STAR IMAGE- RICHARD DYER

Star image is the person an artist presents themselves as. The way in which as artist presents themselves influences their fanbase and attracts or deters people from listening to them. Certain kinds of artists attract certain fanbases.

So in the picture at the very top we can see Slipknot, a heavy metal band. Their image is meant to shock and be intimidating. Their fans, seen below, are wearing masks much like the ones worn by the band. They want to shock people too. Slipknot fans are predominantly male,  a common theme with metal music.

Jump to the complete opposite side of the spectrum and you hace Taylor Swift. Swift is the clean cut, clean mouthed epitome of Americas Angel. Parents would want their kids to be like her, what's not to like? Her fanbase is broad but mainly totally female. Above you can see kids holding a sign at one of her shows. Her main audience, I would say, is teenage girls.


STAR IMAGE- REBRANDING

Often stars can have a massive overhaul of image and reinvent themselves for different crowds. Miley Cyrus used to be like Taylor Swift, an American angel who parents approved of. in the last few years, Cyrus has undergone massive transformations to change her image. She cut her hair short and started wearing incredibly provocative clothing, rejecting her previous wholesome image. In interviews Cyrus had previously stated 'drugs are for idiots and I'm never gonna be that person.'
jump forward to today and shes coming out with lyrics like "In the club high on perp with my shades on".

 

Another example of rebranding that still kind of confuses me is Avril Lavigne. Whereas miley rebranded in order to drop an image enforced on her by Disney, Avril really had no reason to change. In 2004 Avril Lavigne was the girl to be. She was a cool skater chick who hung out with cool guys at the mall and caused havoc. Fast forward, shes singing about Hello Kitty. It's very confusing. Goodwin argued that the female performer will frequently be objectified. I guess being a badass and confident young lady didnt leave much to objectify and she changed.

Laura Mulvey said the camera is usually gendered as masculine, objectifying women with sexual overtones either as virgin or whore. In this video, Avril is essentially behaving like a tall toddler, sexualised as a childlike virgin.