Short Paper- Intro to Research Paper

Focusing on Pop Culture in the public sphere for the past couple of months, specifically on celebrities, my search paper is going to focus on celebrity marriages.  This year the world has been enthralled with two major celebrity weddings- Prince William and Kate Middleton’s as well as Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries’s wedding.  The media had a very major role in each of these weddings and it is apparent that our culture in general is extremely fascinated with celebrities in general but we also tend to make a huge deal about their weddings and marriages.  I want my focusing question to blend the topics of our fascination with celebrities with our fascination on marriage- what does making such a big deal about celebrity weddings say about our society and celebrities but maybe more importantly what does it say about our society’s views on marriage as a whole?

I think that our fascination with celebrities boils down to our curiosity about a certain lifestyle that seems to be out of reach for the everyday person.  Knowing that there are these people out there who live these lives in fame can seem very exotic and out of reach, so naturally we want to know more.

Celebrities aside, I think that our culture generally views marriages important and as an ideal, for multiple possible reasons.  There is definitely the “happily-ever-after” component that people are interested in that goes along with finding one’s “soul mate.”  People seem to put a lot of energy into both of these ideas, hence their infatuation with marriage.  In combination, I think that celebrity weddings are particularly hyped up because people are so interested in celebrities and their lives that seeing how their marriage works out is just another factor that attracts fans.  There is also a lot of negative talk whenever celebrities get married about whether they are really in love, doing it for the money, will they get divorced, etc., that also sparks an interest in people because they want to see how things will play out.

As for research, I would like to find more information on the psychology behind weddings and marriage in our culture.  I think it is and important to understand our society’s general feelings and ideas towards marriage and then be able to apply that to celebrity’s.  I would also like to be directed towards information on celebrities and their relationships with the media.  Between the two, I think it is going to be interesting to learn more about our big infatuation with celebrities and why we make such a big deal about their weddings.