What's fame got to do with it? Clarifying links among celebrity attitudes, fame appeal, and narcissistic subtypes

The present survey study (n = 208) examined whether young adults who experience social and/or emotional connections to a favorite celebrity (Celebrity Attitude Scale, CAS; McCutcheon, Lange, & Houran, 2002) also find fame per se appealing (Fame Appeal Scale, FAS; Greenwood, Long, & Dal Cin, 2013). We further assessed the extent to which grandiose narcissism, vulnerable narcissism, and imagined audience daydream frequency (Lapsley, Fitzgerald, Rice, & Jackson, 1989) were associated with celebrity attitudes, general celebrity interest, and fame appeal. Correlational analyses showed significant associations among most but not all study variables; in particular, the Visibility subscale of fame appeal (e.g., wanting to be on the cover of a magazine) was correlated with all other celebrity variables. Regression analyses predicting overall CAS and FAS scores revealed that a general interest in celebrities and frequency of imagined audience daydreams were each positively associated with both FAS and CAS when entered among other predictors. However, grandiose narcissism predicted fame appeal, whereas vulnerable narcissism predicted celebrity attitudes. Findings clarify links between fame and celebrity engagement and underscore the utility in distinguishing grandiose from vulnerable narcissism.