Star Theory/Britney

 Star Theory and Britney Spears

STAR THEORY-RICHARD DYER

Richard Dyer believes that artists are constructed through artificial images such as advertising, films, magazines and music. He claims that consumers prefer that their artists to show their true emotions themselves and not be groomed by record labels who try to create a fake image for those artists.  

PROMOTION

Dyer also believes that artists are manufactured to make money for their record labels by appealing to their appropriate target audiences. Because of this, record labels have to market other artists to cater for certain target audiences as there are both 'niche' and 'mainstream' markets. He also claims that specific artists will become trendsetters in the sense that audience members will imitate artists hairstyles and clothing styles. Some artists may have certain religious beliefs and cultural values that the audience may pick up on also, if the artist shares their stuff about it. The internet has also given the audience access to the artists 'personal lives' 

STARS SUPPORT HEGEMONY: 

Stars also support hegemony, which is the leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group, over others. Gramsci is best known for his theory of cultural hegemony, which describes how states use cultural institutions to maintain power in capitalist societies. An example of this is 'Start from the Bottom' by Drake. 

REPRESENTATION

The music industry promotes and creates artists with clear defined genres, for example different categories such as rock, rap, pop etc. These different genres offer signifiers that relate to the race and gender identities.


BRITNEY SPEARS

Britney Spears raises interesting issues that regard female identity in pop music. She is also initially viewed as a role model for the target audience of teenage girls and from a gender perspective, her identity is placed securely within a male dominated industry that manufactures limited stereotypes of femininity. 

In her early videos, she was surrounded by girly iconography, which consisted of bedroom culture, dolls, dressing up with friends, hanging out, applying makeup, teen pigtails etc. Choreographed dance routines in her early videos create the desire to be part of her 'gang'.



This goes on to Laura Mulvey's theory. Her theory relates to classic Hollywood cinema. We can also apply some of her ideas to our work on the pop video. Her videos can also relate to Laura's theory of the male gaze, where women are viewed as the objects of the male's erotic desire. It also shows that men are active and women are passive.

HIT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME (1998)




Britney's songs and video narratives express teen girl identity and the concerns and reflections. Also when it comes to gender debates, Britney's music videos are a polysemic text, which is a text that has multiple meanings.

HOLD IT AGAINST ME (2011)

This video consists of Britney rejecting her 'constructed image'