The Pop Culture Approach of Religion and Mass Media

Janet Jackson

Tampa- Fl, Lately this week I've been wondering about the public scrutiny regarding a public figure's life and specialty their faiths. Why the pop culture and people are so obsessed.? Makes me wonder if any ideological currents celebrities follow can be commercialized so the group can find more followers,? or to change the public perception of the faith image.? My question goes to Janet Jackson and Tom Cruise who both have been on the spotlight recently as tabloids are speculating their involvement with religion has been the responsible for the changes in the lives.

It is true that when you follow a series of dogma, there will be a change in your lives, that's a fact, but also it can go on two extremes where you will live to find salvation or you will live your life implementing certain aspects to try to become a better person without loosing your principles, but when you are in the spotlight and you have to deal with the imagery of a class of people who follow your career and yet they are ignorant regarding many levels of anything that is not white, Protestant, Republican  from Missouri. The latest thing I read was from the National Enquirer where they claim that Janet Jackson is living a double life by converting to Islam to marry her fiancee Wissam al Mana - which as many tabloid stories they try to sensationalize a fairy tale in order to catch the attention of the readers but at the same time they expose details which luminaries are trying to keep private, but yet Janet Jackson fits also into the imagery of being in the closet in therms of hiding her beliefs if the story is true, as much many LGTB people hide their orientation in order to avoid bullying from the masses and to avoid any career backlash.

Tom Cruise

But what to do when there you as a celebrity find yourself in that side of the spectrum,? that was mentioned on the last paragraph. Where you behavior is not only erratic but also you had associated with a dubious religious that according to several media it's classified as a cult but yet your career only seems to suffered after three failed marriages and the rumors that you are living a double life in order to satisfy the needs of your peer group as well to shut up the media. That's the case of Tom Cruise, where his career took a wrong turn after jumping the couch  a few years ago on the Oprah Winfrey Show and speaking publicly about his faith but also in a surreal way about his relationship with actress Katie Holmes.

So far 2012 has been a brutal year for Tom Cruise as he got divorced for a third time, yet religion seems a factor in playing a good role on the public image as Holmes so far is being 3,000 miles away along with their six year old girl Suri placing Tom Cruise under the microscope as a man who is control freak and yet living in a seclusive life surrounded only by people with his similar beliefs sparking allegations that Scientology has to be the pivotal stone of his relationships as well some other minor gossips regarding his sexuality.

According to People Oct 8, 2012 edition, screenwriter and friend of the actor Christopher McQuarrie said that Cruise busy schedule don't let him see his girl but yet the matter of religion plays a central role on the imagery of the divorce as there was no given reason for Katie Holmes to snap and ask for the divorce beyond the involvement of the actor in the Scientology affairs. According to investigative journalist Maureen Orth in a Vanity Fair article published on the September 2012 Edition mention that the religion leader David Miscavige to auditioned several woman as potential girlfriends for the actor and one of them was Nazanin Boniadi who by now is a former member of the church but on the other side of the story, Cruise attorney Bert Fields deemed the story as "a rehasj of tired old lies previously run in the supermarket tabloids." as well as the church giving a similar stance but yet why a prestigious journalist as Maureen Orth would lie.? There is no reason for a journalist to sell his or her ideals that easy specially one as her, yet no one is perfect so as any religion in the world.

Yet people seem to see religion as a connection point between the public figures, an element of emotional connection where it can sell an individual to the masses or even so help a political candidate to win any election if he appeals to the majority of the people's emotions but yet it can be an element of division where not many individuals will try to seek understanding but over-imposition of their values to the masses.