Icons and Idols

            Robert Maniura states, in “Icon/Image” that “in contemporary popular culture ‘icon’ is used almost interchangeably with ‘idol.’” This brings up a key question, which is, what is the difference between an icon and an idol? Although many would say that there is a clear-cut difference between an icon and an idol, I would say that it is more of a spectrum that differentiates the two, like a continuum. So lets start off with an icon. An icon starts of as being something or someone that is highly respected. Icons are related to “likeness” because as Maniura states, icons are “taken in certain respects to ‘look like’ what they depict.” Also, it is crucial to make note of the fact that icons can be touched and carried. In other words, they can include actual humanistic interactions from those who view them as iconic. Here is where the icon begins to turn into the idol, though. When a person begins to truly worship the icon, and they begin to get distracted from their God, they are committing “the ultimate sin of worshipping the wrong god,” based on the Judeo-Christian belief, as stated by Maniura. This is the point of the spectrum when icons begin to turn into idolatry. Although the idea of likeness manifests itself in icons, the idea of actually changing oneself to be like that icon is where idolatry begins to come into play.

         This has been an aspect of many religions throughout history, however it also shows up in pop culture, particularly in the realm of celebrities. It may start off with simple icons. Looking at celebrity magazines like People and Us, it is clear that celebrities are often iconic in the lives of many. However, there are other magazines, like People Style Watch, which is more closely related to idols because it is all about celebrity style. This magazine is all about celebrity style, makeup, hair, etc. and its all about getting the celebrities’ looks. This is where people begin to make themselves like these celebrities. There is a section called “the look for less,” so that people who idolize these celebrities can obtain the look for less money. This is a less extreme version of when people even pay thousands of dollars to physically change their bodies to look like celebrities, however they are the same concept.

         It is obvious, though, that many people idolize these celebrities, but the question now is why do we do it? The answer, in my opinion, is that there are human aspects of both icons and idols that we cannot avoid, and that aspect is likeness and following. These are both things that religion provides for people. People want to be like others because often times that is how communities form. People also want to follow something, because being a follower of some group or set of beliefs gives people the chance to form an identity within the world. These are both very humanistic characteristics that in some ways explain our reasoning for idolizing celebrities.