Queen Victoria : the mother of modern celebrity : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

Celebrity culture has become a pervasive multi-million dollar industry. Our daily lives are saturated with media coverage of celebrities through magazines, newspapers, television news, talk shows, advertisements, and the internet. It is difficult to imagine a time before Hollywood, but by tracing the roots of modern celebrity, we can better understand this global phenomenon. By providing information on the changing status of the British monarchy, the growth of the media and advertising industries, the development of consumerism and by documenting advances in technology, I demonstrate that modem celebrity traces its roots to the reign of Queen Victoria.