Fame has always existed in one form or another. Throughout history, the likeness of kings, queens and nobles, deities, popes and saints have been the subject of countless works of art.
Painted portraits, carvings on walls, verses in songs and stanzas in poems are testament to our enduring fascination with the human face. Some faces, like that of Helen of Troy, were so famous that, as the English poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe wrote, they are said to have “launched a thousand ships”.
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Modern history has brought new faces and fashions that we can admire or despise. Movie stars, politicians, musicians and athletes, artists and writers all serve as role models for us to stare at and compare.
Given our insatiable public appetite for celebrity pictures, it’s no wonder some celebrities are embracing the face mask to avoid publicity.
Social media and the news are full of celebrity faces and remain a significant source of desire and fan base. The increasing accessibility of celebrity images via social media platforms is shaping and contributing to current beauty standards.
Looking at the faces of celebrities through their picture allows us to linger and study them at leisure. Everything from their gestures, facial features, their skin and their aging process, for example, becomes the subject of intense scrutiny or media headlines.
The Instagram face – characterized by “ideal” yet generic features created through the use of filters – and the ever-growing cosmetic surgery and beauty industry could be seen as the results of the feverish consumption of celebrity images.
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The face has become a form of celebrity currency: you only have to think of people like the Kardashian-Jenner family to reflect on this enduring phenomenon. Some members of the Kardashian clan capitalize on their popularity and have their own beauty product lines, while other family members have made multiple product endorsements.
Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner. `
However, exploiting celebrity status for material or economic gain isn’t limited to the Kardashian-Jenners. The relationship between celebrity and product success has been studied, including in The New York Times as perceived personal exchange through consumption of recommended products. We feel closer to celebrities while lining their pockets.
For the 21st century celebrity, face is an index of value.
High visibility and fame
According to Stanford law professor Lawrence M. Friedman, one criterion for celebrity is “high visibility”. Visibility can bring power and privilege, and celebrities understand this equation well.
Consider the example of beleaguered celebrity Kanye (Ye) West, who has been wearing masks in his performances since 2012. Most curious, however, is his habit of masquerading in public. West has been photographed wearing masks many times to achieve anonymity. In West’s case, however, he remains fully recognizable (despite the hordes of paparazzi following his every turn).
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When celebrities masquerade, they perform the spectacle of anonymity rather than achieving anonymity themselves.
The mask creates a further distance between us and them – it allows one-sided examination and the ability to see but not to be seen. Dressing up like this only serves to increase the aura of celebrity. This has the effect of preserving their relative status as an image as opposed to a recognizable entity.
It’s easy to forget that the object of desire (or ridicule) is a person. One might surmise that this failed form of disguise is strategic or intentional, driving the frenetic economics of celebrity image production. When celebrities can reclaim access to their image — their moneymaker — it’s no wonder they’re taking on the mask in public. West’s masked face then becomes unsettling because it appears like a void in which the media’s gaze is distracted and their fantasies sunk.
Australian singer Sia is also known for masking. Her desire to remain invisible has resulted in her regularly appearing in wigs that cover her face. Here the mask becomes a tool through which it can represent or embody another character.
Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk also wears fantastic masks to perform on stage. She once said about the mask:
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It’s a way to hide and reveal another side of yourself […] Wearing a mask makes me feel protected, like I can be more myself.
Icelandic singer Björk performs at Primavera Sound Festival on Saturday November 5, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. `
Self-expression and branding
For the celebrity, the mask has become a means of self-expression and branding. It provides a safe, psychological space that encourages free speech.
Our appetite for and consumption of celebrity faces continues, proving, as philosopher Thomas Macho has argued, that we live in a “face society.”
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The internet and social media platforms have created a culture of extreme visibility. In a saturated visual culture, masking is perhaps the last radical act a celebrity can do to achieve anonymity or, paradoxically, to stand out from the ever-growing crowd of prominent faces.
Laini Burton, Lecturer at Queensland College of Art, Griffith University
This article was republished by The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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