The Star Image theory is one that was developed through the works of Richard Dyers and Andrew Goodwin. The theory argues that a Pop Star and a Pop Performer are not the same thing, especially when talking about them in media terms. A pop performer is someone that is known for his/her music and performance, whereas a pop star is the image that the person portrays. When talking about the study of stars, the distinction is necessary between those who are known for being pop stars and those who are simply known for performing. A Pop Star has an identity/Persona which is not solely restricted to their music.
Now you might be wondering that if it is not the same thing, why are so many Pop performers classified as Pop Stars, well, the answer is quite simply, they get quickly promoted through the efforts of their managements. This task takes place through the courtesy of a famous girlfriend/boyfriend, a few judiciously placed rumors/stories, attendance at parties/premieres and a feature in a Gossip magazine/s. in the light of the love affairs or outfits, the music can be easily forgotten. While it seems that a few totally leapfrog the performer stage, everyone has to go through it.
That being said, it is a fact that a true pop star does have a lasting significance, and has "Brand Awareness" amidst a wider marker over a proper period of time. If we return to Dyer's definition, most the so-called pop stars did not make a sufficient cultural or sociological impact to be classified as true Pop stars.
Dyer proposed that:
A star is an image not a real person that is constructed (as any other aspect of fiction is) out of a range of materials (eg advertising, magazines etc as well as films [music]).
Going with this definition, stars are artificial, constructed images, regardless of whether they are represented as "real people" who experience "real emotions" etc. A star is further helped if the image has a USP and they can be copied or parodied through it. Their representation may be metonymic, for e.g. like Justin Bieber's bangs and Bono's 'Fly' sunglasses.
In this respect, Pop stars have the upper hand when compared to film stars as their image may be consistent over a much longer time period and it is not dependent on other's creative input, fo e.g. the screenwriters.
While I can explain the process here, it will just get really boring, more than it already is, and hence, I have decided that instead of just listing out the process of creating an image, I will do that through a case study. This way, not only will I make it interesting, it will be more explanatory and easy to understand as a real life example will accompany every step and since the case study would be of one star, it would be even more easier you will follow one star's journey and learn all about the star theory along with it.
I will use Ariana Grande as the example for this task and try to explain the Star Theory through her.
Let us start with a brief background about her. Her real name is Ariana Grande-Butera and she was born on June 26, 1993. As we all probably know, she is an American singer and actress who is mostly known simply as Ariana Grande.
Her career started with the Broadway musical “13” back in 2008; before she moved on to play the role of “Cat Valentine” in, the Nickelodeon show, “Victorious”. She started her music career in 2011 with the soundtrack Music of victorious. Her first studio album, “Yours Truly”, came out in 2013 and entered atop the US Billboard 200. The lead single of this album, “The Way”, opened in the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 and critics ended up comparing her wide vocal range to that of Mariah Carey.
Her first appearance was through the Broadway musical “13” back in 2008 for which she ended up winning the National Youth Theatre Association Award. At that time she appeared as a cute, teenage girl with her natural dark brown fluffy curls and minimal make-up.
Ariana Grande as “Cat Valentine” on Victorious
For the show “Victorious”, Ariana Grande was cast as a goofy aspiring actor and song-writer. Coming to the part where the theory claims that the star is created, Ariana had to dye her hair red every other week as the show’s producer didn’t want all characters to be brunettes and because the show network believed that red hair would suit Cat Valentine’s personality, hence showing how the process of a star’ image creation starts and as everyone know, the red hair became an iconic signature hairstyle for Ariana Grande. Her clothes in the show used to range from tomboyish hoods to girly cardigans.
Debut Music Video – Put Your Heart Up
While she was busy with the show, she managed to pursue her musical career alongside and in 2011, released the single “Put your hearts up”, aiming it at her young “Victorious” audience and hence taking advantage of her image and fame that the show created.
This video portrayed her signature red hair, minimal make-up style and girly pink dress. It was like a bubblegum, teen pop song talking about making the world a better place and she herself referred to it as a “newbie coming to town”. The song portrayed her much like the audience would have expected Cat Valentine to be presented if she was to come out with such a video.
Red Carpet Appearances
By now she had created an image and was showing up at read carpets respecting it, with her iconic red hair, minimal make-up and outfits that fitted her Cat Valentine character
Her Debut Album
After the success that her first album received, she became the first female artist since Kesha to have her first album debut atop of charts and ranking her the 15th female artist overall.
Discussing the cover:
· The black and white effect adds poise, elegance and timelessness.
· Simple typography of the title but stands out
· The font conveys maturity which she would want to portray in her first album, especially after being known mainly for Cat Valentine the goofy character. She wants to show that she has grown up and isn't the same person, as in isn't the image that was created for her role in victorious.
· She has been placed in the middle indicating that she is the most important and all attention should be at her
· She seems to be relishing the light as if satisfied with what she has achieved with the album and probably portraying her confidence in the image shift it is going to create
Debut Single
Leaving the examples of her debut music video behind, this video presented a new hairstyle with her having waved goodbye to her red hair and now going with dyed dark brown hair tied in a half up ponytail. This is the perfect example of how the image of stars is developed with time according to what they or the studio, network etc. wants to portray through the image. Compared to her album cover, the cover of the single is more colorful and girly which might want to show that the change is not a complete 180 degree and she is still everyone’s favorite girl, just more mature.
The song
This is where her image started to change; however, she still has her innocent look. Through the change in clothes and hairstyle, she is presented as grown up and more mature then before. Her music has also changed to appeal most age groups and the video can be claimed to contain slight voyeuristic hints especially when she is on screen together with Mac Miller and they even share a kiss at the end. On top of it, she keeps breaking the fourth wall and gives the audience flirtatious looks, all of which go together to show the change in her image and portray her as targeting mature audiences along with being far more mature and leaving the girly teen behind, while still keeping her innocent look intact.
Red Carpet Appearances- 2013
While she was largely seen experimenting with her looks, her new signature hairstyle along with her ombre curls and feminine chic dresses were evident most often. Her make-up still remained largely soft but a change was noticeable along with sometimes carrying red lipstick and smoky eyes.
The Believe Tour
Ariana ended up joining Justin Bieber on his Believe Tour and it resulting in her kicking-off her own headlining mini-tour, “The Listening Sessions”. The signature style that she was now trying to adopt became more recognizable. Through letting the world now that she had grown up, she wanted to make a statement. The look that she had now adopted presented her as more confident and bold; she started wearing short formal dresses along with platform heels. While she kept her hair the same as the album showed as her new style, her became shifted from minimal to more dark.
Her Image
Ariana Grande’s star image that was created in her early days has been described as “age appropriate” especially when compared to other pop starts who grew up in the public eye. In 2014, Jim Farber of New York Times wrote that she received less attention “for how little she wears or how graphically she moves than for how she sings”. However, with that, it was time to shift her image further and that year Ariana started wearing crop tops and short skirts with knee-high boots on red carpets and in performances.
Second Album – “My Everything”
Her second studio album came out on August 25, 2014 and sold 169000 copies in the first week alone. Grande reportedly said, “I don’t want it to sound like an extension of Yours Truly. I want it to sound like an evolution”
Let’s discuss the cover of this album and notice the changes
· This album cover is rather voyeuristic with her being scantily clad to a certain extent and the focus being drawn to the lower part of her body
· She still has her signature hairstyle and is wearing heels but her clothing has changed, making her more bold and confident
· The background is actually purple and it connotes royalty (she is referred to as pop princess) and success as she is only 21 at this point. It can also refer to love and most of the songs are about it.
· The font is very delicate and feminine
The Song – “Problem”
The music video for this song was set like a retro from 1960s art movement and contained a black, white and old-fashioned aesthetic. The video starts with a sparkling figure where Grande appears in a sequined minidress and go-go boots.
The song
The song cover
· In the cover she is wearing revealing clothing and way she is sitting makes it somewhat voyeuristic and it seems as objectification of her legs.
· She can be seen playing with her hair which can be considered flirtatious and it wont be new as Ariana is usually flirtatious in her music videos which is a complete 180 degree turn from the shy innocent girl that she started out as.
· From her old original self, she has transformed into the constructed image of someone who is more mature, confident and looks more desirable
· The motifs that have now become a part of her image at this stage are the signature ponytail, skimpy clothing and high heels.
Talking about the video itself:
Her music video contains more voyeurism and objectification than any of her previous works and she can be seen in revealing clothing which has completely transformed her from the shy innocent girl to the “artificial image” where she appears more confident and bold.
Her dance seems to be choreographed in an enticing and seductive manner which again highlights the shift in her “artificial” character to the audience. She also keeps breaking the fourth wall ad passing flirtatious looks to the audience, further incorporating it into her style and “image”.
Let’s have a look at some of her more music videos
“Bang Bang”, “Love Me Harder” and “Breakfree”
With time, her music videos kept growing more and more voyeuristic and the percentage of adult content kept increasing. Throughout the videos, the camera lingers on her body and she started doing moves which were seductive and alluring and can hence be considered a part of Laura Mulvey’s male gaze. Her signature outfit became “Leotards” and she started working with famous, adult singers. She was now representing and creating the image of an independent, confident and alluring woman rather than the shy innocent teenage girl she started out as.
You may have a look at the videos yourself
Bang bang
Breakfree
Love me harder
Public Appearances
As the ponytail had now been going on for quite some time and people wanted a new look, she started experimenting with different hairstyles like bun, space buns, headpieces and straight sleek hair etc, all the while trying different outfits from gowns to dresses to skirts, all to keep the audience interested .
Dangerous Woman – Music Video
This song was from her third album and I have attached the music video below
As you can see, this marked the point where she no longer stuck to the wide eyed goofy and innocent identity that Nickelodeon created for her and launched her into her stardom. To this day, this video can be considered her most mature work and it could be due to the fact that this was the point where she wanted to completely leave behind her Nickelodeon image and completely absorb the new artificial star image that she was creating. In the video she can be seen wearing black lingerie and posing and singing in front of a curtain and on a bed. This video is a perfect example of Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory and of voyeurism in music videos. Her performance can be considered explicit and it raised her fame by a considerable amount as well. The appropriate reason that comes to mind on why she would do such a video is that she used this to completely leave behind her “age appropriate” image and emerge as a mature, fully grown adult.
Lyrics
To create a star image, not only a shift in her appearance and music video styles is necessary, but a shift in lyrics of her songs is also equally important and you can witness the shift that took place through the examples of her lyrics below:
“Let Me see you put your hearts up, yeah
If we give a little love, maybe we can change the world”
-Put Your Hearts UP (2011)
“A little bit dangerous, but, baby, that’s how I want it. A
little less conversation and a little more “touch my body”.
‘Cause I’m so into you, into you, into you”
-Into You (2016)
“I’ve been there all night, Ariana I’ve been there all day, Nicki Minaj, And boy, got me
Walkin side to side, Let them hoes know”
-Side to Side (2016)
This shows how her target audience shifted from children and teenagers to a much more mature audience and it also went along with her shift from the innocent teen to much more confident and bold adult. All of this was done to keep the audience of every age group interested.
Award Shows
As time went on, Ariana’s award show performances started to get more and more explicit and even vulgar according to some.
Along with her signature scanty clothing, her dance became more and more sexualized and simultaneously increased the number of shirtless male dancers around her.
Visual Transformation
Before the creation of her artificial image
The changes after her image was formed
Conclusion
Ariana Grande’s image over the last 6 to 8 years has been transformed drastically. While she started as a young, shy Nickelodeon child actor and a teen singer, she has ended up as a fully grown adult singer who regularly wears quite revealing outfits and her songs are now mostly about love, relationships, sex and romance, while her first song was about healing the world and improving it.
Her music video have evolved to a great extent as well, starting from modest to being very explicit and sexualized along with a lot of mature content
While her outfit and make-up was considered “age-appropriate, it has now become revealing and bold.
Hence, this shows how a Star is constructed and shaped for promotion purposes and I believe that after discussing Ariana Grande’s example, no confusion would be remaining in the star theory.
However, if you still have any confusion, another star that I have chosen for this task is Britney Spears as she is one star with immense development in her image and her current image is completely different from what her image was when she started out.
Britney Spears started out as an innocent teen girl promoting girl bands and with the typical pigtails. Initially she was viewed as the role model for the teen girls market.
Eventually, as she grew older, her image was shifted to better suit the record labels and the industry and hence, began her complete transformation. However, one must wonder, was the transformation real or is it just a hoax, as in, only on screen and in front of cameras?
Whatever the case may be, the result was a complete 180 from the innocent female role model.
In her earlier videos, the mise-en-scene seemed to be full of "girlie iconography" such as make up, teen pigtails and bedroom culture. The choreography contained dance routines that created a desire to be a part of "her gang".
However, once the change began, she shifted from the innocent girl icon to a sexualised female that seemed to be performing primarily for a male
audience in FHM and Loaded.
To better get an idea of the shift, I am uploading a few of her videos so that you may compare them. The two that I am uploading for primary comparison are; Hit Me Baby One More Time (1998) and Womanizer (2008). Once you compare the videos and lyrics of these two songs you will see how drastic and complete the change was, completely shifting her entire image. Therefore, I believe her to be a perfect example of how Star Images are created.
Hit Me Baby One More Time (1998)
Slowly, her songs began to change the main themes
I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman (2001)
And eventually, it led to this
Womanizer (2008)
I conclude this post, probably having made it too long and therefore, not prolonging the suffering. I hope that it was helpful and that now you have no doubt left in mind regarding the star image theory.
Comments