my ENFP brother is absurdly popular wherever he goes. I've had to put up with it all my life - he's the charming, adorable, likeable one that people instantly like, whilst I'm the meaner brother that you "have to watch" lol
and yet my brother and I have often had arguments because he's been under the impression that some trivial thing I said devastated his image and popularity, when in reality it's virtually untouchable and the only thing that ever threatens his popularity is his own flakiness when people find out, after a while, that likeable and charming though he is, he just can't be relied on and almost always has some sort of hidden agenda of what he's trying to get you to do...
I think he does perceive his own popularity, but I think he's also aware of its fragility. But rather than acknowledge the source of that fragility he tends to blame others and accuse them of badmouthing him or slandering him behind his back or whatever, when someone turns cold on him. Somehow he can't ever seem to admit that something he did wasn't quite ethical... you know? A bit like me being unable to admit a lot of the time that what I said or thought wasn't logical or reasonable... he has to believe all the time that he's a paragon of virtue and anything that threatens that image tends to rile him pretty quick...
like I tend to have a need to always be able to one up or top any perception anyone comes up with and be logically right, he seems to have a need to be loved and adored. I can't ever settle for being competent, I need to be awesome at everything I do, I need rave reviews; he can't settle for being liked, he needs to be loved and totally trusted. Gets offended if someone just needs to get to know him better before trusting him, sorta thing.