Representation & Star Image
Voyeurism
This idea comes from the theories of Sigmund Freud and refers to the gaining of erotic pleasure by looking at a sexual object.
It was proposed by Laura Mulvey that because film makers are predominantly male then most content is set in the male perspective and women in films are normally there for the purpose of display rather than the purpose of narrative. This display is argued to be included as a way of creating a voyeuristic response from the audience. By doing this they creates a powerful 'male' gaze on the female character which objectifies them and represents them as passive.
The idea of voyeurism is also frequently present in music videos, the reason for this is because pop songs often focus around a girl or relationship so it could be argued that these types of shots are topical to the narrative of the song.
Exhibitionism
The apparently more powerful independent female artists have tried to complicate this debate by being sexually provocative while instead of this showing them as weak and passive they portray themselves as strong independent women in control of the gaze upon them, this is viewed as the opposite of voyeurism. These artists such as Madonna, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga have done this by appearing wearing extremely suggestive outfits to their performances and having them consist of sexual dance routines or using their body's in a seductive way by doing this they have used the objectification of women to their advantage and have used their sexual appeal in order to boost their star image.
The question raised in this topic is who is exploiting whom? By doing what they do these women display themselves to the majority of the world which could be seen as objectification of the artist in order to increase male interest and record sales or it may be a assertion of female self confidence and sexual independence.
Star Construction
‘A star is an image constructed from a range of materials’ (Richard Dyer 1979)
For pop music these materials include:
-The songs (their lyrical themes and musical structures/genres)
-The CD covers (the image of the star they present)
- Media coverage (from interviews about career and private life through to tabloid gossip)
-Live performance (the image through their live show)
-The music videos (arguably the most important), which may draw upon the image presented in other media
All of these things can be considered a artists brand and this will hopefully result in the artist being easily recognisable for a considerable amount of time in the future.
Star Image
A star is perceived by an audience depends on a combination of their representation in the media and the way that they portray themselves. construction of a star always consists of the two and can only be controlled by the star and their employees to certain point, as they have no control over what papers and magazines can print.
The music promo has a particular role to play in the construction of a pop star’s image, by creating an associated iconography (visual features that regularly accompany performance by a star, such as the mise en scene of costume, jewellery and setting. Also, DVD’s may include special features with stars and directors commenting on their work, as in Jennifer Lopez’s ‘The Real Me’ (2003).
This construction can be reinforced through the notion of authenticity of performance where the audience takes the song’s lyrics as a direct reflection of the star’s inner or outer persona.
Star Power
This takes several forms:
- Economic power through earnings generated by the scales of associated products such as CD covers and Merchandise
- Artistic control which is the artist controlling their own image and how it is used by the media
- ideological power as in terms of how the influence their audience which may take form of fashion or attitude or both
