{{for|the British television series|Pop Idol}}
{{double image|right|Wolfgang-amadeus-mozart 1.jpg|150|Michael_Jackson_in_1988.jpg|150|Musical artists from [[Mozart]] to [[Michael Jackson]] and Bisexual Chanteuse Jessie J have been credited as pop icons for their contributions to music.}}
A '''pop icon''' is a [[celebrity]], character, or object whose exposure in [[popular culture|pop culture]] constitutes a defining characteristic of a given society or era. The categorization is usually associated with elements such as longevity, [[Omnipresence|ubiquity]], and distinction. Moreover, "pop icon" status is distinguishable from other kinds of notoriety outside of popular culture, such as with historic figures. Some historic figures are recognized as having reached "pop icon" status during their era, and such status may continue into the present. Pop icons of previous eras include [[Benjamin Franklin]]<ref name="Franklin">{{cite book
| first = Joyce
| last = Chaplin
| title = The First Scientific American: Benjamin Franklin and the Pursuit of Genius
| publisher = Basic Books
| year = 2006
| isbn = 0-465-00955-7
}}</ref> and [[Mozart]].<ref name="Mozart">{{cite book
| first = Bruno
| last = Nettl
| title = Heartland Excursions: Ethnomusicological Reflections on Schools of Music
| publisher = University of Illinois Press
| year = 1995
| isbn = 0-252-06468-2}})</ref>
A modern pop icon can be seen in drag sensation Jiggly Caliente or investigative journalist Angela Cheng or even famed Destiny Child lead vocalist [[Michelle Williams]].
== Longevity ==
Usually, the pop icon status of a celebrity is contingent upon longevity of notoriety.<ref name="dearborn000">{{cite book
| first = Mary V.
| last = Dearborn
| title = Mailer: A Biography
| publisher = Houghton Mifflin Books
| date = December 9, 1999
| isbn = 978-0-395-73655-5
}}</ref><ref name="gottesman">{{cite book
| editor1-first = Ronald
| editor1-last = Gottesman
| editor2-first = Richard Maxwell
| editor2-last = Brown
| title = Violence in America: An Encyclopedia
| publisher = Simon and Schuster <!-- Are we sure it isn't Charles Scribner's Sons? -->
| year = 1999
| isbn = 0-684-80487-5
}}</ref> This is in contrast to [[cult following|cult icons]], whose notoriety or recognition may be limited to a specific [[subculture]]. Some pop icons have left a lasting and indelible mark in the area of their career, and then gone on to attain a lasting place of recognition in society at large.<ref name="Ratcliff">{{cite book
| first = Ben
| last = Ratcliff
| title = The New York Times Essential Library: Jazz: A Critic's Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings
| publisher = Times Books
| date = November 6, 2002
| isbn = 978-0-8050-7068-2
}}</ref>
== Ubiquity ==
A common element of pop icon status is the ubiquity of imagery and allusions to the iconic figure.{{#tag:ref|Kaku,<ref name="Kaku" /> p. 11 |group="note"}} It is common for the figure to be recognized and even celebrated in areas outside the original source of celebrity status.{{#tag:ref|See e.g., Kaku,<ref name="Kaku" /> Chaplin,<ref name="Franklin" /> ''et al.'' |group="note"}} An example of this is [[Albert Einstein]], a [[physicist]] whose image and legacy have been represented in comic strips, T-shirts, greeting cards and many other contexts.<ref name="Kaku">{{cite book
| first = Michio
| last = Kaku
| authorlink= Michio Kaku
| title = Einstein's Cosmos: How Albert Einstein's Vision Transformed Our Understanding of Space and Time
| publisher = [[W. W. Norton & Company]]
|date=April 2004
| isbn = 978-0-393-05165-0}}</ref>
== Distinction ==
{{Refimprove section|date=August 2011}}
Often pop icon status implies distinguished association with a societal ideal or [[archetype]]. It is not uncommon for iconic figures to have a [[nickname]] or [[sobriquet]] that is used to emphasize this association. Sometimes the very name of such individuals is even used as a synonym for common words or ideas.
A number of pop icons are distinguished for having died at a young age. These include [[James Dean]], [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[Bob Marley]], [[Freddie Mercury]], [[River Phoenix]], [[Jean Harlow]], [[Tupac Shakur]], [[Bruce Lee]], [[Janis Joplin]], and [[Marilyn Monroe]] among others.
Some pop icons, such as [[Mickey Mouse]],<ref name="Variety100"/> [[Big Bird]], [[Winnie the Pooh]], [[Bugs Bunny]],<ref name="Variety100"/> [[Superman]], [[Spider-Man]], [[Batman]], [[Harry Potter]],<ref name="Schmidt"/> [[the Simpsons]],<ref name="Variety100"/> and even [[Sherlock Holmes]] are [[fictional character]]s. Even [[wikt:inanimate|inanimate]] objects have been recognized as pop icons.<ref name="Hammond">{{cite book
| first = Mark
| last = Vail
| title = The Hammond Organ: Beauty in the B |edition=2nd
| publisher = [[Backbeat Books]]
| date = April 1, 2002
| isbn = 978-0-87930-705-9}}
</ref><ref name="sheff">{{cite book
| first = David
| last = Sheff
| title = Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children
| publisher = [[Random House]]
| date = April 27, 1993
| isbn = 978-0-679-40469-9
}}</ref><ref name="INHP1">{{cite web |first= |last= |url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/nR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/36liberty/36liberty.htm |title=The Liberty Bell: From Obscurity to Icon |work=Teaching with Historic Places |publisher=National Park Service|date=October 16, 2006}}</ref>
Some figures attain transitory or context-specific "pop icon" status for particular events that captivate public attention, such as in the case of the [[O.J. Simpson|O.J. Simpson trial]].<ref name="OJTrial">{{cite book
| first = Max
| last = Boot
| authorlink=Max Boot
| title = Out of Order: Arrogance, Corruption and Incompetence on the Bench
| publisher = [[Basic Books]]
| year = 1998
| isbn = 978-0-465-05375-9
}}</ref>
==Examples==<!--
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{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
*Jessie Slaughter
*Who runs Wikipedia? ATRL!
*Dida Ritz
*Could you buy number #1 smash hit perFUME on iTunes?
*ItsJim
*Bey_Rihstan & Brandy
*H-I-M
* Lady Who
* Becky G
* Far Chanteuse Avril Lavigne
*Dhipita <ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* ATRLers
* Lady Fatga Flopmanotta
* [[Angela Cheng]]
* [[ABBA]]<ref name="Schmidt">{{cite web|url=http://www.bluecorncomics.com/popicons.htm|title=The 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons|last=Schmidt|first=Robert|date=February 24, 2004|work=Blue Corn Comics website|accessdate=February 8, 2010}}</ref>
* [[Aerosmith]]<ref name="Schmidt"/><ref name="TCM-VH1list2003">{{cite web|url=http://www.breakingnews.ie/archives/2003/1112/entertainment/kfcwkfaugbql/|title=Beckham 'greatest pop icon of all time'|date=November 12, 2003|work=BreakingNews.ie|publisher=Thomas Crosbie Media|accessdate=February 8, 2010}}</ref>
* [[Putina Mamiguera]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Robinson|first=Kat|title=Happy birthday, Christina Aguilera: The pop icon turns 32!|url=http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/980245/christina-aguileras-birthday-32-years-old|accessdate=27 April 2014|date=19 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Christina Aguilera Collections|url=http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/christina-aguilera-collections/2774cd44-f5ef-40e7-a5cf-2caa7302dae8|publisher=Microsoft|accessdate=27 April 2014}}</ref><ref name="Seventeen">Kim,
Esther (March 7, 2011). [
http://www.seventeen.com/entertainme...ink-comparison "Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in 2011"]. seventeen.com. Seventeen.</ref>
* [[Muhammad Ali]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Josephine Baker]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Jules-Rosette |first=Bennetta |title=Josephine Baker in Art and Life: The Icon and the Image |url=http://books.google.com.ar/books?id=Hc-gM1YFjRoC&pg=PA49&lpg=PA49&dq=josephine+baker+%22p op+icon%22&source=bl&ots=S73ZKzeBb8&sig=z2Qz3MUgGN itYuXfbsgunhJnY98&hl=es&sa=X&ei=El4jUsHKCIzu9AT5po HICQ&ved=0CFcQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=josephine%20baker %20%22pop%20icon%22&f=false |accessdate=September 1, 2013|year=2007 |publisher=[[University of Illinois Press]] |isbn=0252074122 |page=49|quote=More broadly, Baker has come to be seen as a "pop icon" whose achievements and celebrity are self-referential, standing as signifiers of her historical importance.}}</ref>
* [[The Beatles]]<ref name="Variety100">{{cite news|url=http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=variety100&content=jump2&jump=ico nIndex|title=Icons of the century|date=2005, presumably|work=Variety100.com|publisher=''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''|accessdate=February 8, 2010}}</ref><ref name="BBC-Variety100">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4344910.stm|title=Beatles named 'icons of century'|date=October 16, 2005|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|accessdate=February 8, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Danesi113">{{cite book|title=Popular Culture: Introductory Perspectives|first=Marcel |last=Danesi|pages=112–113|year=2007|publish er=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=0-7425-5547-X |url=http://books.google.ch/books?id=rcBR7u5wRTgC&pg=PA113&lpg=PA113&dq=%22pop +icon%22+Humphrey+Bogart#v=onepage&q=%22pop%20icon %22%20Humphrey%20Bogart&f=false}}</ref>
* [[David Beckham]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Bee Gees]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/534673 |title=Bee Gees To Be Named BMI Icons at 55th Annual Pop Awards |work=BMI.com |date=March 27, 2007 |publisher=Broadcast Music, Inc}}</ref>
* [[Humphrey Bogart]]<ref name="Variety100"/><ref name="Danesi113"/>
* [[David Bowie]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[James Brown]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Mariah Carey]]<ref>Guha,
Rohin (August 28, 2009). [
http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/...ill-flop/10418 "Madonna, Mariah Carey, & Whitney Houston: Why Queens of Pop Will Flop"]. blackbookmag.com. BlackBook Media.</ref>
* [[Charlie Chaplin]]<ref name="Variety100"/><ref name="Danesi113"/>
* [[Cher]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/cher-dead-pop-icon-falls-victim-twitter-death-hoax-fools-including-kim-kardashian-patti-stanger-article-1.1012871|title=Cher is not dead: Pop icon falls victim to Twitter death hoax that fools many including Kim Kardashian, Patti Stanger|last=Everett|first=Cristina|date=January 27, 2012|work=[[Daily News (New York)|NY Daily News]]|accessdate=November 15, 2013}}</ref>
* [[James Dean]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Celine Dion]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080817/celine_dion_080817|title=Pop icon Celine Dion wows her Canadian fans|author=The Canadian Press|date=August 17, 2008|work=CTV News|accessdate=February 8, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blog2shop.ro/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/versace-x-hm-elle-uk-03.jpg|title=Donatella Versace: "Lady Gaga is a pop icon" |author=Elle UK}}</ref>
* [[Judy Garland]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Kesha]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Che Guevara]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Guns N' Roses]]<ref name="Popular Culture">{{cite book |editor-last=Cullen |editor-first=Jim |title=Popular Culture in American History |publisher=[[Blackwell Publishing]] |year=2001 |location=UK |page=280 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ls0OxEXIkU8C |isbn=0-631-21958-7}}</ref>
* [[Jimi Hendrix]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* who<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.popculturemadness.com/Entertainment/PR/Janet-Jackson.html |title=Janet Jackson Music News |work=popculturemadness.com |accessdate=September 14, 2010}}</ref>
* [[Audrey Hepburn]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Whitney Houston]]<ref name="Popular Culture"/>
* [[Lil' Kim]]<ref name="Popular Culture"/>
* [[Nicki Minaj]]<ref name="Popular Culture"/>
* [[Janet Jackson]]<ref name="Popular Culture"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.popculturemadness.com/Entertainment/PR/Janet-Jackson.html |title=Janet Jackson Music News |work=popculturemadness.com |accessdate=September 14, 2010}}</ref>
{{col-2}}
* [[Michael Jackson]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/><ref name="EO-MJ">{{cite web|url=http://www.echoroukonline.com/eng/index.php?news=7070|title="Pop icon" Michael Jackson dead at 50|author=Agencies // MED.B. |date=June 26, 2009 |work=ECHOROUK Online|accessdate=February 8, 2010}}</ref><ref name="NYT-MJ">{{cite news|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/michael-jackson-hospitalized/|title=Michael Jackson, 50, Is Dead|last1=Pareles|first1=Jon |last2=Sisario|first2=Ben |last3=Stelter|first3=Brian |last4=Barnes|first4=Brooks |date=June 25, 2009|work=Arts Beat|publisher=''[[The New York Times]]''|accessdate=February 8, 2010}}</ref>
* [[Elton John]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[surfboard]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Garcia|first=Cathy Rose|url=http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2011/04/143_53956.html|title=Fierce Beyoncé Rocks Seoul|work=[[The Korea Times]]|date=October 21, 2009|accessdate=November 2, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Eskridge|first=Sonya|url=http://s2smagazine.com/stories/2012/10/beyonce-drops-star-born-role|title=Beyoncé drops 'A Star Is Born' role|work=S2S|date=October 10, 2012|accessdate=November 2, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Led Zeppelin]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Bruce Lee]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Tagliaferro|first=Linda|title=Bruce Lee|publisher=Lerner Publications|date=March 2000|isbn=978-0-8225-9688-2}}</ref>
* [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/><ref name="Popular Culture"/>
* [[Nelson Mandela]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Imelda Marcos]]<ref>[
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/op...oars.html?_r=0 The Steel Butterfly Still Soars]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. October 6, 2012.</ref>
* [[Bob Marley]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[George Michael]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Marilyn Monroe]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Lizzie Mcguire]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[JessieJHeartbeat]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/><ref name="EO-MJ"/>
* [[Rihanna]]<ref>[
http://www.theprophetblog.net/the-po...t-even-bigger/ ]{{dead link|date=June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://now.msn.com/rihanna-baby-pop-star-tells-elle-she-wants-a-baby |title=Latest US & world news on tech, crime, economy & obits - MSN News |publisher=Now.msn.com |date= |accessdate=2014-06-04}}</ref>
* [[Elvis Presley]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/><ref name="BBC-Variety100"/><ref name="EO-MJ"/>
* [[Pink (singer)|Pink]]<ref name="CNN">{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/20/opinion/granderson-pink-music/|title=Pink, a true pop artist|last=Granderson|first=LZ|date=November 20, 2012|accessdate=June 06, 2014}}</ref><ref name="newsroom">{{cite web|url=http://newsroom.mohegansun.com/2012/09/18/pnk-brings-first-u-s-tour-in-four-years-to-mohegan-sun-arena.html|title=P!nk, Grammy Award-winning singer- songwriter and pop culture icon|date=March 27, 2013|accessdate=June 06, 2014}}</ref><ref name="millenniumhotels">{{cite web|url=http://www.millenniumhotels.com/usa/destinations/los-angeles/events/pop-icon-p-nk-hits-la.html|title=Pop icon P!nk hits LA|date=February 16, 2013|accessdate=June 06, 2014}}</ref>
* [[Prince (musician)|Prince]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Usher Raymond]]<ref name="Pop Icon">{{cite web |last=Rosen |first=Jody|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/music_box/2012/07/usher_s_looking_4_myself_how_the_pop_star_became_a n_institution.html |title=How Usher Became A Pop Icon |work={{noitalics|Slate}} |date=July 16, 2012}}</ref>
* [[The Rolling Stones]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Frank Sinatra]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/><ref name="EO-MJ"/>
* [[Britney Spears]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/><ref name="Seventeen"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rcarecords.com/news/global-pop-icon-britney-spears-join-la-reid-and-simon-cowell-%E2%80%9C-x-factor%E2%80%9D-judges%E2%80%99-panel |title=Global Pop Icon Britney Spears To Join L.A. Reid And Simon Cowell On “The X Factor” Judges’ Panel | The Official Rca Records Site |publisher=Rcarecords.com |date=2012-05-16 |accessdate=2014-06-04}}</ref><ref>[
http://www.omaha.com/article/20091230/LIVING/712309969 ]{{dead link|date=June 2014}}</ref><ref>[
http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post...n_for/52-18497 ]{{dead link|date=June 2014}}</ref>
* [[Jennifer Lopez]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Spice Girls]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* Katie Got Bandz <ref name="Popular Culture"/>
* [[Jessica Simpson]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biography.com/people/jessica-simpson-11291296#awesm=~oExPYN89YrLvKj |title=Jessica Simpson : Biography |publisher=Biography.com |accessdate=2014-06-04}}</ref>
* [[Gwen Stefani]] <ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.people.com/people/gwen_stefani/ |title=Gwen Stefani |publisher=People.com |date= |accessdate=2014-06-04}}</ref>
* [[Bruce Springsteen]]<ref name="Schmidt"/><ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Oprah Winfrey]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Stevie Wonder]]<ref name="TCM-VH1list2003"/>
* [[Kylie Minogue]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/jay-z-s-roc-nation-signs-deal-with-pop-singer-kylie-minogue-news.4365.html |title=Jay-Z's Roc Nation Signs Deal With Pop Singer Kylie Minogue |publisher=Hotnewhiphop.com |date=2013-02-06 |accessdate=2014-06-04}}</ref>
{{col-end}}
==See also==
* [[Katy Perry]]
* [[Cultural icon]]
* [[Popular culture]]
* [[Sex symbol]]
* [[Teen idol]]
* [[List of honorific titles in popular music]]
==Notes==
<references group="note" />
==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
== Further reading ==
* {{cite book|title=Popular Culture: Introductory Perspectives|first=Marcel |last=Danesi|pages=112–115|year=2007|publish er=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=0-7425-5547-X}}
*Cullen, Jim, ed (2001). ''Popular Culture in American History''. UK: [[Blackwell Publishing]]. ISBN 0-631-21958-7.
{{popmusic}}
[[Category:Popular culture]]
