The Cultural Significance of the Child Star

Published by Routledge (2008) ISBN: 0415961572

The child star is an iconic figure in Western society
representing a growing cultural trend which idolises,
castigates and fetishises the image of the perfect, innocent
and beautiful child. In this book, Jane O’Connor explores
the paradoxical status of the child star who is both adored
and reviled in contemporary society. Drawing on current
debates about the commercialisation and sexualisation of
childhood and fears about children ‘growing up too soon’,
she identifies hostile media attention around child stars as
indicative of broader social concerns about the ‘correct’
role and place of children in relation to normative ideals of
childhood. Through reference to extensive empirical
examples of the way child stars such as Shirley Temple,
Macaulay Culkin, Charlotte Church and Jackie Coogan
have been constructed in the media, this book illustrates
both the powerlessness and the power held by this tiny
band of children, and demonstrates their significance as
representatives of the public face of childhood throughout
the twentieth century and beyond.