Celebrity in Christian Culture
When I was younger — well, like a pre-teen or teenager — I wanted to be a video vixen.
Yes, in addition to initially considering becoming a lawyer yet later deciding to become a news anchor, I wanted to be a video vixen.
In the 90’s and 2000’s, these beautiful women were the featured leads in the hottest music videos for some of the most famous names in Hip Hop and R&B. So much so, that in addition to their faces (and their bodies), we also knew their names.
If you’re older than me, I suppose the equivalent may be the dancers you recognized on “Soul Train” or the lovely women who graced the pages of Jet or Ebony Magazines. If you’re younger than me, perhaps the current equivalent is an IG (Instagram) model, your favorite TikTok influencer, or dare I say, an Only Fans (OF) model, depending on their endeavors and involvement.
Many of the famous video vixens, possibly even recognized as “infamous,” were featured in hip hop culture magazines like King and The Source. Their enlarged pictures on posters or magazine pages flanked the walls, or secretly hid under the beds, of many young men who dreamed of a chance opportunity to be with them. Some went on to star in movies. A few, well at least one known very particularly, wrote books which became bestsellers. They were photographed at parties with A-list celebrities. On yachts. In mansions. Riding in sports cars or lux SUVs. It just seemed like “the life” to be beautiful, dance and/or act in music videos, most times scantily clad, clothed in the finest items, in the company of well-known celebrities.
Well, I never became a video vixen, and later, as the years went by, I began to learn through interviews and news reports that this life wasn’t always all it was cracked up to be. Although these women were compensated and shared some seemingly positive memories, for many, there was a price that they had to pay to be a part of “the good life.” The demands of sex and associated sexual acts - sometimes against their will yet expected to advance, excessive drug use, alcohol, abuse, and the list goes on and on.
Now, I thank God, that he kept me safe from the potential harm I didn’t see.
A few weeks ago, I read and saw multiple media stories about many of the same violations also occurring in Christian circles among music artists, pastors, and leaders. The expectations of sex and various sexual acts sometimes against another’s will yet expected to advance, excessive drug use, alcohol, abuse, and the list goes on and on. Infidelity was also a part of the stories as well.
I’m not completely oblivious that these things occur in Christian spaces. After all, I realize that anyone is susceptible to flaws and challenges. There were several biblical figures in desperate need of God’s mercy and forgiveness; however, then and now, for the most part, the expectation is usually that the standard is higher for Christians.
It made me realize a common thread: Celebrity is celebrity no matter where it is.
The concept of celebrity is something I explored in depth in my dissertation, “Celebrity Pastors’ Designer Fashion Representations on Instagram: A Qualitative Star Studies Analysis Applying the Sociology of Impression Management, Visual Communication, and Semiotics.” In it, I address celebrity pastors’ image or impression management via apparel, the signified meanings of celebrity pastors’ apparel in media, and media audiences’ perspectives of these communicative visual representations. A star studies research approach, which media and culture researchers employ to examine celebrities, frames this research initiative and includes qualitative methodologies of semiotic analysis, content analysis, textual analysis, and archive research. Interviews with pastors also provide subject matter knowledge.
I also explain the association between Christianity and celebrity, in this YouTube video with a caution for Christians in seeking celebrity, or even being a part of these circles.
But still, I am always surprised, intrigued, and not to mention saddened, when I see a story about another Christian “falling” prey to indiscretions or even sadly, being a predator. This has been, and needs to continue to be, a point of deep prayer for all involved and also for the generations of believers holding onto their faith, as well as nonbelievers in need of Jesus.
While my video vixen aspiration days were over before they started, I hope that generations of women who may be considered IG/OF models now, are welcomed into safe, sound, and moral Christian spaces.
As for me, I decided that I’m still gonna pose y’all—Fashionably & Fearfully & Wonderfully Made.
Photography by Patty B. of Fringe Creative Co.