Analysis: Korean & Australian Media Representation of Celebrities

This report provides a comparative analysis of how Korean and Australian media represent their respective celebrities, exploring the role of media in shaping public perception and influencing cultural and social images both locally and globally. The report examines the influence of cultural values, essentialism, and stereotypes on media portrayals, highlighting differences in beauty standards, gender representation, and the impact of globalization. It also discusses the use of semiotic modes and the role of social media in celebrity representation. The analysis considers the impact of media representation on celebrity fame, including issues of prejudice and the challenges faced by celebrities in both countries. The report concludes by emphasizing the varying degrees of international impact and the role of celebrities in national identity and media culture. The report references several academic sources to support its arguments.

Cultures
September 19
2017

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Introduction
This chapter analysis the way Korean and Australian media represents their respective
celebrities. To understand the argument in cultural context, media role in society
needs to be comprehended. Media plays an important role in representing the
celebrities of their country to the people and creates a positive or negative image. This
not only influences local audience but also impacts the country’s cultural and social
image in front of the world. Many factors and theories have been introduced to
understand the value of culture and media representation (Schiffman 2012). A system
of fixed beliefs that are not influenced by social or political norms is essentialism.
Culturist is an essentialist perspective of culture, which further can be pushed to
fundamentalism, colonialism or terrorism (Chatfield 2016). Media has a profound
influence on Korean society. A celebrity is a person who is famous and widely
recognized among a set of people and given special media attention. Media
representation of a celebrity is a depiction or constructed an image in any of the
mediums like TV, Radio, magazines or newspapers. Representation involves
repetition of series of events or news (Chatfield 2016). Celebrities generally become
popular due to continuous and global attention. This report depicts the comparative
media representation of Korean and Australian media representation of celebrities
(Jouhki 2008).
Media Representation
Inglis (2010) asserts that Culture and technology combine to produce celebrity. If
media don’t share information about celebrities with common people, the existence of
celebrities will be unknown keeping them away from fame. Celebrities of any country
are assets that help in building a socio-cultural image of any nation (Markula. 2009).

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Korea on one side is known for its patriarchal culture restricts from Confucian
tradition. Media is considered to be an area for men and women community has to
pass through many struggles to remain in this field. Korean celebrities are represented
in magazines and radio as women trying to imitate men instead of their position due
to talent (Pedersen 2017).
Aussie celebrities and Korean celebrities
Celebrities from both countries have personality’s superior to ordinary people that
make them known faces among society. The celebrities are stereotyped as strong
bodies with prefect skills that help them escape all dangers and issues in their daily
life. They are also considered to be noble persons. Media exemplify the representation
about celebrity lifestyle as the one that is extra ordinary and inspires a number of
people to follow them. Media does not always reflect reality but may create reality
also.
Celebrities of any country represent the country’s culture. For an instance, Korean
popular music ‘K-pop’ showcase the country’s talent and urbanity. ‘Girls generation’
is among the famous groups of K-pop. In comparison to Australian celebrities who
are well accepted globally, Korean popular faces are on the periphery of world
recognition. Leading role of Australian stars is also to exert global influence
(Schiffman 2012). Media represent them as pointers to the cultural formation. Not
only their media representation but also the content of their cultural commodities are
also essential for viewers’ reception. Their stardom is also exemplified till the time
they are in their cultural boundaries. Now days, media systems are also privatized,
making celebrities playing important role in cultural dispersion. Globalization of
cultural commodities pressurizes media to be the only way of celebrity representation.

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Both Korean and Australian celebrities are representing their countries through their
actions and different cultural events (Pedersen 2017). These can be dubbed in many
other languages to make an impact globally however local cultural concepts are non-
translatable. The verses are self-explainable.
Although beauty standards vary from place to place they play a vital role in the
celebrity life. These ethics are different in Korean and Australian culture also,
however, beauty is the centre point of media representation of celebrities of both
countries. Naturally beautiful face and body is a stereotype image whenever there is a
representation of any celebrity. The Australian celebrities are generally fair with
blonde hair and tanning is a usual practice there. On the other hand, Korean celebrities
have Asian features with usually black hair and prefer to make maximum use of
fairness products (Simpso, Murawska and Lambert 2009). Media represents Korean
celebrities as most beautiful, youthful with healthy and glowing skin. However
Korean celebrities have a well shaped body but do not inherit naturally beautiful
features in comparison with Australians.
Korean female celebrities still follow the feminine stereotypes. Media represents
classify behavioural features as feminine and masculine. With this act, it reinforces
the social stereotypes. Considering sports celebrities, it can be noted that media does
not generally challenge male dominancy (Schiffman 2012). Neutrality of media
representation is missing in Korean celebrity lives. The female personalities still are
being seen as the subject of good looks. The female players are criticized for their
revealing bodies when they follow the dress codes for few games such as swimming
or Gymnastics etc. On the other side, Australian celebrities enjoy equality among their

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counter parts. Media represent the celebrities as per their roles and performances
instead of their gender (Merkin 2012).
Essentialism is an approach that explains that any skill has a sense of essence or trait
that makes an object what it basically is made of. Cultural values play a vital role in
the media representations. Korean media does not abandon linguistic essentialism as
readers and viewers want them to pose as guardians of language and explain it as the
definition of Korean linguistic nationalism. The Korean celebrities don’t open
themselves to transculturation whereas Australian celebrities believe in hybridist. As
per Australian media, basically aborigine popular faces are famous internationally too.
Media highlights their skills and expertise instead of identity.
There are few preconceived opinions also that affect the media representation of
Korean celebrities. This prejudice not only represents Korean personalities in biased
form but also deteriorate their fame among their followers. Based on their image in
minds of viewers, they have to endure the racial prejudice of teammates and
spectators (Merkin 2012). Few of them get their talent buried due to this and others
have to prove their heroism by performance and flourish in the state of discrimination
and prejudice. Australian celebrities also face same racial issue some times and have
to prove their potential to be in the race. Social media though is a great tool available
to them that help them get international fame.
Media also make use of diverse semiotic modes for representing celebrities such as
gestures, characters, moves and places etc. The biggest example of famous song
“Gangnam Style” which was produced in Korean language but it earned worldwide

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fame and got popular based on semiotics. Later on, parodies were made famous in
different languages. To study about celebrities’ media demonstration, the multimodal
representation and interpersonal features can’t be flouted (Markula. 2009). Their
cultural content is equally crucial. Based on local media, stardom gets guarded within
cultural boundaries. The judgmental views on celebrities help understand the society
culture.
Media communication is getting multimodal that has a major section as discourse
other than design, production, and distribution. Discourse is nothing but a thought or
some sort of constructed knowledge far away from reality. Multiculturalism is used as
a mode to argue that discourse drives homogenize signifiers of ethnic differences.
Sports, movies, and politics are resources for Korea through which a discourse is
produced. It is also considered as a way to uneasy the relations with other countries
(Jouhki 2008). As far as Australian media is concerned, celebrities are sort of central
lens through which feminism is refracted. Based on Marshall P.D. 1998, it can be
concluded that Australian celebrity is considered as a vital ideological player in public
discourse. Thus as per media representation, celebrity is not only involved in
entertainment but play a complex role (Jouhki 2008).
Conclusion
In the above chapter, comparative media representation analysis is done on the
celebrities in Korea and Australia. All the aspects including socio-cultural importance,
essentialism, stereotype, prejudice etc. are considered. Other than this, semiotic
modes are also discussed. It has been concluded that celebrities pose as socio-cultural
activities that help to establish a unified country. Whether, these are Korean or

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Australian celebrities; they make a positive contribution in unifying the nation and
provide peace-building modes both nationally and internationally (Joo 2013). Their
verbal, as well as video contents, are accepted nationally and globally. The major
difference is that Australian celebrities are creating a positive impact internationally
due to their media approach and support whereas Korean celebrities have to follow
the nation’s traditional cultural norms, stereotypes, and restrictions which make them
authentically less famous.
Celebrities are fundamental assets to media events too. Thus, it is rightly said that a
celebrity is seen as a form of democratization that gives depth to a country’s media
culture. And they are known among people in the form represented by media.

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References
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Markula., Pirkko. "Olympic women and the media : international perspectives."
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Merkin, Rebecca S. "Cross-cultural communication patterns - Korean and American
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Pedersen, Christian. "Relationships in the Digital Age: What Really Matters?" the
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Schiffman, James R. "Mass Media and Representation: a Critical." Georgia State
University, 2012: 4-10.
Simpso, Catherine, Renata Murawska, and Anthony Lambert. Diasporas of Australian
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