Almost every day of the last week of November, 2010, Jennifer Garner has been featured in the “Star Tracks” section on the home page of People.com. She ranks #12 on the site’s “Celebrity Hot List”, along with recent buzzed-about stars like Prince William, Kate Middleton, Ryan Seacrest, and Taylor Swift; and big-screen icons like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, despite not having appeared in a veritable ‘hit’ (or really any film at all) in quite a while. Recent paparazzi photos almost exclusively feature the star with one or both of her younger daughters, and are in abundance. Fans are still enamored with her personal life, and scandalous rumors and gossip about Garner are hard to find. This leads one to wonder how she has managed to maintain such appeal while refraining entirely from the blatant publicity stunts or gratuitous self-promotion seen in her peers. And why the excessive interest in her daughters- who, when compared to Willow Smith, the Jolie-Pitt Clan, or any of the eight Gosselins, are some of the most ‘boring’ children in Hollywood? The answer lies in her star image, which can be analyzed by a close examination of chronological posts of this blog.
Garner was catapulted to stardom by her debut as super-spy Sydney Bristow on the hit show Alias. She grew up in West Virginia, the daughter of a chemist and a teacher, and led an average life throughout her youth- her fairly humble beginnings make her all the more appealing to fans who can see themselves in the Hollywood star. Similarly, her alter-ego Sydney was recruited as an ambitious college student- someone humble, determined, and entirely normal. She embodied the always-popular, somewhat clichéd image of a sexy, yet tough superhero character, but maintained a down-to-earth accessibility that earned her credibility. On the show, viewers witnessed Sydney lose a fiancé, reconcile with her parents, and fall in love, all while regularly transforming herself into eccentric characters, placing her life in danger, and engaging in mortal combat. The show attracted a huge following, and Garner’s fan base grew to include women who enjoyed her image of female empowerment, action fans, and of course, charmed males. Meanwhile, Garner herself began accepting movie roles that strengthened this fan base. In 13 Going on 30, she played a teenager in a 30- year- old’s body, a role in which she elaborates on the vulnerability and feminine idealism she touches on in Alias. In Daredevil she portrayed another super-heroine, and was so successful she was cast in a spin off based on her character. Her role as Elektra in both Daredevil and Elektra is extremely convincing because of her history as Sydney Bristow. Later, life imitated art when she married her on-screen love interest, Ben Affleck. The parallels between Jennifer Garner and the characters she embodies makes both entities more appealing to an audience, and creates a confusion between her reality and alter-egos. All three of her past relationships- with Scott Foley, Michael Vartan, and Ben Affleck- have been with on-screen romances. By the finale of Alias, Sydney had married and settled down with children, something Jennifer herself had done only months before. Her pregnancy with first daughter Violet was even written into the plot, instead of artfully concealed. With Sydney’s retirement from the covert world of suspense and action came Jennifer’s- with the exception of The Kingdom, she has yet to appear in another action film. In her recent movies, including Catch and Release, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, and The Invention of Lying, she plays girl-next-door characters with whom the audience can completely identify. In her most successful film to date, Juno, she depicts an infertile woman who desperately yearns to be a mother. Her character Vanessa is shown anxiously over-preparing while fawning over the young children of her friends, and worrying over the possibility that Juno may back out and deprive her of a chance at motherhood. Perhaps the reason she was so convincing in this role is because she is one of Hollywood’s most lauded mothers. She is rarely, if ever, criticized for her parenting techniques, and is openly devoted to her two young daughters. Many believe she withdrew from Alias- the backbone of her career- in order to do this. Her devotion extends to children worldwide- almost all of the charities she is involved with are for the benefit of youths, be they unhealthy or underprivileged. The nature and commitment level of her community service strengthen her image as a hardworking, admirable mother.
Garner’s body of work and personal life are intertwined. Although her motherly, girl-next-door role is seemingly at odds with her elite, super-spy persona, she has successfully merged the two in a way no other actress has. She represents two vastly different, yet universal feminine ideals- one of power and confidence, and one of fertility and grace. Because of the accessibility her background and home life illustrate, fans are able to see themselves in both of these ideals. A young West Virginian Jennifer is linked to Sydney Bristow, who is then linked to Garner- the mother of two. Through these associations, admirers can easily envision themselves infiltrating an embassy or raising a beautiful family- and this type of emulation is what encourages celebrity worship. For this reason, Jennifer Garner has achieved an incomparable star image and enduring popularity.
