From ascribed to attributed celebrity

Rojek again: He claims that the story of celebrity over the past two centuries has been a shift from ascribed (hereditary) to attributed celebrity. Though some achieved international fame in earlier times, “they were always under strong pressures to conform to the established procedures and conventions set by the Court.” Ascribed celebrity swallowed up achieved celebrity. With the end of the Ancient Regime came an end of the dominance of hereditary privilege and celebrity, and a new kind of aristocracy: “Paradoxically, the move to eliminate privilege unintentionally laid the foundations for the emergence of new forms of distinction. Celebrity culture and the celetoid are the direct descendants of the revolt against tyranny.” (“Celetoids” are momentary celebrities, like Monica Lewinsky or Anita Hill.)