Using real names

I think this type of reference dates the work. JMO, of course. I would leave it w/the description, which works well.

It seems like cheating to use a reference like this, I wouldn't go over board. I don't know the legality.

On the other hand, thoughtfully used, I can see how a reference enhances the fabric and a good story can transcend references that may seem to date it.

I don't know who Lisa Rinna is. You probably don't want to make your readers work to hard to follow you, or in even alienate from then narrative.

It does date the work. Just describe the cut (if it's even necessary for us to know precisely how her hair is styled). However, if you are using the description to say something about an old style of bygone years, you should be safe.

Examples: "Jenny's mom had a Farrah Fawcet-do back in the seventies."

"Patty looked at her high school yearbook and cringed. She was the only girl who actually got The Rachel that year."

I agree with ChaosTitan (who has a cool username). If you're going to reference real people to give an image, make sure it won't date the work (like the examples ChaosTitan gave) and make sure you're using a REALLY well-known person. I don't know Lisa Rinna but I know Farrah Fawcet and The Rachel.

I'm assuming you mean the American version of 'Dancing With the Stars?' If you want your book to have international appeal, (and why wouldn't you?), you might want to make sure any "stars" you reference are known outside of your country. I have no idea what kind hair this Linda has, and if I read that description I would be left in the dark as to what your character looks like.

I've never thought of doing that. I have described clothing etc which is typical of the 1860s time period I wrote about in one of my novels, but that was just in the interests of being true to the time. Maybe I shouldn't have done that as it does date the book but still things in the 1980s were definitely different than they are now.

I would recommend steering clear of such a reference, but if you absolutely are dead-set on it then do make sure you use someone famous enough that most people will recognize their name.

Celebrities also change their hair so often that your reference would only be really effective on hairstyles that were a major trend like Farrah Fawcett's 70s do or Jennifer Aniston's Rachel cut.

Bucking the trend here....I'd say it depends on what kind of book you're writing. If it's cheap n' cheerful chiklit...then no harm done. There's certainly no legal issue there.

Or you could make the reference obscure enough that people could draw their own conclusions:

"Her haircut was reminiscent of one of those has-been soap stars who now popped up on reality television shows."

It's definitely legal, but good? In my opinion, no. It's a shortcut description and it means I have to know who the heck the person is, which I usually don't.

On the other hand, if it's chick lit, go for it. I don't read chick lit, mainly because of things like this.

I read this book where, I swear, every woman mentioned was said to look like a male celebrity. I didn't know who any of these celebrities were, but I still had a really fun time with that book. I don't know why. This is possibly the most ridiculous post I've ever written.

Who is Lisa Rinna? And what if one day she changes her hair? Would anyone outside the UK get a Lorraine Kelly reference? I think any celebrity references need to be about A-listers.

If I were going to do something like that, I would only use a terribly well-known actor/actress--Oprah, Tom Cruise, Madonna. Something people will remember for at least another generation.

I think using real names can work very well, as they reveal something about the character who is making the comparison. For example, a young male MC who is part of a group on a street corner could list off some rap star names, and even if I didn't know the particular artists, it would give me a general impression of what he meant. The reaction of the other characters in the group - either immediate understanding, or a laugh at the outdated choice of the MC, perhaps - would further illustrate things.

Legally, I think that you can use real names as long as they aren't used in a way that associates them with something they would consider negative. Best thing would be to check with that person's representative, if possible.

Starting out with IANAL.

Famous people, whether celebrites or notorious people or the accidentally exposed to publicity, find their right to privacy and anonymity much diluted. Certainly if your reference is not derogatory, your chance of being sued when you mention a famous name is about nil.

As to using people's names at all ...

References to contemporary events and people stamp your fiction with a date.

This can be good.
Dorothy Sayers puts us into the 1920s and 1930s with a sure hand. Having created this, (to her contemporary,) world so well, she became, not dated, but 'vintage' as her references began to become obscure.
Part of our enjoyment in reading Sayers is visiting this distant place and time.


The danger in 'date-stamping' your work
comes when your refs are neither fresh and new and hip
nor nostalgic and delightful.

They are last year's fashion. The dance of two years ago. The three-year-old slang. They are fuddy-duddy.

Unfortunately, the manuscript you write today will appear in bookstores two or three years from now
which is the exact point of fuddy-duddy for many contemporary references.


In addition, popular culture is not merely contemporary, it is compartmentalized.

When I talk about someone wearing Blahniks or Louboutins, this is going to be instantly comprehensible to a specialized audience.
It's going to tick other folks off,
because they have to stop and think about what the devil I mean and they get kicked out of the fictive haze I have been at pains to create.

So, yes, using the name of a soap opera actress is crystal clear and builds a quick, useful, contemporary picture for part of the audience.
But you're losing another part of your prospective audience by being accidentally obscure.
And your actress may not get renewed for next season and be off-the-air and stale news or possibly out of the closet as a trans-gendered male when your book hits the stands.

And you can be just as crystal clear in other ways.

aw, I just did a haircut to date--it was Duck's Head for 60's although also know as Duck's Ass do, I liked that better, went with it.

Look, you can use names like that as much as you please.

It'll date your work, but hey, you'll probably be out of print anyway.

(Ian Fleming kept describing James Bond as looking like Hoagy Carmichael. Without hitting Google Images do you know what Hoagy Carmichael looked like?)

Wow, I didn't know Hoagy Carmichael looked like Sean Connery!

Until this moment I've never in my whole life ever heard of Lisa whosit.

I rarely, if ever, pay attention to hairstyles unless it is to note with considerable irritation that everyone on TV seems to have more on top than I possess.

Keeping in mind that I could be your future editor, you might wanna use some other device for description.


Celebrity hair is always changing. Who wears a "Farrah" style now? They're all prolly grannies in dire need of a post 70's makeover.