Influence of Celebrities on Adolescent Reading
by Teresa Jackson
When I was a sophomore in high school I loved
the band The Doors. Not only did I listen to their music all of
the time, but I also read several biographies about Jim Morrison.
As I learned more about him, I searched for information about his
influences and interests. For example, I read poetry by Arthur
Rimbaud, a French poet who Morrison admired. As a teacher, I’ve
also seen my students’ reading habits become affected by their interest
in celebrities. In my research for this paper, I came across a
study of urban minority middle school students that reports
“[c]elebrities, ‘people or characters like me,’ sports figures, and
musicians are among the most popular topics for the respondents’
leisure reading. Fifty-six percent were interested in
celebrities, especially girls. Sixty-three percent of the boys
liked reading about sports figures” (Hughes-Hassell & Rodge,
2007). Clearly student interest in celebrities can be a useful
tool for teachers and librarians.
I’ve often wondered
why teens especially are so attracted to famous people. According
to the work of psychologists David Giles and John Maltby, celebrities
provide adolescents with “an extended social network—a group of
'pseudo-friends' who form the subject of peer gossip and discussion”
(Whiteman, 2004). As teens develop autonomy from parents,
celebrity attachment is a way of engaging with the social world.
It’s a healthy interest and a sign of self-confidence. As we work
with teens, we should be aware that intense celebrity worship, however,
is probably a sign of loneliness and lack of social skills.
Even a healthy
interest in celebrity can have an overwhelming influence on
adolescents. According to a 2003 report by Buzzback Market
Research 72 percent of tweens “admit that seeing a favorite character
using a certain brand makes them want to use that brand at least some
of the time” (Kennedy, 2004). Meanwhile, a survey of Canadian
undergraduate students found that “60 percent admitted that an idol had
influenced their attitudes and personal values, including their work
ethic and views on morality. And nearly half said that their idol
inspired them to pursue activities including acting, sports, becoming a
vegetarian or using marijuana” (Bennett, 2002).
Here’s proof that
celebrity endorsements work, and we teachers and librarians should
capitalize on it. At the American Library Association’s web
store, we can buy “ALA Celebrity Reads” materials, like posters of
Corbin Bleu, Orlando Bloom, and Eva Mendes with their favorite books
urging students to read. A quick Google search is all it takes to
find what certain celebrities list as their favorite books. For
example, TV.com has web pages of trivia for many celebrities. I
found that Miley Cyrus’ favorite book is Lurlene McDaniel’s Don’t Die, My Love and Shia Labeouf’s is Siddhartha
by Hermann Hesse. Imagine a bulletin board or tabletop display
full of these favorites and the excitement it could cause.
At Amazon you can search
for books that have ties to movies by going to the “Literature and
Fiction” category, click on “Genre Fiction,” then “Movie
Tie-ins.” Using this information you could have a display of
books that inspire movies in which popular celebrities have
appeared. Scarlett Johansson seems to specialize in this film
genre with appearances in The Other Boleyn Girl, Mary Queen of Scots (in production), The Nanny Diaries, and Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Finally,
biographies about celebrities are very popular, assuming you have the
right one at the right time. Children’s Press has a series called
Celebrity Bios with books about Britney Spears, Katie Holmes, and
Jessica Alba among others (some now passé). Rosen Publishing Group has
a series called Celebrity Activists with thematic biographies on such
stars as Angelina Jolie, Bono, and Leonardo Dicaprio. Lucent
Books also has a series called People in the News and has published
biographies on J.K. Rowling, Adam Sandler, Barack Obama, and LeBron
James.
Cited
Bennett, C. (2002).Fan club
confessions: Teens underestimate influence of celebrity idols.
Psychology Today. 35:1, 18. Retrieved June 20, 2008, from
Academic Search Elite database.
Hughes-Hassell, S., & Rodge, P. (2007). The leisure reading habits of urban adolescents. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 51:1, 22-33. Retrieved June 20, 2008, from Academic Search Elite database.
Kennedy, D. (2004).Coming of age in consumerdom. American Demographics. 26:3, 14. Retrieved June 20, 2008, from Academic Search Elite database.
Miley Cyrus: Trivia and Quotes. (2008). Retrieved June 21, 2008, from TV.com Web site: http://www.tv.com/miley-cyrus/person/242298/trivia.html
Shia LaBeouf: Trivia and Quotes. (2008). Retrieved June 21, 2008, from TV.com Web site: http://www.tv.com/shia-labeouf/person/34106/trivia.html
Whiteman, B. (2004, February). Stars in their eyes: How celebrities are related to social development. Retrieved June 21, 2008, from University of Leicester Web site: http://www.le.ac.uk/press/press/starsintheireyes.html