Pop culture has been known to immortalize faces that evoke a sense of novelty, not to mention popularity. Those faces, which are adorned and revered, may quickly rise to fame overnight.

Some may argue that a particular person’s uniqueness, charisma, talent, or lack thereof may be responsible for their newfound placement in pop culture. However, others believe that something bigger and more profound is happening, something that transcends the individual.

If you’ve been in the loop for a while, you’ll see that trends and memes come and go, but some faces stick out and last longer.

Beauty Gurus

There was a time when the beauty industry was reserved for makeup artists who worked behind the scenes of movie theaters, TV, and theatre productions. With the advent of social media, the beauty space shifted.

Pockets of influencers, self-taught makeup enthusiasts, grew in popularity, with content such as makeup tutorials, reviews, and personal stories about their lives took to the mainstream. These figures were relatable, and their popularity grew day by day, with their followers heavily using their recommended products, helping brands grow and become profitable.

Meme Faces

A meme is an image, a video, or a piece of text that spreads from person to person through the internet. It could be an inside joke, an absurd situation, or anything that could make people laugh, angry, or elicit any emotion depending on the context.

Many of these memes feature faces of individuals who started as unknowns, but who, through this method, gained heaps of online followers. Youtubers such as Shane Dawson, Mike Diva, and Jenna Marbles, i.e., explicitly for their larger-than-life personalities, were also prominent in the meme space and helped to fuel the rise of many popular meme faces.

Reality TV Stars

Reality TV helped to create a new type of celebrity in the early 2000s. With individuals on unscripted shows garnering more publicity, there were genuine moments that captured the hearts of many.

From “Survivor” which premiered in 2000 to 2001’s “The Osbournes,” which chronicled the lives of the heavy metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne and his family. The genre exploded with successful shows like American Idol, “The Bachelor,” “The Real Housewives” franchises, and “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” among others.

Television viewers could tune in weekly, follow the lives of these individuals, and become invested in both their personal and professional lives.

Viral Talent Show Performers

Thanks to the digital world, it’s now possible for talents to go viral overnight. Performers such as Susan Boyle, Justin Bieber, Claire Danes, and Puddles Pity Party started their careers by showcasing their talent on the internet.

They used different talent platforms like Youtube, TikTok, Instagram, among others, to share their skills, which in turn spread like wildfire. With millions upon millions of shares and reactions, these fledgling artists then found fame through those viral performances, contracts, and record deals.

News Personalities

With today’s instant access to information, news personalities have become indispensable gatekeepers for the public’s understanding in current events.

As social media blurs the line between personal and professional lives, often the more intriguing news stories tend to be the ones that talk about individual news personalities.

Social media has created a culture of celebrity within personalities such as CNN journalist Anderson Cooper, Fox Commentator Tomi Lahren, and NBC News reporter Craig Melvin, with fans and followers passionately discussing these personalities’ takes on current issues, their private life, and their style.

Actors and Actresses

Actress Lili Reinhart, who played the role of Betty Cooper in Netflix’s “Riverdale,” is one of many actors who rose to fame from social media.

She used Twitter and Instagram to share not only her role in the popular show but also captured her personal life. Eventually, she was able to successfully parlay that into other gigs.

Other actors such as Freya Allan (“The Witcher”), Lily Collins (“Emily in Paris”), and Caleb McLaughlin (“Stranger Things”) are another lucky group who were plucked from obscurity and made it on to Hollywood’s big screen after gaining popularity for their skill and charisma on social media.

Social Justice Activists

As political issues become more polarizing and subject to interminable debate both online and offline, activists wielding massive followings have emerged as outlets for those seeking change.

People like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Malcolm Nance, and Angela Davis all used social media to share their activism and ideals and grew followings around their message and activism. These individuals use their power and influence to draw attention to issues and hold those in authority accountable.

Gen Z icons

Gen Z’s influence on pop culture cannot be ignored. Some idols like Billie Eilish, Noah Schnapp, and Emma Chamberlain, and others effortlessly combine age, ability, talent, and appeal.

They have enormous fan bases that flock to not only see their work, but also consume their lifestyle (as much as they can) and fashion sense. These individuals have achieved massive success through Youtube, Instagram, and other social media platforms, proving once again that today’s pop culture is intrinsically linked to social media.

Sports Stars

Basketball player LeBron James, football quarterback Russell Wilson, and tennis player Serena Williams, among others, have become much larger than their respective sports.

The rise in social media has enabled fans to follow along with each Sports star’s home and personal lives more closely than ever before. Endorsements and partnerships with brands have increased, and several influential sports stars have gone on to become media personalities and entrepreneurs outside their sport.

The Rise of the Self-Made Celebrity

Many of those who rose to fame from social media, reality TV, and sports began as “regular” people, but are now the epitome of the American dream.

Their stories resonate widely with those disillusioned or outright disenchanted with the state of the world, seeing that they made something out of nothing using sheer will, tenacity, and personal branding. They have become self-made celebrities that entertain, inspire, and motivate their audiences through different platforms that they too can achieve their dreams.

Conclusion

Pop culture seems to always be changing and evolving to keep up with the times. However, what has remained consistent throughout the years is a fascination with the people who have managed to break through the noise.

Whether it’s via YouTube, television, the internet, these individuals have left a lasting impression on society. These figures have become an essential part of our lives, and though we may not have realized it initially, they have in some way, shape, or form, influenced us.