100th Jubilee of Chanel No.5: What is A Celebrity? 

The legendary perfume Chanel No.5 is celebrating its 100th jubilee. And to mark the anniversary of the world’s most famous scent, which Marilyn Monroe said was the only thing she wore to bed, the French house has brought together in a short film six prominent figures to talk about the ever-evolving notion of celebrity. The former editor of Vanity Fair Graydon Carter, for example, reflects on what you need to become a celebrity. He talks about how to build a classic like Chanel No.5, and Hollywood and TikTok stars. But he also explains why, right now, less than 100 people worldwide will be remembered in 50 years. Watch the short film below to see what Carter has to say about the phenomenon of celebrity in more depth.

Chanel No.5 100th Jubilee film “Celebrity by”

The short movie is the latest in a series that reflects on “100 Years of Celebrity”. The French luxury fashion house chose thought-provoking speakers from different fields and countries for Chanel No.5 100th anniversary film. Each one discusses the celebrity’s cultural and intellectual impact and its role in shaping current and future generations. It is fascinating to see the different takes on the same topic. To some, celebrity is lasting fame that defines eras; to others, it is a point of fascination. Watch Graydon Carter analyse in the video above the influence celebrities have on fashion, culture and mass media.

Celebrity that stands the test of time

In Chanel No.5 100th Jubilee film, Marion Cotillard states that the celebrity tells us something about ourselves and our society. But what is more striking is the celebrity that stands the test of time. She says that a long-lasting celebrity is based on creation. On the way in which we share what we create and who we are.

A hundred years after Coco Chanel launched No.5, the floral perfume is still a big favourite among women. Additionally, the iconic fragrance keeps being the epitome of chicness, femininity, and luxury, withstanding the test of time.

But the psychologist Laurie Santos says in the short film the notion of celebrity is changing. In our days, famous people are becoming more like us; we see them in their homes, and we can even interact with them on social media. On the other hand, thanks to Instagram and TikTok, regular people are becoming overnight celebrities. Although, as Graydon Carter stresses out in the video above, this instant celebrity status may be very brief. It may last even less than the 15 minutes of fame that Andy Warhol predicted everyone would have. 

One of the other speakers, Hung Huang, knows that she has influence and hence a social responsibility as a writer. So she says to all young women who want to become influencers that with celebrity must come to the responsibility to create new role models for future generations. 

If you’d like to know more about how Chanel created her iconic scent, read Is the Iconic Perfume Chanel No.5 the Result of a Mistake?

Photos and video courtesy of Chanel and Wikimedia.