1. To what extent does a pop stars image influence their audience?
In society, a pop stars image can influence their audience in
various ways. This idea could be down to the fact that the
term „pop star‟ and „pop performer‟ have become
compatible and the division between the two is not
recognised. A reason for this is because pop performers are
quickly promoted to a pop star status by their
management; resulting in them being described as pop
stars.
However, according to the „Star Theory‟ studies of stars has
shown that there should be a difference between someone
who performs pop music (but isn‟t necessarily famous) and
someone whose image is constructed to an audience whilst
having an identity/persona that hasn‟t much relationship to their musicianship. This
theory was made by Richard Dyer who suggested a stars construction takes several
forms: construction process, commodity and ideology.
His book „Stars‟ written in 1979 explains the idea of the way in which the perception of a
star can be greatly influenced in the observation of a film. This followed by publicity
materials and reviews, results in the way audiences overall experience a film. With this
in account, it is clear that a film will never really be summarised by the
storyline but more the stars within it.
Despite stars being represented as real people who
experience real emotions, they are built up to be artificial
images by their management and some times, the way they
are presented in the media. The media is a large source of
advertisement as it consists of magazines, TV, radio,
billboards and most importantly the internet which is how
people become internationally known. One example of this
is „YouTube‟ a video sharing website whereby music artist‟s
video can be seen by a wide audience around the world
through users uploading, viewing and sharing their videos.
In order, to make the star different they tend to also have a
unique selling point for example, Justin Bieber‟s hairstyle,
Lady Gaga‟s range of headpieces and Madonna‟s conical bra from the 1990s. These
UPS don‟t go unrecognised by the audience and immediately are copied in some way,
making their assembled image consistent over a period of time by fans, compared to
film stars who are reliant on the input of others.
Dyer explains this through his quote:
“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 (e.g. advertising, magazines etc as well as films
[music])”

2. Pop stars are the product of their record company whose purpose is to be sold. This is
why they are manufactured by the music industry so that people can respond to various
elements of their star persona by becoming fans and buying records. This is why it is
very important for companies to nurture and nature their pop stars persona throughout
their career to ensure they make money.
Nonetheless, whole markets of audiences aren‟t always convinced by what record labels
offer so don‟t choose to spend their money on this „star persona‟ record companies try
to create. As they want something different, record labels have to try and cater for
these different audiences as they are not a custom to „popular music‟. This is called
mirror branding. An example of this is Carrie Underwood and Usher who both are a part
of the same record company (Sony Records) but produce different types of music.
This process consists of the record company listening to the demands of the audience in
order to construct stars that will attract the tastes and preferences of various different
audiences. For example, Metallica is constructed to appeal to both males and females
who are likely to be punks, rockers and are down to earth. Whereas, someone like Nicki
Minaj is constructed to appeal to the typical girlie girl who focuses on their appearance
and fashion. This is called
In all, we call this having an array of „commodities‟ which industries constantly provide
us with to appeal to a wide range of people. Commodities consist of genres,
personalities and looks to name a few that will vary in every star. As a result, with every
star, there‟s an audience who would become fans and be influenced by them through
one or a few of their characteristics.
In terms of ideology and culture, the image of pop
stars is seen as actors and actresses because they are
constantly changing to match ideologies of the time.
This is why whether negative or positive, publicity of
pop stars are viewed as significant for the reason that
it enables them to remain in the public eye. An
example of this is Chris Brown who was involved in a
domestic violence case with ex-girlfriend Rihanna in
February 2009. This has a major effect on his career
as he was charged with felony assault and making criminal threats. Despite of this, in
September 2009 Brown spoke of the incident in a pre-recorded Larry King Interview.
This was his first public interview about the matter. Since then, he has tried to build up
his career again whilst remaining in the public eye, trying to prove himself right. Other
pop stars who have displayed themselves as both positive and negative in the public eye
are: R.Kelly, Madonna,

3. Stars can however portray messages
that can affect their audiences as
they provide people with a focus for
ideas which simply means what
people are supposed to look like. For
example Jennifer Hudson who was a
size 18 is now a size 10 implying to
young women that women who are
thin are much more beautiful than
those who are plus size. This could
result in many medical and
psychological problems such as
stress, loss of confidence, anorexia,
bulimia etc. On the other hand,
people could sustain being different
and see fat as lovable rather than supporting hegemony by conforming to it (thin as
beautiful).
Pop stars can also portray messages (beliefs, opinions and cultural values) verbally
which in turn will make them an icon to their fans that believe in their message or share
their beliefs. Once again, this can have both positive and negative outcomes on
audiences who look up to the stars.
Other stars construct „characters‟ by creating an identity that they feel will appeal to
their target market. These characters can vary greatly to the personality of the actual
pop star. The idea of constructing characters is so that their character can become an
icon to their fans, which they believe in and can relate to in some way. Examples of Pop
Stars who have constructed characters are:

4. Nicki Minaj – Roman Zolanski who she claims is her twin brother that out of rage
was born inside her. She becomes him, when she is angry. She has also had
other alter ego‟s such as Cookie, Harajuku Barbie, Martha Zolanski and Nicki
Minaj.
Beyoncé – Sasha Fierce is Beyoncé‟s stage persona who on stage is “sexy,
seductive and provocative. She is described to be “too aggressive, too strong, too
sassy and too sexy” compared to Beyoncé and therefore is seen as her out of
body experience.
David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust is the rock and roll character that Bowie presented
in his album „The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars‟. He
is wild in drug intake, sexually promiscuous and has a message of peace and
love. However, he is destroyed by the fans he inspired and by his own excesses
of drugs and sex. 40 years later, he is still recognizable.
Lady Gaga – Jo Calderone is Gaga‟s male persona who she occasionally brings
out.
These characters may also be called alter egos.
To conclude, a pop stars image in terms of looks, the type of music they make and
other characteristics influences audiences. However, it is made clear that most of the
time their image is influenced by audiences as music companies have to construct stars
to appeal to different types of audiences.