An ordinary young man enters a reality TV show and emerges a celebrity, a transformation that has become familiar in our modern era. Talent shows and reality television have radically rewritten the concept of stardom and the making of media icons; achieving fame is no longer limited to those with exceptional talent or long artistic careers, but has become accessible to anyone capable of capturing the public’s attention.
The American Kardashian family turned into a global phenomenon through the show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.”

Their combined following on Instagram exceeds 1.2 billion people, and some of the family members have leveraged their fame to enter the world of entrepreneurship, reflecting the immense influence they gained through reality television and digital media. In the Arab world, shows such as Star Academy and Arab Idol (previously Super Star) swept TV screens starting in the early 2000s and reshaped the local landscape of stardom. The success of these models prompts us to ask: How is an icon made? And what impact does this phenomenon have on young people and on our culture of fame?

Reality Television and the Making of the Icon
Through a screen watched by tens of millions around the world, an unknown talent can become the talk of the moment. “American Idol” offered an early example of this, producing previously little-known singers who went on to become global stars. At the height of its popularity, the show drew around 30 million viewers per episode, effectively turning it into a factory for generating celebrities followed by significant global audiences.

The Kardashian phenomenon, on the other hand, illustrates how turning one’s personal life into a television show can create lasting fame. Over 14 years, the family managed to completely reshape celebrity culture, with each member becoming a personal brand. The family has remained in the media spotlight through carefully crafted strategies that capitalize on every detail of their daily lives.

The Kardashians, reality TV stars.

The contemporary icon is built not only on artistic achievement but also on proximity to and interaction with the audience. Television production mechanisms play a crucial role in shaping the public image of a reality star. In this way, creating an icon resembles a blend of a compelling on-air story, a charismatic or unusual personality, carefully orchestrated dramatic amplification of events, and continuous media support after the show. Thus, the “star” emerges in a new sense, defined by rapid mass fame and direct engagement with fans.

The Transformation of the Concept of Stardom
The turning point in the rise of Arab stars came with the launch of talent shows in the early 2000s. In 2003, Super Star (the first Arab adaptation of the global Pop Idol format) debuted, followed later that year by the Arabic version of Star Academy. These programs introduced Arab audiences to an entirely new experience: millions of viewers voting via text messages to support previously unknown amateurs. Young men and women from across the Arab world suddenly became the talk of the region, and their personal and artistic journeys turned into a matter of public fascination.

Perhaps the most striking example is the story of Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf. Emerging from a refugee camp in Gaza, he overcame immense obstacles to participate in Arab Idol as Palestine’s representative. In doing so, he became the nation’s “first superstar.” Hundreds of thousands celebrated his victory in grand, jubilant scenes that filled the streets of Gaza and the West Bank. He was instantly hailed as an icon for Palestinian youth.

Similarly, “Star Academy” produced a new wave of young stars from across the Arab world, including Saudi singer Hisham Alhowaish, Lebanese Joseph Attieh, Iraqi-Moroccan Shatha Hassoun, and Syrian Nassif Zeytoun, among others. The show opened the door for talented individuals from ordinary social backgrounds to rise swiftly to the forefront of the entertainment and media scene; a phenomenon that had rarely, if ever, occurred with such speed and visibility before the era of satellite television and reality TV.

Who creates an icon?
Filmmaker and writer Mohamed Soueid notes that the term “icon” has only recently come into common use; previously, the word “idol” was employed, which in our culture was translated as “demigods.” Soueid told Annahar: “In reality, we didn’t fully understand the structure of this system as it originally developed, especially during the period when cinema emerged globally, and particularly in the United States, which was the only country to successfully turn cinema into a fully integrated industry.” He explained that “even the star was part of this industry, which starts from the studio itself. There was a kind of organizational structure (an organigram) for roles and responsibilities, and within that, what became known as ‘star-making’ existed.”

Celebrity obsession and mental health.

This star-making process begins the moment an actor or singer enters the world of cinema. First, the artist typically selected a name that aligned with the image the studio intended to market. Soueid explains that, in this sense, a star “was considered the studio’s private property. They would sign a contract for a fixed number of years, and it was difficult for them to move to another studio due to strict contractual conditions.”
For him, “the most important thing was how to make the audience connect with the character. There was a clear classification of roles and personalities: one actress fit the roles of seduction, another embodied romance, and another excelled in comedy. Even hair color carried meaning: blonde hair at the time symbolized either evil or irresistible allure. Some actors were confined to stereotypical roles, such as those inspired by One Thousand and One Nights, and others.”

This system was far from random; it was the result of careful planning and meticulous organization. It persisted during a period when studios had complete control over production and everyone involved in it, giving them the final say in shaping stars, writers, and even producers.

Over time, however, this situation changed. Soueid recalls: “Things shifted when the studio monopoly began to break down and television emerged. In the modern era, the star became the one who creates their own icon, not the studio. I believe this transformation came as a result of cinema professionals gaining freedom from the studios’ grip. Suddenly, the star participates in production, sets their own conditions, and even shapes their image and presence on screen.”




He adds: “As for the Arab world, we never really experienced the making of an ‘icon’ the way it happened in Hollywood. Here, it was not the audience that created the icon, but the artist themselves, the person behind the name.” He continues: “What I mean is that cinema and the music industry in our Arab world did not go through the stages of maturation and development seen elsewhere, which is why we never truly had the creation of a star in the same way as in the West.”