Cultural icon

Cultural icon
A cuckoo clock, symbol of the Black Forest and Germany.

A cultural icon can be a symbol, logo, picture, name, face, person, building or other image that is readily recognized and generally represents an object or concept with great cultural significance to a wide cultural group. A representation of an object or person, or that object or person may come to be regarded as having a special status as particularly representative of, or important to, or loved by, a particular group of people, a place, or a period in history.

In the media, many well-known manifestations of popular culture have been described as "iconic". Some writers say that the word is overused.[1][2][3]

Contents

Icons and persons

According to Times of India:

Che Guevara, Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Bob Marley, The Beatles — these are names that refuse to fade out. No generation gap can lower their popularity. They will always remain a symbol of youth.
Times of India, July 1, 2009, [4]

Icons and brands

Brands can reflect social values and changes, but many people have become weary of them.[5] Many brands aspire to become cultural icons, but fail. Cultural icons are often timeless, imprinted in our consciousness. They can go through several stages, from "rumblings, undercurrents" via "catharsis, explosion" and "mass acceptance, ripple effect" to "glorification, representative value". While brands are rational and driven by features, cultural icons are emotional, free, driven by feeling, and creating emotional bonds. An example of "branding" might include the wearing of a consistent fashion look by such music stars as Michael Jackson or Elvis Presley, making them instantly recognizable. Royal trappings or church garb could also be understood as a form of emotional iconography.

Definition

Cultural icons may be national, regional or related to a city. And they can be symbols for a nation, or can evoke particular values held by that state. For example, France uses Marianne as a symbol of the French Revolution. Bruce Lee is a symbol for the martial arts and philosophical culture of insight and knowledge in the entire world.[6][7][8] Charlie Chaplin symbolises comical action while Clint Eastwood is a worldwide symbol for strength and masculinity. Jackie Chan is a global icon of comical stunts and martial arts based action.[9] Salvador Dalí is the worldwide icon for the bizarre and eccentric.[verification needed]

Media overuse

Some writers say that the terms "icon" and "iconic" have been overused. A writer in Liverpool Daily Post calls "iconic" "a word that makes my flesh creep", a word "pressed into service to describe almost anything".[1] The Christian Examiner nominates "iconic" and "amazing" to its list of overused words, finding over 18,000 "iconic" references in news stories alone, with another 30,000 for "icon", including use of it for SpongeBob SquarePants.[2]


See also

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • icon — i‧con [ˈaɪkɒn ǁ kɑːn] noun [countable] COMPUTING a small sign or picture on a computer screen that is used to start a particular operation: • First open your File Manager by clicking on the icon. * * * icon UK US /ˈaɪkɒn/ noun [C] ► IT a small… …   Financial and business terms

  • Cultural impact of Wonder Woman — For appearances in traditional superhero entertainment, see Wonder Woman in other media. Wonder Woman is a character initially created for comic books over six decades ago, the medium in which she is still most prominently found to this day. As… …   Wikipedia

  • Icon (disambiguation) — An icon is a devotional painting.Icon(s) may also refer to: Titled expressive works*Books: ** Icon (novel) ** , biography *Moving image works: ** Icon (film) ** Icon ( Stargate SG 1 ), television episode ** Icons (TV series) * Icon Magazine… …   Wikipedia

  • icon — i|con [ˈaıkɔn US ka:n] n [Date: 1500 1600; : Latin; Origin: Greek eikon, from eikenai to be like ] 1.) a small sign or picture on a computer screen that is used to start a particular operation ▪ To open a new file, click on the icon at the top of …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Cultural depictions of Napoleon — Napoleon is often represented in his green colonel uniform of the Chasseur à Cheval, with a large bicorne and a hand in waistcoat gesture. Statue in Les Invalides …   Wikipedia

  • Cultural depictions — may refer to any of the following articles: Cultural depictions of Alexander the Great Cultural depictions of Tony Blair Cultural depictions of Julius Caesar Cultural depictions of cats Cultural depictions of Charles I of England Cultural… …   Wikipedia

  • Cultural·es — Launched October 10, 1994 (1994 10 10) Closed September 1, 2010 (2010 09 01) Owned by …   Wikipedia

  • Cultural Géminis — Full name Club Cultural Deportivo Géminis Founded October 29, 1967 Ground Estadio La Balanza , Comas (Capacity: 6,000) …   Wikipedia

  • Cultural safety — is a concept developed in New Zealand[1] by nurses working with Māori that moves beyond the traditional concept of cultural sensitivity (being acceptable to difference) to analyzing power imbalances, institutional discrimination, colonization and …   Wikipedia

  • icon — icon, iconic 1. The original meaning of icon, ‘a devotional painting on wood of Christ or a saint in Byzantine Christian art’, has been all but obscured except in specialist use or as a vague memory by modern uses first in the language of media… …   Modern English usage

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”