#Grazia10: From Kim Kardashian To Chiara Ferragni: What It Means To Be A Celebrity Today

It may be fashion month, but here at Grazia HQ we are also busy celebrating the fact that we are 10 years old. To honour the occasion we are hosting a celebratory exhibition at the Getty Images Gallery in central London (it's open to the public so do pop in), and with it, beginning a series of TenTalks (check out all the info on the forthcoming talks here) with the industry's biggest movers and shakers.

Last night we were joined by PR guru Simon Jones, photographer Dave Benett, fashion PR Mandi Lennard, and fashion blogger Ella Gregory of Coco's Tea Party, as chaired by the brill Gaby Roslin.

The definition of a celebrity is one that is ever changing, with Dave Benett, Getty photographer to the stars describing a celebrity as: "someone who people are keen to photograph or invite to parties". This is a far cry from the Hollywood icons and mega superstars of old who previously were: "people to be celebrated." Indeed, in the world of celebrity a lot can happen in five minutes, let alone ten years, and with the advent of social media and reality TV, the face of the celebrity is dramatically different today than ever before. In a time when 59% of children say they aspire to become celebrities, we pondered the changing definitions and more.

Allow us to introduce our six best bits...

1. It's all about who you know

With the advent of super star bloggers and reality TV turned superstars Kim Kardashian & Ko, these days it's all too common to build your own cult of celebrity. According to our #Grazia10 panelists, it's pretty simple, too. "It's all down to relationships and people you're friends with," explained PR guru Simon Jones. "If I wanted to get someone in The Sun or wherever, I'd just call them up and get them to do it as a favour. It's pretty easy." So they're in the newspapers, and then what? "Make sure they're invited to the right parties and get them to be photographed, then everyone will follow. It's all about creating a vibe, a movement" added Dave Benett.

2. The lines have become blurred

"In the last 10 years there's been a massive emergence of people who are famous because of fashion," said blogger Ella Gregory. "Instagram and blogs have allowed people who have a good, or even just a weird sense of style to become famous because of what they're wearing." Indeed, the distinction has become confusing. "I find it a bit uncomfortable and it's not why I got into blogging in the first place, but how much I'm seen as being out there is essentially how much brands want to work with me, so it's important to play the game to some extent," she added. And with super bloggers the likes of Chiara Ferragni of The Blonde Salad - who was this year listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 - having become "more famous than most celebrities" according to Ella, the lines have become increasingly blurred.

Indeed, it's a time where people are being celebrated for their personalities, their looks and their style more than ever before. "The Kardashians came up from nothing but the way they've marketed themselves is genius," said Ella. In a time where Kim Kardashian is time and again breaking the Internet, the way she's repositioned herself - particularly in the last year following her marriage to Kanye West - to have become more accepted in the high fashion world is indicative of the sheer force of social media and marketing in creating or maintaining celebrity.

3. Talent comes in many guises

"I think we're often too harsh on celebrities," said Dave. "You can look at most celebrities and find something of talent, like Alexa Chung - her talent is her style." Speaking on model of the moment Cara Delevingne - who hair stylist Sam McKnight hailed as one of the new supers in a #Grazia10 talk last week - Dave talks how the celebrity came first, but the talent came to light soon after. "It surprised a lot of people, I think. She can sing, play the drums, act, model! She's a multi talented girl. It's interesting how celebrity came to her in a sort of round about way then the big brands saw her and realised that's what they've been looking for."

4. It's about buying into the brand

Some celebrities like Sia and Martin Margiela have managed to build a celebrity despite, or perhaps because of their anonymity, but it wouldn't work for just anyone. "It works for Sia because her voice and her music is so strong, but it wouldn't work for just anyone," said Simon. "The reason why The X Factor - and the people who come from it - do so much better than The Voice is because it's not just about the voice; it's about buying into a brand," he added.

5. The public these days are savvy

Whereas previously it may have been much simpler to set a celebrity up to be whoever you wanted them to be, these days the public are much more savvy to PR stunts, bordering, in fact, on cynicism. Indeed, last week when Kanye West fancied a bit of Nandos ahead of his BRITs performance, the public seemed convinced it had all been orchestrated. "Whenever Harry or whoever from One Direction go on a date I get so many tweets asking if I'm the one behind it," said Simon, whose firm handles much of One Directions PR. "It's a generational thing," he added. "People understand behind the scenes now, whereas previously there was more mystique around a star; you wouldn't even know who their PR is or anything."

6. On the rise of selfies and social media

"As a photographer you don't want people to be taking their own selfies," said Dave. "The worst thing about it is the editorial integrity, the quality of the photos sometimes is so bad and yet editors are still using the shots in their editorials." That said, he's not concerned for the effect it will have on his profession in the long run: "At the moment everyone's doing it, but the tide will turn. The talent will rebel." And indeed, they've already begun to, with many artists, the likes of Beyonce, even going so far as to stop their performances to tell people to please put down their phones and let themselves get lost in the moment.

As for the use of Twitter, it's often seen as a double edged sword, with the social media site allowing celebrities the opportunity to share their own side of the story for the first time, at times to the detriment of their brand. "Because of all the controversy surrounding Miley Cyrus I don't really think of her as a music artist anymore," shared Simon. "It's kind of what Lady Gaga did, it all became so much about what she was wearing and what she did that people forgot how talented she is," added Ella.

Please drop in to the free exhibition or book a place at a TenTalk. The exhibition runs from 23rd February - 14th March and is open to the public Monday ­ Friday (10am-5.30pm), Saturday (12-5.30pm). Please note the gallery is closed when the #Grazia10talks are on.

**See the list of Tentalks and ticket links below.

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Meet The Newsmakers

Predict Your Career Future

Technology - Friend Or Foe?

Please note that tickets are limited. More tickets may be available to purchase at a later date. Please check Grazia’s Twitter and Facebook updates for more info.

**Can't make these? Don't fret! **If you do miss out on tickets to any of the events, you can enjoy #Grazia10 highlights every day right here at Graziadaily.co.uk.