Why do some artists become famous, while others labor in obscurity? In this presentation, art historian Erika Doss traces the construction of art world celebrity from Jackson Pollock's feature spread in Life magazine in 1949 through Andy Warhol's Factory fame, to the present art world infatuation with Matthew Barney. Part of Notable Lectures & Performances series, Colorado College. Recorded November 30, 2006.
This paper explores the sociological implications of Instagram influencers, and the estimated 1-billion-dollar influencer industry. Building from Bourdieu’s field theory and concept of capital, I suggest that beauty capital is the dominant form of capital operating in the influencer field. Beauty, as well as an aestheticized Instagram feed, allows influencers to work with brands and to expand their Instagram followings, elevating the influencer to micro-celebrity status. Influencers work in a mutually beneficial relationship with brands, each one promoting each other. The relationship between influencer and brand represents a pattern of reflexive accumulation and blurring of lines between individuals and businesses. Given that beauty capital is the central theme of this study, changing beauty standards on Instagram are explored. Personal beauty is, in fact, the dominant element featured in influencers’ Instagram feeds rather than discussions of their interior selves. In this study, I will argue that in the internet age beauty is a greater asset than ever before.
