The image of a star is dependent on both their on-screen and off-screen appearance. It is also dependent on the way they play into the male gaze or how they can represent an ideal for men or women. Richard Dyer explains in “Part Two: Stars as Images” that “Star images function crucially in relation to contradictions within and between ideologies, which they see to variously ‘manage’ or resolve.” This is due to the fact that we, as consumers, are searching for that ideal and glamorous star, but will never be fully satisfied with what we are given. With this, early Hollywood stars had to play the system by manipulating the male gaze with both their off-screen and on-screen personas. The paradox of the extravagant life-style and success of the stars explained in “Part Two: Stars and Images” is perceived as ordinary, but can be explained in how stars can be seen as regular people who just happen to live more expensively than the average person. This plays into both the desire of glamour and the ideal of what a normal person could be. Another way that this paradox offers is in how stars tend to represent what is typical in a society or feels typical to those in a society. This plays into the relatability that stars often have, but lacks when the male gaze comes into play, due to that concept needing to consist of an ideal, not something relatable. Dyer explains in Heavenly Bodies that “how we appear is no less real than how we have manufactured that appearance, or than the ‘we’ that is doing the manufacturing.” We are whatever we want ourselves to be. Whether that may be authentic or manufactured, they are just as real as the latter. At a certain point, we must differentiate the fact that we are dealing with stars and not just fictional characters. These actors and actresses are real people and, while their fictional character may add to their personality, it doesn’t not make up fully who they are. The phenomenon of being a star is supposed to capture more of who the person is and less about the roles that they play.
This manipulation of the male gaze can transcend time—empowering women from many generations, all with the same pieces of work. Dyer explains in Heavenly Bodies that “Star images have histories, and histories that outlive the star’s own lifetime.” This is true for most stars, especially those that are referred to as “iconic.” Because of the study of film and media, these images are studied time and time again and new information is consistently discovered about said images, causing these stars legacies’ to continue to grow and their impact on the feminist movement to continue on. Even without the film education that many often have when studying these groundbreaking female actresses, they still make important commentary on female empowerment and showcase their talent by representing an ideal, being relatable, being a star and also staying true to themselves. “There is a rhetoric of sincerity or authenticity, two qualities greatly prized in stars because they guarantee, respectively, that the star really means what he or she says, and that the star really is what she or he appears to be,” Dyer explained. People are more likely to support a star if they are genuine and real and, to successfully do this while also pleasing the male gaze, manipulation of it has to occur, resulting in popularity among all and female empowerment among many.
