Has the Star Academy program taken a turn that is a little too politicized? In any case, this is what a large number of Internet users are denouncing, after Marine’s victory.
This 2024 edition of the Star Academy has been particularly politicizedwhich may have disturbed many Internet users. Indeed, we must not forget that the famous TF1 talent show is above all a entertainment showand singing competition aimed at discovering talents. And this is exactly what MP Éric Ciotti said a short time ago:
“Politics is not the Star Academy.”.
However, over the course of the adventure, the program gave rise to political speecheson the part of candidates themselves, publicand even certain personalitiescreating a very tense atmosphere. From the start of the broadcast, the production did not hesitate to put the Marguerite’s feminist speechone of this season’s candidates, forward, directly launching hostilities. She then mocked the attitude of mansplaining that some men can have, that is to say the fact of giving explanations to a woman in a paternalistic or condescending tone, when she perfectly masters the subject addressed. This type of claims is not never covered in a program it reality TV. And the least we can say is that the production of TF1 did not do this type of assembly at random. But this did not not always been the case. Steevy, one of the candidates of the pioneering reality TV show in France, Loft Storylamented in 2003: “As soon as we talked about politics, religion, or anything […]they cut during editing”. However, this change of direction would respond to a purely commercial logic, as Élodie Kredens, a specialist in the field, explains:
“What makes reality TV shows successful is the buzz. There is a very serialized side to Star Academy, which responds to narrative logic: you need heroes, counter-heroes, a quest. There is conflict, positions taken. The production has no interest in smoothing out the story that these young people offer. Carrying a political message implies cutting oneself off from a part of public opinion..
But can we really make entertainment and politics rhyme? Not sure that this is the opinion of the majority of viewers.
Racism, at the heart of this season
This is not the first time that we have addressed it, but it is very important to return to this point, which is crucial in terms of politicization of the Star Academy. Indeed, this season was also marked by a surge of racismand a wave of hatred on social networksaiming at finaliste Ebony. The sociologist of the media, Marie-France Malonga, spoke about this to Mediapartdescribing this phenomenon like “misogynoir” :
“What must be disturbing about Ebony is that she does not offer the representation of the submissive woman, and that she makes a claim to what she is..
The young woman did not hesitate to express herself on this subject, during the semi-final, after her interpretation of the title “Ne me judez-pas” by Camille Lellouche:
“It was a message to say, don’t judge me based on the color of my skin. When you are a black woman, in truth, you have to say what is, in society, life is not like others. I hope that little black girls have heard this message and that they don’t listen to the criticism, that they are proud of their skin color, that they are proud of their hair, that they are proud of it where they come from.
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At just 20 years old, the young artist was not afraid to deliver a wonderful message of tolerancewhich should inspire more than one. Virginie Spies, lecturer in information and communication sciences at the University of Avignon, spoke on the subject, with BFMTV :
“Television and the media are often a reflection of society. These trends are therefore reflected in a casting sensitive to racism, homophobia, and sexism..
However, a lot of internet users believe that the Navy victory is only one masqueradeallowing limit the political scope of the Star Academy. Others say it is only due to the rise of racism : the votes for Marine would have been just one way to counter Ebony’s victory. However, the candidate from Lille has indeed won, and his talent is indisputable. So it is so Shame that this memorable finale either tainted by such controversies.
The disturbing attitude of the public
Nevertheless, the social networks play a crucial role in this massive politicization. In particular, they allow a rapid response from everyonebut also a immense emotional investment. As a result, the Internet users have theimpression of being close to the candidates. They do not hesitate to express yourself, without thinkingas if they knew them. Of the communities are formed very quickly, confronting each other in real time on subjects that do not necessarily have their place on social networks. Virginie Spies explains:
“What is interesting about this season is that it reflects tensions that we can have today in French society.”.
But it is not only on social networks that the public can have a disturbing attitude. During the finale which took place this Saturday January 25, 2025the audience present on the set supported Marine en masseto the detriment of Ebony. Enough to provoke the anger of Internet users! However, the production had decided to ease tensionsin opening telephone votes in the Antillesuntil then deprived of voice, just like the rest of the DROM-COM. Of Guadeloupean origin, Ebony could therefore hope to receive additional supportwhich would have been welcome. So this was supposed to ease tensions around the young woman. But within the studio 217l’advantage was clearly in favor of Marinefor whom cris and the applause were much more provided. On Internet users are revoltedjudging thepublic attitudedisrespectful”and even “shameful”. THE two finalists seemed moreover extremely embarrassed by this situation. And the fault would resell entirely to productionwho would not have not able to manage quotas. The same imbalance could also be observed within HQs candidates. THE Ebony supports seemed much fewer than those of Marine. Was all this really orchestrated to destabilize Ebony and put Marine forward? Especially since Marine even appeared surprised to win. During the post-prime interview, she addressed precisely these doubts that tormented her:
“It’s true that from the start, I had doubts, and it’s very annoying. It’s even more so for me, honestly. I apologize if I often doubted and was annoying, we’ll say it, but really, that’s what I thought in my head.”.
For now, the mystery remains !
