Competition television shows have made the world a better place! In “The Book of the Courtier” there is a discussion about characteristics of a good courtier. One of the characteristics was sprezzatura. This characteristic means that the courtier should go about showing off their skills and talents in a nonchalance way, even if they worked hard behind the scenes. If Castiglione watched television today his least favorite genre would be competition shows.
Importance Of Sprezzatura
Castiglione thought that sprezzatura was important to show skill as an effortless talent. He highlighted this point blatantly by saying “Practice in all things a certain sprezzatura [nonchalance], so as to conceal all art …show more content…
For instance, the show America’s Next Top Model showcases contestants that are inspiring models. The cameras follow them around and gain footage of them practicing their angles in the mirror. During the competition the viewers see the behind the scene work that the models endure while preparing for a runway show. There have been many times when the contestants have tripped and fell on the runway. Once the model pose at the end of the runway and walks back they immediately strip down and change into the next outfit as soon as possible. It is essential that once the model is back on the runway that they compose themselves and return back to their nonchalant demeanor. Along with this, the show is also filled with various challenges. These challenges range from insanely difficult photo shoots to going on go-sees. Go-sees are like interviews for models. The designers look at the model’s portfolio as well as their runway walk to determine whether or not they would hire the contestant for a future …show more content…
Can someone with a lot of talent be successful in the entertainment industry? Researchers Sommerlund and Strandvad asked this question and found that talent alone will not suffice. Sommerlund and Strandvad argued that an important aspect fell within the performance of the person seeking to break into the industry. Performance was broken down into three categories, identification, self-technology and materialization. “Identification is recognition of potentiality by evaluating others. Self-technology is emphasizes the work that talented person performed. Materialization shows that talent is produced through attachments to collaborators” (Sommerlund & Strandvad, 2012, pp. 191-192). The category that is of most relevance is the third one, materialization. This category is all about the perception. The perception lies heavily on the person evaluating the person hoping to gain success in the entertainment industry. A good perception would require nonchalance. The person looking to book projects needs to act in a casual manner so that they can be perceived in a positive competent