• class

ORCID

Ana Jorge http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4069-6212

Notes

1. The Twilight saga includes lead actors Robert Pattinson and Kirsten Stewart, who were romantically involved at the time of the fieldwork; Miley Cyrus is a singer and actress who started her career as lead actress in Disney’s Hannah Montana (2008); Justin Bieber is a Canadian teen singer who was famous through his YouTube videos; and Tokio Hotel is a German band with four male members, the lead singer using an emo style.

2. In Portugal, social classes are mostly divided between upper, middle and lower classes, based on educational and economic capital, without hereditary titles. The middle class is vast, despite having been affected by the economic crisis since 2008. Private schools are a defining sign of the upper class, as middle-class families cannot usually afford to pay for their children’s school.

3. The footballer was born to a poor family in the Madeira Islands, where he started playing football, until he was recruited for one of the major Portuguese football clubs, Sporting Clube de Portugal, where he did his training from 1997 onwards. In 2003, he moved to Manchester United. In 2009/10, when our fieldwork occurred, the Portuguese football player had been transferred to Real Madrid, in a transfer worth £80 million that made him not only the most expensive Portuguese footballer ever, but also the most expensive footballer in the world. In 2009, he received the Ballon d’Or, as the best player in the world, after Eusébio, in 1965, and Luís Figo, in 2000. His celebrity combines his stature as recognisably brilliant football player with his notoriety for having many girlfriends, especially from the time he played in Manchester United. In Portugal, celebrity media give a lot of attention to his family, especially his mother and sisters, often in derogatory ways that point out lack of taste, and his personal story revolves around the transition from poverty, including his father’s problem with alcoholism, to great wealth.

4. Portuguese television presenter and model, who started her career in a reality show.

5. Youth drama on private television channel TVI between 2003 and 2012.

6. A television presenter who started her career as a teenager for the private broadcaster SIC.

7. His nickname is the Disney character [Uncle] Scrooge.

8. Portuguese phrase to refer to the social origin of the family.

Additional information

Funding

This research was conducted with support from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, through a PhD scholarship [SFRH/BD/40062/2007], and the proofreading of the article was supported by CESNOVA-FCSH.

Notes on contributors

Ana Jorge

Ana Jorge is a media and communications postdoctoral researcher, with a grant from the National Foundation for Science and Technology, and invited Assistant Professor at University NOVA of Lisbon, Portugal. She holds a PhD in Communication Sciences from the same university, with a thesis on young audiences and fans of celebrity culture, concluded in 2012. Currently a member of the European projects EU Kids Online (EC Safer Internet Programme), RadioActive Europe (EC Lifelong Learning Programme) and The Hobbit Global Audiences Projects, she has participated in the Digital Inclusion and Participation project with University of Texas at Austin, USA, and national projects about the representation of gender in lifestyle magazines and press. She has worked as a communication officer in companies and agencies, and in science communication. Her research interests include audience studies, children and media, media education, popular culture and celebrity culture, and consumption.