Socialite phenomenon: How the image of socialites being

constructed by mass media and consumers?

Group 5: Jamie Wang, Jennifer Wei,

Nikie Hsih, Tiffany Lee, Veronika Kuo, Vicky Chuang,

Vicky Wei

General Introduction

----Tiffany Lee

What are Socialites?

• What do you think socialites are? What conditions do they hold?

• What can they do? What exactly do they do?• Do you want to be one?• How would you describe one?• Have they always been there? Or are they created?• (Madame Bovary is Me, a Cinderella story, 麻雀

變鳳凰 , 大家閨秀 , 千金 ?)

What are Socialites?

• Socialite: (a) a socially prominent person.

(b) One prominent in fashionable society.

• 1928, probably a coinage among writers and editors at "Time" magazine, perhaps as a contraction of social light, in imitation of words in -ite. (dictionary.com)

Definition

----Vicky Chuang

4 types of socialites

• 1. Notable family background

• 2. Through marriage

(real-life Cinderella story )

• 3. Celebrities and models

• 4. Publicists of luxurious brands

Notable family background

• Born rich

• High social and economic status

• Eg. 孫芸芸 , 蔡依倫 , 廖曉喬 , 關穎

Real-life Cinderella story• Married to the rich

• E.g.. 小 S, 李蒨蓉 , 殷悅 , 洪曉蕾

• NOKIA 推出最新多媒體電腦手機 N82 ，邀請到時尚名媛洪曉蕾站台。 ( 圖文 / 蘇永在 )

• “ 名媛捐包義賣 盼為喜憨兒募百萬”• 日月光國際家飾高雄八五新館開幕系列活

動，昨天舉行「千金名媛經典名包大賞暨慈善義賣」，亞細雅集團千金林青蓁、李蒨蓉等人現身，捐出典藏的名牌包。

Celebrities and models• With fame

• Attend fashion shows and parties

• E.g.. 林志玲 , 孫燕姿

• “ 孫燕姿當名媛 大打婚事太極拳”• ( 孫燕姿 ) 此行返台出席時尚秀，外界幫她冠

上「名媛」頭銜，她笑說：「名媛跟歌手身分，我當然喜歡當歌手啊！因為比較像自己，但偶爾像名媛，穿得漂亮還蠻有趣的。」

Publicists of luxurious brands

• Frequent contact with the media

• Familiar with named brands

• E.g.. 朱曉蓓 , 石靈慧

Another type• Beautiful, famous people but not belong to any

type above, e.g.. 連美雪 , 江承澐

• The term, socialite, misused by the media, e.g.. “ 名媛捐包義賣 盼為喜憨兒募百萬” , “Fashi

on Queen 李蒨蓉任慈善大使 捐 GUCCI 包” ------

“ 身為 Fashion Queen 的李蒨蓉今日穿著一襲亮眼印花飄逸小洋裝配合秋冬最火紅的褲襪，搭配上最流行的黑色寬腰帶及黑包鞋，出席慈善活動，不但捐出五年前自己剛跑趴所購買的紅色晚宴包，不但是因為自己非常喜愛紅色，更特色的是紅色搭上絨布，讓自己在任何晚宴都可以成為最矚目焦點，更是聖誕節的搶手貨，其表面更運用手工的珠珠讓包包呈現完美光澤，而更特別的是完全無拉鏈設計而是以 LOGO皮繩巧思，讓蒨蓉當時以歐元還沒統一時購買折合台幣快 3 萬元買下的。而最喜歡的理由之一，當然也是因為這是 TOM FORD擔任 GUCCI設計師時所設計的皮件， TOM FORD 是蒨蓉最喜愛的設計師之一。”

What makes one a “socialite”?

• Beautiful appearance

• With fame

• Rich (at least looking rich)

• Frequently show up in public

• Aware of the fashion trend

Symbols & Lifestyle

----Vicky Wei

Symbols exist everywhere

• Food & Drink

• Brand-name Products

• Socialites

• Pop Stars

…

Functions of Symbols in Consumption

1. Showing what kind of merchandise an individual will purchase

2. Showing an individual’s social status

Symbolic Consumption

• Mass Media as a conductor

• Consumers receive a sense of

self-confidence and self-identification through buying symbols

• Reach an ideal self

Lifestyle of Socialites• Name-brand clothes, shoes, accessories, etc.

• Participate in Fashion shows, Parties, etc.

• High quality life: Pedicure, manicure, facial, spa, fitnessExpensive food, cars, yachtLuxurious Travel

• Press Conference, News Paper, Magazines

• Making friends with someone who are also rich

How socialites influence consumption• Conspicuous Consumption

Fame & High social status give symbols meaning• Socialites are ideal symbols for people to follow

Some consumers copy their fashion stylesBelieve some products are better than others by

promotions of socialites• News of socialites

Best promotions to evoke people’s desiresA way to sell products

M-Shape Society & Fashion

----Jamie

M-Shape Society

• An economic term by Kenichi Ohmae, 1943

• In a well-developed capitalistic society, middle class→ the largest group

• reversed U shape

M-Shape Society

• Middle class declining, moving towards the two sides→ M shape

• Wealth concentrates on the rich→ lower class’s pursuit of the similar lifestyle as the upper class

The Theory of the Leisure Class

• By Thorstein Veblen in 1899

• Conspicuous consumption

• Two processes of fashion:

1. Luxurious stuff of the upper class→

difference from the lower class

2. Lower class as followers→ the spread of

the trend

→ integrated influence→ circulation

Georg Simmel’s Definition-Fashion

• Class-conscious

• A concept of chase and flight

• The unity of the upper class; keeping out the lower class

• The trend dominated by the upper class

• Lower class: followers, in keeping w/ the same style

Georg Simmel’s Definition-”Differentiation”

• 1. The circulation of the trend between the two classes— one difference

• 2. upper class’s vanity: purchasing expensive but useless stuff→ representation the status

• The lower class not being able to afford — the other difference

“Rituals”

• Showing off the wealth thru public activities

• Fashion shows, TV shows, socialites’ books, the media, and the Internet

• → make ppl fall into the trap

Commercial Purposes

----Jennifer Wei

IV. Commercial Purposes

How consumers’ behaviors are affected?

• Reporting socialites’ high-classes lifestyle in all aspects: beauty treatments, fashion taste, food, parties, etc.

• Candid photos snapped by Paparazzi /mentioning brand name by accident= free promotion (example 1)

• Socialites = Authentic Opinion Leaders, icon.

• Teaching the audience how to be like them (example 2)

• News or advertisement?

News or Ads? Victim of Product Placement?

• Product placement advertisements are promotional ads placed by marketers using real commercial products and services in media, where the presence of a particular brand is the result of an economic exchange.

• How product placement works?In entertainment-related news or supplement page:

Marketers provide products→ invite socialites to take photos with their products→ create an eye-catching title→ create a feeling that socialites recommend those products→ how much it costs and where to get it below the news.

--Example in Apple Daily

Chloe招牌泡泡袖裝 孫芸芸買上癮 12/30/2007

                                                            

孫芸芸說自己對泡泡袖洋裝沒有抵抗力。7萬5400元

時尚通孫芸芸是名副其實的 Chloe專家，對於 Chloe 08早春哪件 piece 最優、如何搭較適合，問她最清楚。孫芸芸表示：「我平常最愛穿 Chloe短版傘狀外套搭 Jeans和 Converse ，我覺得線條簡單但很 Stylish 。」提及 Chloe 的招牌七分泡泡袖洋裝，她直點頭：「嗯，我就是抵抗不了 Chloe這類設計。」

壓克力鎖頭輕盈 08早春包款變化多端， Chloe除把暢銷 Paddington 的鎖頭變成透明壓克力，增加輕盈感，也推出時髦的 Clutch 手拿包如 Nancy與 Apple ， Nancy 的二手皮革質感配壓克力提把頗有懷舊風味， Apple 手拿包的方正輪廓與橘銅漆皮顯得前衛俐落。

Paddington Chain 小鎖頭包。 5萬 9300元

Commercial Functions of Socialites

1. Attract audience’s attention2. Media’s reports helps to enhance brand exposure3. Stimulate Consumption( not only $)4. Who will benefit?

--socialites (attending fee, different endorsement)--suppliers (exposure)--media (higher reach)

Mass media transcends messages and greatly influence people’s consumption.

Consumption Habits

----Veronika Kuo

Consumption Habits • Products and brands connected with celebrity easily

take media coverage.• Viewers/listeners/readers are easily affected by these

media messages.• People with different understandings toward

media ,fashion and self-identity have different ways to read messages.

• Classify the ways into three groups : a. oppositional position b. negotiated position c. dominant-hegemonic position

Oppositional Position

• Viewers/listeners/readers have abundant knowledge of fashion.

• Know the purpose of the media: stimulate fashionable consumption.

• Trust their own taste instead of the information of product mass media provides with.

→higher self-identity.

Example of Oppositional Position

• Student V : a. the way how celebrity dress is not fit for everyone ,not an universal standard. b. even if she likes David Beckham, she will not

buy the product Beckham speaks for if because it

does not go fits her.• Student C: a. she hate to be other’s shadow. b. on finding people using the same products as her, she will never use them again. c. never buys the product connected with

celebrity.

Negotiated Position

• viewers/listeners/readers have abundant knowledge toward fashion.

• do notice about celebrity but only for those they identify with.

a. admire celebrity’s taste and other substances b. the product corresponds to their status ● negotiate with their personal conditions → consuming based on their financial

permission.

Examples of Negotiated Position

• Student J : a. crazy about 孫芸芸 , and regards her as an image. b. would like to learn some characteristics of her like independence and bright. c. expect herself to perform like 孫芸芸‘ s characteristics.• Student C : a. really likes Prada’s new arrival purse, but without enough money, she decides to give up.

Dominant-hegemonic Position

• viewers/listeners/readers have not enough knowledge toward fashion.

• consider celebrity’s dress or coverage to be an index of fashion

• taking celebrity as a reference to help them find

their taste.• know not much about the product but follow

the trend blindly →lower self-identity

Examples of Dominant-hegemonic Position

• Student A: a. not used to using perfume. b. After seeing the perfume advertisement of

Chanel , she went to buy it.• Student C : a. feels like gaining self-identity through using

the same products with the celebrity.

Conclusion

----Nikie Hsieh

Symbolic consumption

- integrated by three aspects: socialites, mass media, audience

- socialites as an representative of a new life style

-People consume an image

socialites as a symbol

function:-showing an individual’s social status-commercial benefits-consumer receive a sense of self-identity

through buying this symbol to reach an ideal self the desire to be “the desired”

How it affect consumer behavior?

-socialites as an ideal symbol for people to follow

-socialites=authentic opinion leaders=an icon

socialites

M-shaped society

Negotiated position-----

appropriate consumption!!!

Nigel: Well, not you, obviously, but some people. You think this is just a magazine, hmm? This is not just a magazine. This a shining beacon of hope … ---- quote from the Devil Wears Prada

This new way of consumption behavior--- symbolic

consumption system is actually an integration of the mass media, socialites and audiences. While using an oppositional reading to look at this phenomenon, we have to be aware that we as consumers are just purchasing an image which can not last for too long. Meanwhile, we can not find our true self identities through simply consuming socialites. Therefore, instead of blindly following the trend, we should learn to be appropriate consumers.

Thanks!!!

Works cited

吉佳媛，許秀珍，黃一平 (2007) 。《戴著 PRADA 的媒體時尚循環於媒體再現之研究》。國立政治大學廣播電視學系碩一論文