The business of fame: Body parts for sale

Whether they were designed to filter ownership or as a way to contribute to the less fortunate, auctions are a common occurrence in the art world.

According to Sotheby's, an international broker best known for their ludicrous auctions and aristocratic status in the auction world, the value of the objects they auction is determined by 10 factors: authenticity, condition, rarity, provenance, historical importance, size, fashion, subject matter, medium and quality. 

It’s safe to say that with a criteria this explicit, there’s a wider range of objects that are qualified to be auctioned off. From a shredded Banksy piece to the chairs used on set of a Basquiat cover story photoshoot, the possibilities of what is dubbed ‘valuable’ and what can be sold are endless.

Over the years, the types of objects that are auctioned off have evolved, and the auction world has proven to be more inclusive towards different mediums. For example, one can now even auction off a ‘tweet’ as an NFT if they wanted to, as done by CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey, whose tweet was sold at an eye-opening price of $3.8 million. This can be seen as one of the many travesties that arises from the intersection between a newfound respect for pop culture, art and technology. 

However, there are some instances where this freedom crosses a few lines, including challenging the social norm in the name of pop culture. Pop culture is definitely abnormal in more often a bad way than not, but the following list of objects that have been auctioned off have definitely taken the title to being the most absurd, and some even borderline unethical.

Country star Willie Nelson’s braids were sold at an auction for $37,000 to an anonymous bidder. The hair was cut off and given to Waylon Jennings in celebration of his sobriety.

The winning bid for John Lennon’s tooth, specifically a molar, was $31,200. It was given to his housekeeper at the time, Dorothy Jarlett, as a souvenir for her to take home. However, in fear of the tooth being lost, Jarlett sold the tooth, which was later bought by a Canadian dentist.

Not necessarily a body part per say, but Lady Gaga’s fake fingernail was put on sale by a stage manager for $13,000.

In 2011, Justin Bieber chopped off his fringe and later gave it to Ellen DeGeneres as a gift. DeGeneres put the lock of hair on ebay and the object sold with a winning bid of over $40,000.

Elvis Presley’s hair has grown to be somewhat a commodity and has been sold before, but never put up for auction. In 2009, however, another lock of his hair was sold at an auction for $15,000. 

Super-fan Frieda Hull bought two locks of Marilyn Monroe’s hair for a total of $70,000 at an auction hosted at Julien’s auctions.

Celebrity hair is usually sold in locks, however, due to its rarity, only six strands of Kurt Cobain’s hair were available for auction. Earlier this year, the strands were purchased for over $14,000. They also came with pictures of Cobain posing with the woman who cut his hair, and even a photo of the hair while it was being cut.

Whether its hair or preserved molar teeth, again, pop culture and its impact is borderless. To be fair, these objects all hold some form of historical value, and when it comes to artists who have left us early on, some of these things were the only tangible way for us to preserve a moment in history. 

However, it does beg the question: to what extent are we willing to go in the name of pop culture and the preservation of legacies of iconic figures?