Suzanne Paul: Scandal, celebrity and the selling of an infomercial queen
Infomercial queen, recording artist, bankrupt, dancing victor; Suzanne Paul was a fixture on New Zealand television for more than 15 years and has been celebrated, valorised, critiqued and embraced. Yet, perhaps because of her ‘low-end’ appeal, Paul’s place on our screens has not been rigorously inv...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Asia Pacific Network
2013-10-01
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| Series: | Pacific Journalism Review |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ojs.aut.ac.nz/pacific-journalism-review/article/view/217 |
| _version_ | 1818428080644947968 |
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| author | Nemane Bieldt Rosser Johnson |
| author_facet | Nemane Bieldt Rosser Johnson |
| author_sort | Nemane Bieldt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Infomercial queen, recording artist, bankrupt, dancing victor; Suzanne Paul was a fixture on New Zealand television for more than 15 years and has been celebrated, valorised, critiqued and embraced. Yet, perhaps because of her ‘low-end’ appeal, Paul’s place on our screens has not been rigorously investigated. In this article, we argue that Paul’s importance lies in three main areas. First, during the 1990s, she was responsible for the paradigmatic televisual form—the infomercial. Second, she can be understood as a liminal figure, and one who encapsulates the dilemma of cultural production as a ‘new New Zealander’. Third, her story offers a case study of how the nominally famous can move from using themselves to sell products to selling themselves as a product—the ultimate selling (of) celebrity. Further, we argue that Paul cannot be understood without reference to the centrality of scandal to her persona and, indeed, narrative as a celebrity. The first ‘act’ of her career saw the television (and advertising) industry scandalised by her undercutting their standards with cheap, almost deliberately unironic infomercial marketing; the second saw her attempt a transition to the mainstream before a spectacular business failure and bankruptcy; in the third she embraced her disgrace, remodelled her persona and won a reality television dancing programme. Ultimately, we contend that Paul’s career depended on a constant interplay between the carefully constructed appeal she projected and her responsibility for, and responses to, a semi-permanent state of scandal. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T14:55:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-75abd8e7cca24d15ae29582ab4ed395f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1023-9499 2324-2035 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T14:55:56Z |
| publishDate | 2013-10-01 |
| publisher | Asia Pacific Network |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pacific Journalism Review |
| spelling | doaj.art-75abd8e7cca24d15ae29582ab4ed395f2022-12-21T22:56:58ZengAsia Pacific NetworkPacific Journalism Review1023-94992324-20352013-10-0119210.24135/pjr.v19i2.217Suzanne Paul: Scandal, celebrity and the selling of an infomercial queenNemane BieldtRosser JohnsonInfomercial queen, recording artist, bankrupt, dancing victor; Suzanne Paul was a fixture on New Zealand television for more than 15 years and has been celebrated, valorised, critiqued and embraced. Yet, perhaps because of her ‘low-end’ appeal, Paul’s place on our screens has not been rigorously investigated. In this article, we argue that Paul’s importance lies in three main areas. First, during the 1990s, she was responsible for the paradigmatic televisual form—the infomercial. Second, she can be understood as a liminal figure, and one who encapsulates the dilemma of cultural production as a ‘new New Zealander’. Third, her story offers a case study of how the nominally famous can move from using themselves to sell products to selling themselves as a product—the ultimate selling (of) celebrity. Further, we argue that Paul cannot be understood without reference to the centrality of scandal to her persona and, indeed, narrative as a celebrity. The first ‘act’ of her career saw the television (and advertising) industry scandalised by her undercutting their standards with cheap, almost deliberately unironic infomercial marketing; the second saw her attempt a transition to the mainstream before a spectacular business failure and bankruptcy; in the third she embraced her disgrace, remodelled her persona and won a reality television dancing programme. Ultimately, we contend that Paul’s career depended on a constant interplay between the carefully constructed appeal she projected and her responsibility for, and responses to, a semi-permanent state of scandal.https://ojs.aut.ac.nz/pacific-journalism-review/article/view/217CelebrityCultural promotionFameInfomercialScandal |
| spellingShingle | Nemane Bieldt Rosser Johnson Suzanne Paul: Scandal, celebrity and the selling of an infomercial queen Pacific Journalism Review Celebrity Cultural promotion Fame Infomercial Scandal |
| title | Suzanne Paul: Scandal, celebrity and the selling of an infomercial queen |
| title_full | Suzanne Paul: Scandal, celebrity and the selling of an infomercial queen |
| title_fullStr | Suzanne Paul: Scandal, celebrity and the selling of an infomercial queen |
| title_full_unstemmed | Suzanne Paul: Scandal, celebrity and the selling of an infomercial queen |
| title_short | Suzanne Paul: Scandal, celebrity and the selling of an infomercial queen |
| title_sort | suzanne paul scandal celebrity and the selling of an infomercial queen |
| topic | Celebrity Cultural promotion Fame Infomercial Scandal |
| url | https://ojs.aut.ac.nz/pacific-journalism-review/article/view/217 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nemanebieldt suzannepaulscandalcelebrityandthesellingofaninfomercialqueen AT rosserjohnson suzannepaulscandalcelebrityandthesellingofaninfomercialqueen |