The author grapples with the elusive nature of fame, sparked by discovering a 1992 In Living Color trading card featuring a young Jennifer Lopez. This leads to a central question: Who is truly more famous, Zendaya or Sydney Sweeney?
Despite Zendaya’s larger Instagram following and awards, Sweeney’s autographs sell for significantly more, suggesting greater market demand. The author contrasts this with a figure like Amber Glenn in skating, whose cards sell better than a more decorated rival, and Sam Darnold in the NFL, whose success hasn’t erased his past reputation. The piece concludes by asking readers to weigh traditional metrics of fame against the tangible evidence of the collectibles market.
