Kirsty Fairclough
Associate Dean, School of Arts and Media
University of Salford, Manchester UK
Elliot Pill
Senior Lecturer, The School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies
Cardiff University, Cardiff UK
CALL FOR PAPERS:
The fashion modeling industry has occupied a significant area in celebrity culture. For the past forty decades, popular models, actors, authors, and athletes among many public figures have participated in photo shoots and runway shows, stylized their profile, and built their persona brand through visual and literary expressions of fashion. These expressions of fashion have played a key role in publicity and promotion of their brands. For fans, they are ‘role models’ who help constructing subjectivity and become objects of study, especially when it comes to beauty ideals and sexual objectification of the body. For Elizabeth Wissinger, the “glamour labour” involved in self-fashioning, surveillance, and branding is essential to production of consumer values and desire of bodies. However, is the labour sustainable from the perspective of social and environmental ethics?
As Rebecca Oxford suggests, sustainability not only supports human beings but all other species in our ecosystem. Therefore, the idea of modeling in contemporary practices of eco-fashion intends to reflect care towards the quality of all life, respect human rights, promote biodiversity, and bring balance among all species. In fact, modeling should be inclusive of all shapes, postures, and voices in diverse sectors of work and leisure. The exploitative use of human labour, animal skin and fur, fossil fuel, and emission of polluting agents in the garment industry prompts us to redefine what it means to be an eco-model as opposed to a role model that excludes diverse bodies.
How can we use academic study and cultural productions to expand traditional definitions and understandings of modeling? Can the body become a biological tool to re-fashion dominant notions of glamour? Would the use of the body include voices of diverse abilities and, in the process, contest ableism, lookism, and speciesism in ethical fashion and glamour? Can the skin, as in the case of PETA nudists, become a particular text and be semiotically read in a way that accepts, negotiates or disrupts what it means to be a green glamour model in celebrity culture? Can newly defined green glamour models lead to much needed liberal and democratic practices in celebrity activism and studies of celebrity culture?
The Centre for Media and Celebrity Studies (CMCS) Bridging Gaps conference, in association with sponsors Centre for Ecological, Social, and Informatics Cognitive Research (ESI.CORE) and WaterHill Publishing uses a reflective practice paradigm and asks an urgent question, “Where is Ethical Glamour in Celebrity Culture?” The conference problematizes what it means to be a “model” and invites academics, models, journalists, publicists, producers and guests to attend, speak and collaborate for research and development in the field of study.
The format of the conference aims at being open and inclusive ranging from interdisciplinary academic scholars to practitioners involved in all areas of celebrity culture, fandom, fashion and journalism. The conference combines paper presentations, workshop panels, roundtables, slideshows, and interviews that aim to bridge gaps in celebrity activism, persona branding, and fashion education. Working papers and media productions will be considered for the conference.
Registration includes: Your printed package for the complete conference, professional development workshop, access to evening receptions, complimentary evening drinks, consideration for publication, and the CMCS $100 best paper and $100 best screen awards.
Submission guidelines:
• 250-word abstract or workshop / roundtable proposal
• Include a title, your name, e-mail address, and affiliation if applicable
• Submit to conference Chairs Dr Ana Jorge and Dr Samita Nandy at email address: celebstudies2018@gmail.com
• Abstract submission deadline (extended): February 10, 2018
• Acceptance notification: February 28, 2018
• Early bird deadline for hotel booking & conference registration: March 31, 2018
•Conference reception and presentations: July 1-3, 2018
Celebrity Chat Video Submissions:
• Video length should be 10-20 minutes
• Include a title, your name, e-mail address, and affiliation if applicable
• Submit to Celebrity Chat producer Jackie Raphael at email address: celebstudies2018@gmail.com
• Conference reception and presentations: July 1-3, 2018
Topics include but are not limited to:
• Celebrity
• Branding and persona
• Publicity and promotion
• Glamour, beauty, and luxury
• Skin as text
• Wardrobe malfunction and scandals
• Ethical fashion
• Sustainable clothing
• Garment industry
• Fair trade
• Human rights
• Animal rights
• Environmental ethics
• Green carpet
• Interviews
• News
• Journalism
• Social media and online fame
• Audiences
• Fandom
• Fiction
• Film and Video
• Art history
• Performance
• Theory and methods
• Research agenda
• Business models
• Ethics and morality
• Cognition and memory
• Media literacy
• Social innovation
• Education and advocacy
• International relations
• Community building
• Business and community partnerships
Conference Chairs: Ana Jorge and Samita Nandy
Conference Committee: Jackie Raphael, Nicole Bojko and Kiera Obbard
Conference URL: http://cmc-centre.com/conferences/lisbon2018/
Conference E-mail: celebstudies2018@gmail.com
