Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Pop icon
For a the British television series see: Pop Idol; for religious icons, see: icon.
Pop icon or pop idol is a celebrity whose popularity (hence, "pop") remains constant or even increases as time goes by. Most celebrities, especially teen idols, exhuast the public's interest with extreme rapidity.
During the 1990s and 2000s, many popular music stars are held as Pop idols. The Pop idol is though a much broader definition than this, and acceleration of media has made Pop idols out of celebrities of many types.
Most pop icons achieved their status through death, typically at a young age. Adoration of pop icons is due only in part to their actual accomplishments; the far more important factor is their apparent attainment of eternal youth. Some of the most notable pop icons are James Dean, John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe. However, even middle-aged celebrities who died can achieve this "eternal youth" if the public chooses to simply ignore all images of them past a certain date, as has been done with Elvis Presley.
Death nearly always increases the average person's awe of a public figure. In part this is due to a simple respect for the dead, but the sense of finality that accompanies their departure also signals the fact that they are no longer capable of future betrayals of trust, as Michael Jackson has disappointed his fans by being accused of pedophilia. Thus, it is now safe to "worship" the icon.
Death also increases the value of all items associated with the pop icon, sometimes drastically; this is known among collectors by many names, including the "death tax" and "funeral inflation."
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Influence of a Pop icon
Examples
Che Guevara
A guerilla soldier and revolutionary from the 1960s, Che Guevara, is a Pop idol of young people far away from then reality Cuba and Latin America. Guevara can be found on lots of T-shirts, album covers and is a symbol for revolution. As a Pop idol, the actual doings of Guevara are not important, but what he has come to represent.
Ernest Hemingway
In his time was Ernest Hemingway often more famous for the man-myth he was than his authorship. Hemingway had followers who accepted and liked what he represented, a powerful, hunter-man model.
Other notable pop icons
See also
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