Assignment 2-2 Icon Analysis

The first icon I chose was Oprah Winfrey. Oprah Winfrey came from very humble beginnings, born to a teenage, single mother in 1954. She had a difficult upbringing and was raised by several different family members. She started out in journalism and reporting, and eventually became the world wide icon she is today. There is much coverage currently about child actress turned singer and teen actress, and finally turn young adult actress, Lindsay Lohan. Lindsay got her start in show business at young age, most notable playing twins in the movie Parent Trap. She is very well known, both for having a great deal of success as a young child, to being known today as a child star turned bad girl. Finally, the current music industry “IT” boy, Justin Bieber. Justin Bieber is a 16 year old Canadian musician, songwriter and singer. He became an internet sensation when his mom posted videos of him just playing guitar and singing at home.

I chose these three contemporary icons each for different reasons. I chose Oprah Winfrey for her mega success throughout so many areas in her life. Lindsay Lohan because she was an actress who I once admired and who sense I can barely tolerate hearing about. And Justin Bieber because of the media frenzy he creates is an interesting statement on what draws young fans to pop sensations today.

Oprah Winfrey has always been a fascinating person to me. She came from very humble beginning, and tremendous hardship. She overcame these obstacles and worked her way up in the journalism arena to become a multi-media mogul. She is an inspiration in perseverance, and her philanthropy is very admirable in a world where greed and envy can sometimes over rule all things good. Lindsay Lohan is an interesting example of how people in trouble can easily become a fascination in our culture. Lindsay started in show business very young, and had success very early in life. This, along with a notably unstable family life, has led her personal and professional life down a bumpy road. She was just in the news a great deal this past week for violating her probation conditions and is sent to jail to serve 90 days. Justin Bieber is interesting to me mostly because I have two sons who listen to his music. Through them I have learned more about his upbringing in a small town in Canada, and how he was discovered online through viral videos. It is always interesting to watch a person rise from a “normal” life and circumstances to become an overnight sensation such as he has. It will be even more interesting to see how long his fame lasts.